Government Still Taking Hands-Off Approach to Cell Phoning While Driving
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) was
prepared six years ago to seek broad limits on cell phone use by
drivers -- with or without a hands-free device -- but shelved its plans
for fear of alienating Congress and chat-loving voters, the New York
Times reported today.
July 21, 2009
Senate Agrees on $26.8 Billion Highway Trust Fund Rescue
The Senate took a major step forward last night in its battle
with the House over transportation funding, releasing a plan to give
$26.8 billion to the dwindling highway trust fund and -- perhaps most
importantly, for the long term -- to restore the fund's ability to keep the interest it earns.
July 21, 2009
Know Your Road Lobbyists: The American Highway Users Alliance
For a 77-year-old nonprofit group with substantial Washington clout,
the American Highway Users Alliance keeps a pretty low profile.
July 20, 2009
Transportation Reform Is Health Reform
During the Washington budget debate earlier this year, a phrase
widely attributed to White House budget director Peter Orszag was rolling off many a reporter's keyboard: "Health reform is entitlement reform."
July 17, 2009
Five Down, Five to Go: Plan Linking Transit to Climate Bill Wins Sponsors
Streetsblog Capitol Hill reported this week
that the Obama administration -- which often talks about reducing
transportation-based emissions -- is staying mum on a bill that would
devote a guaranteed share of revenues from carbon regulation to
transit, bike paths, and other green modes of transport.
July 17, 2009
Team Obama’s Transportation Chain of Command: “A Bit Complicated”
It's no secret that key leaders of the House transportation panel and the White House economic team don't get along -- from quips about shovel skills to a stimulus "shouting match,"
committee chairman Jim Oberstar (D-MN) and his top lieutenant, Rep.
Pete DeFazio (D-OR), have become two of their party's leading Obama
administration skeptics.
July 16, 2009
White House Staying Quiet for Now on Transit’s Role in Climate Bill
Delivering his climate-change message to Congress yesterday, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood warned that fuel-efficiency advances
secured by the Obama administration would not be enough to reduce
emissions from transportation -- not without encouraging Americans to
drive less.
July 15, 2009
Lawmakers Cross Party Lines on Transpo Funding as Debate Rages
An 18-month extension of existing transportation law cleared the
Senate Environment and Public Works Committee today, but not before
spirited debate on a proposal billed as a compromise with House members
who remain strongly opposed to the Senate's stopgap.
July 15, 2009
Voinovich Joins House Dems in Saying No to Transpo Funding Stopgap
The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee will move
tomorrow on a White House-backed extension of the four-year-old federal
transportation law, but at least one of its members is already opposed.
July 14, 2009
Obama Talks Urban Policy as LaHood Seeks More Urban Transpo Money
The White House Office of Urban Affairs, which has drawn criticism for its inactivity at a rocky economic time for the nation's cities, capped a day-long summit today with a speech by President Obama.
July 13, 2009