New Poll: Public Supports Congestion Tolling Over Gas Tax Hike by 2 to 1
(Graphic: HTNB) The puzzle of how to pay for new federal investments in transportation is the single greatest stumbling block facing members of Congress — should a gas tax increase be combined with a vehicle miles traveled (VMT) tax? How about a national infrastructure bank that leverages private capital? A poll released today by the … Continued
September 1, 2009
EPA Chief Urges a More Urban Environmentalism to Fight Climate Change
With Congress returning to work next week after a month away from
Washington, a national dialogue long dominated by health care is about
to open to the long-awaited Senate debate on climate change.
August 31, 2009
Senator Dukakis? What the Loss of Kennedy Could Mean for Transport Policy
As the nation mourns the loss of Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-MA), a discussion
has begun over how to fill his outsized shoes, both in Massachusetts'
Senate seat and atop the Senate health committee -- two vacancies that
could have notable consequences for transportation policy-making.
August 31, 2009
Know Your Transportation Lobbyists: The American Trucking Association
Earlier this week, we took
a closer look at the congressional lobbying teams employed by the
transport sector's biggest players, AASHTO and APTA. Today, it's time
to meet the representatives of the American Trucking Association (ATA),
which reported $1.32 million in lobbying spending during the first half
of this year on its congressional disclosures -- more than AASHTO and
APTA's combined K Street bills.
August 21, 2009
Stimulus Spotlight: Oregon’s Solar Highway
Washington's normally frenetic pace slows down in August, when humid
weather and the absence of Congress combine to give the capital some
recharging time.
August 20, 2009
As “Cash for Clunkers” Sputters, a Privately Funded Spinoff Picks Up
The U.S. DOT began signaling yesterday that it would bring the "cash for clunkers" program to an end amid growing unease from auto dealers about the government's slow pace of reimbursement and General Motors' decision to begin fronting "clunkers" repayments to its own salesmen.
August 20, 2009
“Cash for Clunkers” Coming to a Close?
The Obama administration plans to close the door on the politically popular and environmentally slipshod auto trade-in program known as "cash for clunkers," according to a report this afternoon in the Wall Street Journal:
August 19, 2009
Crunching June Stimulus Numbers: Roads Create Pricier Jobs Than Transit
Transportation spending under the economic stimulus law created
close to 15,000 jobs in June, or three times as many as were created in
May, according to estimates released today by the U.S. DOT.
August 19, 2009
Transit Cuts Report Underscores Cities’ Congressional Influence Gap
In a report
released this morning, Transportation for America (T4A) expands on its
months-long effort to map transit cutbacks across the nation and
concludes that 10 of the largest 25 local agencies are being forced to
hike fares by more than 13 percent.
August 18, 2009
Tracking Transport Subsidies: As Tough as Following the Stimulus Money
The $787 billion economic stimulus effort was intended to be a model of
government transparency -- but a privately run website called
Recovery.org soon began beating out the government in the race to trace federal dollars. Now, as the Pew Charitable Trusts begins to expand its Subsidyscope fiscal monitoring project, some similar gaps in spending data are emerging.
August 17, 2009