LaHood Asks for 18-Month Extension of Four-Year-Old Transpo Law
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood is asking Congress to extend the existing federal transportation law for 18 months, averting the coming insolvency of the nation's highway trust fund while putting off broad-based transport reform for as long as the Bush administration did in the days surrounding the 2004 election.
June 17, 2009
U.S. Dot Clocks High-Speed Rail at 110 MPH, Give or Take
The federal DOT has just released its guidance
for states seeking a share of its $8 billion in high-speed rail funding
-- and tucked in the rules are standards that could prove crucial to
the project's success.
June 17, 2009
WHO Report Highlights Global Health Risk of Traffic
The disparity between the 13 percent of road fatalities suffered by non-drivers and the amount that the federal government spends on their safety -- less than one percent -- may come as a surprise to some Americans. But the situation is far worse in the developing world, according to a new World Health Organization report.
June 16, 2009
GOP’s New Attack on Health Care Reform Bill: It Promotes Walking!
Despite a growing awareness among conservatives that walking and biking are causes worth backing, Republicans on Capitol Hill continue to condemn bike-ped programs as wasteful "pork". The GOP's latest potshots at sustainable transportation come during debate over a health care bill that focuses mainly on insurance and hospitals, but also includes a public health grant program aimed at encouraging exercise.
June 16, 2009
Report: Cities Not Getting Their Share of Stimulus Transpo Money
The nation's largest metropolitan areas -- which account for 63 percent
of the U.S. population and 73 percent of the gross domestic product
(GDP) -- have received less than half of the surface transportation
money allocated so far under the Obama administration's economic
stimulus plan, according to a new report compiled for the U.S.
Conference of Mayors.
June 16, 2009
AARP Sends Its Transportation Priorities to Congress
AARP, the Washington mega-force that lays claim to a membership base of 40 million older Americans, today threw its weight behind three transportation policy changes in a letter to House members. The group asked Reps. Jim Oberstar (D-MN) and John Mica (R-FL), the chairman and senior Republican on the House transportation committee, to include “complete … Continued
June 15, 2009
Oberstar to Release Transportation Outline Wednesday
Jim Oberstar (D-MN), chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, will release a “white paper” on his plans for the upcoming federal reauthorization bill in a press conference on Wednesday. It’s important to note that the paper will serve as an outline — legislative language is expected to emerge later. (Streetsblog Capitol Hill’s bet … Continued
June 15, 2009
Congress Agrees to Keep Transit Operating Aid in War Bill
House
and Senate negotiators struck a deal last night on a $106 billion war
spending bill that also gives cash-strapped transit agencies the
ability to use 10 percent of their economic stimulus grants to pay operating costs.
June 12, 2009
We’re Not Just Driving Less, We’re Also Flying Less
The U.S. Department of Transportation's statistical arm today
released its latest tally of airline travel, showing that the number of
nationwide plane passengers has decreased from the previous year for a
record 13 straight months.
June 12, 2009
Rep Carnahan Steps up Push for Federal Help With Transit Operations
While lawmakers maneuver to fill
local transit agencies' operating budget gaps with economic stimulus
cash, Rep. Russ Carnahan (D-MO) is taking it a step further with a
proposal that would make federal operating aid permanent -- and use it
as an incentive to spur more state-level funding as well as emissions
reductions.
June 11, 2009