LaHood to Congress: It’s Time to Talk About a Gas Tax Increase
As Congress maneuvers to end the political impasse over the next
long-term national transportation bill, lawmakers going to have to
debate an increase in the federal gas tax, Transportation Secretary Ray
LaHood said today.
November 30, 2009
Climate’s 17 Undecided Dems Got $2.3M From Transport & Electric Lobbies
The trouble with broad analysis pieces on campaign cash is that they
often go for eye-popping numbers while obscuring uncomfortable
political realities. For example, GreenWire reported this morning that the 27 senators who remain undecided on the chamber's pending climate bill took "more than $20 million ... over the past two decades from energy interests with a direct stake in pending legislation."
November 30, 2009
Carlyle Group’s New Infrastructure Public-Private Partnership: Donuts
As the federal deficit squeezes the Obama administration's options for
financing ambitious new infrastructure projects, public-private
partnerships (PPPs) are gaining
currency as a possible solution. And in an illustration of PPPs'
potential, the $86 billion private-equity firm Carlyle Group yesterday struck a deal with the state of Connecticut to run ... 23 highway rest stops.
November 20, 2009
Pelosi: Passing a Wall Street Transport Tax Would Require Overseas Buy-in
Any proposal to fund new U.S. infrastructure investment by taxing
financial transactions -- such as Rep. Pete DeFazio's (D-OR) bill taxing
Wall Street oil speculators -- would require international
participation to prevent the trades in question from migrating
overseas, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said today.
November 19, 2009
A Warning From America’s Cities: The Recession Has Only Just Begun to Hit
President Obama may be optimistic about continued U.S. economic growth as 2009 ends, but the reality on the ground in urban America — which an estimated two-thirds of the population calls home — is undeniably, disturbingly bleak. Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter (Photo: PennLive) That was the message delivered today by two economists and a bipartisan … Continued
November 19, 2009
‘This Needs Attention’: Senators Seek Shot in the Arm on Transportation
Senate environment committee chairman Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and fellow
lawmakers yesterday pressed the Obama administration to take a more active
role in ending the current political stalemate over federal
transportation funding, but the sense of urgency they sought emerged
only intermittently during an 80-minute session on infrastructure.
November 19, 2009
Streetsblog Capitol Hill Q&A: Four Questions For Rob Puentes
America’s transportation and infrastructure policies affect literally everyone who moves from place to place in the country, but often they are under-discussed and over-simplified by the mainstream media. To help broaden the debate, Streetsblog Capitol Hill is kicking off a new Q&A series called “The Four Questions.” Robert Puentes, senior fellow at the Brookings Institution’s … Continued
November 18, 2009
Oil-Centric Houston to Experiment With (Coal-Powered) Electric Cars
Houston has long enjoyed its status as America’s oil capital, the type of city where the local Petroleum Club threw a $100,000 gala during a period of then-record high gas prices. But things are changing, thanks to a light rail system that is exceeding ridership predictions and encouraging pedestrian-friendly development. One of Houston’s new charging … Continued
November 18, 2009
General Electric Inks High-Speed Rail Deal With Chinese Government
While President Obama grappled with
political concerns during his trip to China this week, General Electric
was busy signing technology-sharing agreements with Beijing partners --
including a high-speed rail pact that positions GE to leap ahead of its
competitors in the race for business from the Obama administration's
bullet train rollout.
November 18, 2009
Three GOP Senators Ask Reid to Call Up Six-Month Transport Bill Extension
The senior Republicans on three of the Senate's four
infrastructure-centric committees today signed onto a letter asking the
leaders of Congress' upper chamber to call up a six-month extension of
the 2005 transportation law.
November 17, 2009