Business Lobby to Senate: No, Stimulus Won’t Do Enough for Transport
As the Senate backs up the White House's push for an 18-month delay
in approving a new federal infrastructure bill, one of its major
arguments is that the economic stimulus law's $48 billion in
transportation money would help tide the nation over until long-term
legislation could be passed.
September 22, 2009
New Report: 10% Transit Growth Would Help Meet House Climate Target
A
10 percent annual increase in U.S. transit ridership would reduce CO2
emissions by 180 million tons each year, taking the nation halfway to
the target set by the House climate change bill within three years,
according to a report [PDF] released today by Environment America and the Coalition for Smarter Growth.
September 22, 2009
Oberstar’s 3-Month Transport Bill Extension Heading to House Floor
A three-month extension of existing federal infrastructure law --
which is set to expire in eight days -- is headed for a vote in the
full House this week, likely as soon as tomorrow, according to a
spokesman for transportation committee chairman Jim Oberstar (D-MN).
September 22, 2009
Obama Administration Sends $100M in Stimulus Aid to 43 Transit Agencies
The U.S. DOT announced today that 43 local transit agencies from more
than two dozen states would share the $100 million in competitive
clean-transport grants included in this winter's $787 billion economic
stimulus law.
September 21, 2009
Boxer Reminds Metrolink: Train Crew Members Shouldn’t Ride Solo
The transportation spending bill passed by the Senate this week includes $50 million in rail safety grants sought in June
by environment committee chairman Barbara Boxer (D-CA) -- but the
bill may not become law for months, and today Boxer told California's
Metrolink commuter rail that interim safety protections would have to
stay in place.
September 18, 2009
High-Speed Rail Routes and the Looming Choice Among ‘Megaregions’
They may sound like villains in the next Transformers
movie, but "megaregions" are a vital aspect of U.S. life these days.
The vast majority of the nation lives in one of the 11 inter-city
clusters identified by America 2050 in its new analysis of the future of high-speed rail, making megaregions the best potential sites for rail development.
September 18, 2009
Oberstar to Back 3-Month Delay in Transport Bill As Soon As Next Week
House transportation committee chairman Jim Oberstar (D-MN) is readying
a proposal to extend current infrastructure law by three months -- 15
months less than the delay preferred by the White House -- and could introduce the legislation as soon as next week, his office said today.
September 17, 2009
Pro-Tea Party Republican’s Angry Letter to D.C. Metro: Read it in Full
Apparently unfamiliar with the concept of irony, Rep. Kevin Brady
(R-TX) has drafted an angry letter to the chief of Washington D.C.'s
Metro, complaining that protesters at last weekend's 9/12 "tea party"
had difficulty traveling by transit -- the very transit system that
Brady voted against aiding, and the epitome of government spending that the tea partiers claim to oppose.
September 17, 2009
Warner Scores a (Small) Win for White House’s Transportation Agenda
While it pushes for an 18-month delay in the next federal infrastructure bill, the Obama administration has proposed
a data collection effort that would help states and localities begin
tracking ridership and usage of transit, roads, buses, and the like --
a small put pivotal step towards enacting national performance standards for transportation.
September 17, 2009
Klobuchar & Webb: Dems’ Unlikely Opponents of Bike-Ped Investment
Sen. Tom Coburn's (R-OK) attempt
to curb federal investment in bicycle and pedestrian paths, as well as
other "transportation enhancements," was defeated on the Senate floor
today -- but it managed to pick up two unlikely Democratic supporters
in the process.
September 16, 2009