Elana Schor

The federal rejection of tolls on I-80 wreaking transport funding havoc in Pennsylvania … (Morn Call, Philly Wkly, Bloomberg) … as Brookings’ Rob Puentes calls for a change in federal law in response (TNR’s The Avenue) Congress’ approval of $150m in December for the D.C. Metro transit system means the money can be spent now, … Continued

As Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa continues to push for federal help with expediting his "30/10" transit expansion plan, winning support from California's Democratic senators, one big question remains unanswered: Can the city actually get all of its 13 proposed projects done within a decade, even if Washington steps in?

In financial reports that publicly traded companies file to their investors and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the words "material adverse effect" are often found.

Two of the most popular transportation programs in the Obama administration's stimulus law, the $1.5 billion in competitive grants known as TIGER and the $8 billion high-speed rail initiative, had an added feature that made them even more attractive to cities and states: the federal funding awards would not require a local match.

Exxon’s total U.S. income-tax bill for 2009: $0 (Forbes) Obama’s economic advisers mount a new defense of “cash for clunkers” program (White House Blog) D.C.’s proposed streetcar could be sidelined by resistance from locals, the National Park Service to overhead electrical wires (WashPost) Matt Taibbi on how interest-rate swaps helped doom one Alabama county (Rolling … Continued

Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell (D) has scheduled a press conference this afternoon to discuss his pitch for new tolls on Interstate 80, but local media reports are already suggesting that his news is not good: the federal government has rejected the state's bid to toll the highway, leaving its transportation budget short at least $450 million.

Eight Democrats yesterday joined nearly the entire transportation universe, from road-builders to transit advocates, to warn the three Senate authors of a new climate bill against raising gas taxes without using the money for infrastructure. Their message, translated from the often impenetrable language of Washington: Imposing new fuel fees that are not routed to transport projects could torpedo the next long-term federal bill -- which is already on life support.

Feds seek maximum penalty of $16 million from Toyota for failing to act on defective gas pedals (AP) Q&A with LaHood on non-binding complete streets announcement, which he defends as a “game changer” (NYT Blogs) Housing & Urban Development Secretary vows to “put the UD back into HUD” (Observer) Resources for the Future analyst: EPA … Continued

As Sens. John Kerry (D-MA), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), and Joseph Lieberman (I-CT) prepare to unveil a new climate change measure that includes a tax on motor fuels, eight of their colleagues are urging the trio not to forget local transportation planning -- and warning that any new gas tax should be used to help pay for a new federal infrastructure bill, not redirected for other purposes.

When the Obama administration moved in January to undo a 2005 rule that made a federal "cost-effectiveness" rating the most important factor in determining which transit projects received funding, critics and even some transit advocates were skeptical, questioning whether the U.S. DOT would be able to legitimately quantify the community-building benefits of rail and bus networks.