What Local Climate Change Plans Can Teach Us About City Power

Discussions of city power have long focused on cities’ power relative to higher levels of government and to each other. The diffuse causes of climate change offer an opportunity to revisit the question of city power by focusing more closely on the intended object of influence. Although these two perspectives on power will at times overlap, they are not identical. If we consider greenhouse gas emissions as the target, cities can employ their relatively minor powers to substantial effect and many of them appear to be trying to do so. But consideration of cities’ climate change policies alters the usual analysis of city power further. While local government theorists have generally evaluated cities’ autonomy in terms of residents’ ability to shape their local community or their metropolitan region, municipal climate change policies aim to meaningfully contribute to resolution of a global problem. Although some elements of climate change plans may provide fiscal or other benefits that may make cities better providers of services to “consumer-voters” on a public choice model, many other elements cannot be explained other than recognizing these as efforts to engage their residents in a community building effort that encompasses the entire world. Perhaps Frug’s future vision for cities is already taking shape in the realm of local climate change policies, but on a grander vision of geographic interconnection than even he envisioned

Waste Not, Want Not: Landfill Gas to Energy Projects, Climate Change, and the Clean Air Act

This Article aims to address this gap, proposing how the Rule could be amended to reduce methane generally and enhance LGTE specifically. The sections discuss legal mechanisms to reduce landfill methane emissions and promote LGTE where appropriate, focusing on the federal Clean Air Act’s potential role in regulating landfill gas emissions. Section II explains the adverse effects of methane emissions generally and the potential benefits of reducing landfill emissions specifically. Section III describes federal emissions standards under the Clean Air Act and incentive programs for expanded use of LGTE. The discussion highlights potential conflicts between divergent means of regulating landfill gas and discusses criticisms of LGTE incentives. Section IV proposes amendments to Landfill Gas Rule that would more effectively control landfill methane emissions and improve the benefits of LGTE projects by reducing their risks. Section V briefly concludes

Acute exacerbation of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis: report of a series

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Granular cell tumor of the trachea as a rare cause of dyspnea in a young woman

Tracheal granular cell tumors are rare neurogenic neoplasms characterized by an indolent behavior. We report the case of a young woman affected by this tumor with non-specific clinical presentation. We performed a literature search in order to identify all the cases of tracheal granular cell tumor and to summarize the current state of knowledge about this rare disease

Longstanding Endobronchial Foreign Body

There are many circumstances in which the diagnosis of endobronchial inhalation of a foreign body (FB) can be missed. Generally, in such cases, within weeks or at most months from the event, clinical bronchopulmonary symptoms develop which allow a correct diagnosis to be made and significant complications to be avoided. We report the case of a patient in whom an endobronchial FB remained undiagnosed, because of lack of symptoms, for almost three years, and then caused signifiicant complications before being identified and removed. Problems related to diagnosis and therapy are discussed