House Lawmakers Hail Transportation Stimulus — But Add Three Caveats
At a House transportation committee hearing today that marked the
one-year anniversary of the Obama administration's economic recovery
efforts, lawmakers offered praise for the stimulus law's impact on
local infrastructure investments even as they hit upon three key areas
of concern with its implementation.
February 23, 2010
U.S. DOT Offers Sample Distracted Driving Bill — With a Potential Loophole
The Obama administration today offered a one-page sample proposal to
crack down on texting behind the wheel, aimed at helping guide states
through the process of crafting their own distracted driving
legislation.
February 22, 2010
The Upside of GOP ‘Hypocrisy’ on Transportation Stimulus Grants
To call Rep. Pete Sessions (TX), chairman of the House Republican
campaign committee, a critic of the Obama administration's stimulus law
would be putting it mildly. Sessions marked the one-year anniversary of
the law's passage last week by labeling the stimulus a "massive spending binge" that only "allegedly" created jobs in his district.
February 22, 2010
New Analysis: Major Cities Still Shortchanged by Transportation Stimulus
The Obama administration's awarding of $1.5 billion in competitive transportation stimulus grants on Wednesday sparked elation in cities such as Kansas City and New Orleans. But those celebrations were more than just anecdotal evidence of the so-called TIGER program's urban impact, according to a new analysis from the Brookings Institution's Rob Puentes.
February 19, 2010
17 Democrats Urge Reid: Don’t Forget Infrastructure in Your Jobs Push
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) plans to call up a job creation bill on Monday that includes a stopgap rescue of the highway trust fund but none of the new infrastructure spending okayed
by the House. Even that pared-down measure faces a GOP filibuster
threat, but many Democrats remain undaunted in their push for more
federal aid.
February 18, 2010
A Day After Their TIGER Win, Freight Railroads Carve Out More Turf
The freight rail industry yesterday claimed
the top three awards in the Obama administration's competition for $1.5
billion in TIGER stimulus grants, with Transportation Secretary Ray
LaHood singling out train shippers for an online shout-out:
February 18, 2010
Road and Transit Groups Join Boxer to Push for Senate Jobs Bill
Representatives from Washington's road and transit lobbies joined
Senate environment committee chairman Barbara Boxer (D-CA) today to
call for swift passage of job-creation legislation that is slated for a
vote in the upper chamber of Congress on Monday.
February 17, 2010
Who Lost Out in the Bid for a Piece of TIGER Transportation Stimulus?
With more than $56 billion in applications submitted for just $1.5
billion in available funding, the Obama administration's TIGER grants
-- short for Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery --
was one of the stimulus law's most hotly contested programs. So it's no
surprise that the process resulted in its share of losers as well as winners.
February 17, 2010
Freight Rail, Streetcars Are Tops in Stimulus’ TIGER Chase
The Obama administration today announced the winners of $1.5 billion
stimulus in highly competitive stimulus grants under the program known
as Transportation Investments Generating Economic Recovery, or TIGER.
Southeastern and midwestern freight rail projects were the day's
biggest winners, with urban streetcar projects also making a big splash.
February 17, 2010
Study: Even in Car-Centric Atlanta, Transport Reform is Health Reform
The connection
between transportation reform -- an emphasis on land use that makes
biking and walking as viable as auto travel for routine trips -- and
health reform is one that's not often made, despite the best efforts of the Obama administration.
February 16, 2010