What Happened to the Proposed ‘Transportation Tax’ on Wall Street?
For several weeks last fall, as members of the House infrastructure committee pushed for passage of a new six-year federal transportation bill as a strategy to rouse the economy from recession, a proposal to pay for the legislation with a small tax on oil futures trades attracted a healthy crop of Democratic cosponsors and some vocal pushback from Wall Street.
April 5, 2010
Today’s Headlines
Obama administration faces security vulnerabilities in ground transportation in the wake of Moscow transit bombings (ABC) New poll shows D.C. metro area residents, by a 62 to 30 margin, prefer expanding transit over roads to tackle congestion … (WashPost) … while distracted driving is seen as a growing problem (WashPost) California high-speed rail racked by tensions over whether … Continued
April 5, 2010
Today’s Headlines
(ed. note. Streetsblog Capitol Hill will be dark for the rest of today for Good Friday. See you back here on Monday!)
April 2, 2010
New Survey: 84% of Transit Agencies Facing Fare Hikes, Service Cuts
Budget shortfalls exacerbated by the lingering recession have forced 84 percent of local transit agencies to hike fares, cut service, or begin considering one or both of those options since the beginning of 2009, according to a report released today by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA).
April 1, 2010
Final Obama Fuel-Efficiency Rule Gives Breaks to Electric, Luxury Cars
The Obama administration today released its final rule raising U.S. auto fuel-efficiency standards to an average of 35.5 miles per gallon (mpg) by 2016, winning plaudits from environmental groups while offering extra benefits to makers of electric and luxury cars.
April 1, 2010
New Report: Congress Should Boost Truck Efficiency by Raising Gas Tax
As the federal government moves forward on a mandate to set stronger fuel-efficiency rules for trucks and buses, a new report from an independent scientific body is urging lawmakers to take another approach: raise fuel taxes.
April 1, 2010
Today’s Headlines
In the wake of the Russia subway bombings, a look at the potential security issues facing U.S. transit (Ctr. for Pub. Integrity) Lahood formalizes new rule banning texting behind the wheel by truckers and bus drivers (DOT Press) Obama details his new pitch for expanded offshore oil drilling … (NYT) … with the political upside … Continued
April 1, 2010
Could Gas-Tax Bonds Pay For the Next Federal Transportation Bill?
House infrastructure committee chairman Jim Oberstar (D-MN), facing steep political odds in his push to pass a new six-year federal transportation bill this year, has begun to pitch an outside-the-box solution to the financing shortfall that is still stalling congressional action: Treasury bonds.
March 31, 2010
Wall Street Swaps Haunting Cities: How Many Transit Agencies Hold Them?
The vast majority of Americans could not recognize the term "credit-default swaps" until 2008, when the obscure type of Wall Street deal was pinpointed as a leading cause of the U.S. financial meltdown. Now another type of swap, centered on interest rates, is making headlines as a growing number of urban governments start to regret their bets on borrowing costs.
March 31, 2010
Today’s Headlines
Despite LaHood’s much-touted non-binding policy paper, complete streets policies may take time to catch on in CA (Streetsblog SF) Nissan to offer its all-electric Leaf model for about $25k (WaPo) Would the gas tax being talked about for the Senate’s new climate change bill actually work? (MoJo Blog) New Jersey transit riders plan to protest … Continued
March 31, 2010