As Geithner Touts Infrastructure, Skepticism Persists on $4B ‘I-Fund’ Plan
Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner, considered a skeptic of transportation stimulus spending by some lawmakers, yesterday joined two other White House economic advisers in endorsing new infrastructure investment as a means to
jump-start the economy.
March 17, 2010
Villaraigosa Steps Up Case for Federal Investment in “30/10” Transit Plan
Days after pitching the Senate environment committee for federal help with expediting his ambitious "30/10" package of new transit projects, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa was back on the Hill yesterday meeting with lawmakers as part of a broad campaign for more investment in California infrastructure.
March 17, 2010
Today’s Headlines
Senate to vote today on final approval of jobs bill that extends the 2005 transportation law until 2011 (MLive.com) Oberstar floats the idea of a taxpayer loan to the highway trust fund to pay for the next long-term federal transport bill (DC Velocity) A look at Pittsburgh’s efforts to join the urban sustainability vanguard (Post-Gazette) … Continued
March 17, 2010
Brown Offers Senate Plan For More Federal Operating Aid to Local Transit
Local transit officials seeking more federal operating aid during lean budgetary times got a new ally today in Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), who introduced legislation in Congress' upper chamber to give rail and bus agencies more flexibility to spend funding from Washington on averting service cuts and layoffs.
March 16, 2010
Environmental Group Offers Congress a Map to Cleaner Freight
The federal government can reap significant pollution-reduction benefits by focusing on a national freight plan that replaces older diesel equipment with newer, cleaner-burning train cars while building out regional networks more efficiently, the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) said yesterday in a new report [PDF].
March 16, 2010
House and Senate Split on Approach to Obama’s Transit Safety Plan
After a year marked by discord between the House and Senate over the timing of the next federal transportation bill, another split emerged yesterday over the timetable for taking up the Obama administration's plan for federal involvement in transit safety oversight.
March 16, 2010
Today’s Headlines
LaHood publicly, if informally, urges states to “treat walking and bicycling as equals with other transportation modes” (DOT Blog) Noise pollution alert: Opponents of health reform bill launch a “Honk No” protest (Newsweek) Do higher gas prices, whether through external factors or tax hikes, actually depress Americans’ urge to drive? (TNR’s The Avenue) Gauging high-speed … Continued
March 16, 2010
LaHood Reaches Out to Transit Industry, Lamenting ‘Lousy Economy’
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood sought to commiserate with the cash-strapped transit industry today, declaring the Obama administration an ally of local rail and bus agencies even as the "lousy economy" clouds prospects for passage of a new long-term federal transportation bill.
March 15, 2010
Today’s Headlines
LaHood puts his health-reformer hat on for the administration .. (Tribune) … days after making a surprise appearance at the National Bike Summit (Streetsblog SF) Oberstar supports House ban on for-profit earmarks — but he doesn’t consider the transportation bill’s “special projects” to be earmarks (The Hill) Could San Francisco become a model for transit … Continued
March 15, 2010
Bike-Ped Access to Cleveland’s New Bridge Picking Up Political Support
The push to add a bike-ped lane to Cleveland's planned new Cuyahoga River bridge, a replacement for the crumbling Innerbelt span, is picking up new political support this week after a local advocacy campaign.
March 12, 2010