The Dirty Secret of Coal Ash: It’s in Our Roads
Last night's 60 Minutes featured an eye-opening report
(viewable above) on the 130 million tons of coal ash waste generated
every year by the nation's thirst for energy. The show outlined the
lack of oversight over disposal of the toxic ash, which is routinely
used in the most commonplace of areas: concrete.
October 5, 2009
Congress’ Transport Impasse Hits States — and Not Just Their Road Funds
When lawmakers failed on Wednesday
to reach a deal on avoiding the cancellation of $8.7 billion in
transportation spending authority, the consequences of Congress'
inaction weren't immediately palpable to most voters -- but the loss is
sinking in on the local level.
October 5, 2009
Killing the Myth of the ‘More Shovel-Ready’ Road Stimulus, Part II
It has become one of the most enduring anecdotes surrounding the Obama administration’s $787 billion economic stimulus law: Democrats’ contention that White House adviser Larry Summers sliced transit aid by more than half, to $8.4 billion, out of concerns that projects were not “shovel-ready” enough. (Photo: DMI Blog) Has Summers been vindicated by the data? … Continued
October 2, 2009
Obama Bans Texting While Driving for Guv Workers — And There’s More
The U.S. DOT's distracted driving summit
came to a close today with the unveiling of an executive order from
President Obama that prohibits federal employees from texting behind
the wheel of a government car or using a government-provided messaging
device while driving any vehicle.
October 1, 2009
GOP Blocks Plan to Use Bailout Fund to Preserve $8.7B in Transport Money
A bipartisan bid to extend existing federal transportation law for three months — and tap the TARP bailout fund to avert the cancellation of $8.7 billion in contract authority — was rejected on the Senate floor last night after GOP senators insisted on using stimulus money, rather than bailout cash, to fix the problem. Was … Continued
October 1, 2009
Senate Passes One-Month Extension of Transport Law … For Now
By a vote of 62-38, the Senate has passed a one-month extension of
the 2005 transportation law, which was set to expire at midnight
tonight and leave state DOTs without a steady source of funding for
road, bridge, and transit projects.
September 30, 2009
Senate Climate Bill Released With Much Fanfare, Little Focus on Transport
Flanked by fellow Democrats, members of the military, and a crowd
hoisting signs with buzzwords like "clean energy" and "green jobs,"
Sens. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and John Kerry (D-MA) today released the
first draft of their legislation to curb U.S. emissions and combat
climate change.
September 30, 2009
Senate Climate Bill Leaks: The Good News and Bad News for Transport
The Senate's climate change legislation will finally
make its debut tomorrow, courtesy of environment committee chairman
Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and foreign relations committee chairman John
Kerry (D-MA). But the Washington Post has already obtained a
"close-to-final" version of the bill [PDF], which provides some details but leaves unanswered the key question of how much aid will go towards clean transport.
September 29, 2009
Report: Feds Subsidize Parking Six Times as Much as Transit
"Subsidy" is a word used quite often in transportation policy-making circles, whether by road acolytes who claim (falsely)
that highways are not federally subsidized because of the gas tax or by
transit boosters who lament Washington's unceasing focus on paying for
more local asphalt.
September 29, 2009
Deja Vu: Congress Could Put Off Deal on Transport Bill Until Next Month
After a day of
twists and turns, the House yesterday approved a three-month extension
of the current law that governs spending on the nation's transit,
bridges, and roads. Yet the 335-85 vote obscures an ongoing clash between the House and Senate that could extend into a fourth straight month.
September 24, 2009