U.S. DOT Admits Status Quo Untenable, Vows to Cut Transport Emissions
In its second Earth Day release, the U.S. DOT today unveiled a 600-page analysis of transportation emissions mandated by Congress in the 2007 energy bill. In addition to weighing in on many potential tactics for limiting transport’s contribution to the changing climate, the document notably recommits the Obama administration to that goal at a time … Continued
April 22, 2010
New Report Tracks Urban Transit Emissions — Where Does Your City Rank?
While state DOTs marked Earth Day by
depicting roads as unsung heroes of livability, the Federal Transit
Administration (FTA) and the transit industry celebrated in their own
ways by releasing reports on local rail and bus systems' roles in
reducing U.S. transport emissions.
April 22, 2010
State DOTs Mark Earth Day by Pressing a More Road-Centric ‘Livability’
As the Obama administration's inter-agency sustainable
communities project commands a growing share of attention and
funding in Washington, the response from conservatives and business
lobbies has been decidedly less than enthusiastic.
April 22, 2010
Transit Industry Asks Congress to Quadruple Annual Security Funding
The American Public Transportation Association (APTA), the D.C. lobbying arm for much of the transit industry, today asked the House committee in charge of homeland security spending for $1.1 billion next year to beef up rail and bus security, a four-fold increase over the level that Congress approved for 2010. APTA president William Millar told … Continued
April 21, 2010
Obama Aide Defends Transit Safety Plan as Different from Rail Rules
Federal Transit Administration (FTA) chief Peter Rogoff today mounted a defense of the White House’s transit safety plan, assuring some skeptical members of Congress that he does not want to “replicate” inter-city rail safety rules that have taken flak for impeding the development of viable U.S. train networks. As of last year, D.C.’s Metro had … Continued
April 21, 2010
Kerry on Senate Climate Bill: Federal Gas Tax is Staying at 18.4 Cents
The several dozen transportation industry groups that raised questions about where the upcoming Senate climate change bill would send proceeds from its new “linked fee” on carbon fuels can stop worrying — because it looks like the legislation won’t contain any new tax on motor fuels. Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) (Photo: Getty) As Sen. John … Continued
April 21, 2010
Could L.A.’s Transit Plan Become a Winning Campaign Issue for Boxer?
President Obama did triple duty last night for the re-election
campaign of Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA), visiting
three fundraisers to send a stark message about polls that show the
environment committee chair holding a single-digit
lead against her GOP challengers despite a formidable cash
advantage.
April 20, 2010
Obama Energy Aide: ‘We Probably Saw Peak Demand for Gas … in 2007′
The decline in American driving that began at the start of the recession, fueled by record-high gas prices, came to an end late last year. But the Obama administration believes that its transport and energy policies have ushered in a long-term shift, “changing the fuel mix in ways that will drive down gasoline demand,” according … Continued
April 19, 2010
Detroit Residents Press EPA for Stronger Air Pollution Monitoring
In Washington, "grassroots lobbying" is more often associated with industry-funded issue
campaigns than ground-up local advocacy. But residents of Detroit's
industrial southwest neighborhoods took the term back to its roots on
Friday, getting a personal visit from Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) officials after a groundswell of complaints about decaying air
quality.
April 19, 2010
Former U.S. DOT Chief on the Worst-Case Scenario: 4 Years of Extensions
To a certain extent, hope springs eternal in federal transportation
circles. Even as state DOTs and metropolitan planning organizations
operate under the latest in a series of extensions of the
2005 law that governs road, transit, and bike-ped spending, few are
willing to envision a future in which new legislation doesn't pass by
next year.
April 19, 2010