Today’s Headlines
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy NBC Nightly News spotlights the national transit budget crisis .. (see above video) … as New Jersey becomes the latest state to weigh double-digit fare hikes (Daily Finance) Rep. Mica (R-FL) urges Tampa officials to make sure that the region’s future high-speed rail … Continued
March 10, 2010
U.S. Transit Trips Hit 10.2B in 2009, With Light Rail Up in Nine Cities
The nation's transit systems hosted 10.2 billion trips last year, the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) reported yesterday. While that figure represents a 3.8 percent decline from 2008, APTA's data showed light rail ridership rising in nine cities and the long-term increase in transit use continuing to outpace growth in population and vehicle miles traveled.
March 9, 2010
Study: Clean-Car Subsidies Alone Can’t Meet White House’s Climate Goals
Government subsidies for hybrid and electric cars, while "politically seductive," will fail to achieve the Obama administration's national pollution-reduction goals if they are not coupled with a significant increase in fuel prices, according to a new study by Harvard University researchers.
March 9, 2010
Dodd Vows to Pass Livability Bill Amid Skepticism From Rural Senators
Even as the Obama administration ramps up its work on a sustainability initiative that treats transportation, housing, and energy efficiency as interconnected aspects of development policy, the effort remains without an official congressional authorization -- a situation that Senate Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd (D-CT) vowed to fix yesterday.
March 9, 2010
Today’s Headlines
The Federal Transit Administration has catalogued the safety lapses and management troubles at D.C.’s Metrorail transit system in a new audit (WaPo) Many local hiccups remain unresolved in California’s march towards high-speed rail connectivity (AP) The battle to win more access to stimulus business for minority-owned transportation contractors gets an in-depth look (AP) Jack Schramm, … Continued
March 9, 2010
Today’s Headlines
(ed. note: Streetsblog Capitol Hill will be dark for the rest of today and Monday. See you back here on Tuesday!)
March 5, 2010
House Set to Pass Jobs Bill With Changes, Prompting Another Senate Vote
The House has just begun voting on the Senate jobs bill, which includes a $20 billion reprieve for the nation's highway trust fund and an highway expansion of Build America Bonds -- but though the legislation is expected to pass, it won't be headed to the president's desk yet.
March 4, 2010
LaHood Faces Off With GOP Senator Over High-Speed Rail, Livability
When Cabinet secretaries appear in front of Congress' appropriations committees, which control the annual budgets for each federal agency, the proceedings tend to be dry affairs dominated by local concerns and arcane fiscal debates.
March 4, 2010
Moody’s Gifts Fossil-Fuel States With Positive Credit Outlook
Credit-rating agencies -- particularly Moody's and S&P, the nation's two premier shops -- wield significant influence over the financial health of private companies. But state and local officials are often equally dependent on good credit ratings to borrow money for transportation and infrastructure improvements.
March 4, 2010
Today’s Headlines
A preview of the proposed emission-trimming fuel tax being crafted by Sens. Kerry, Graham, and Lieberman, reported “to have taken Big Oil’s ideas and run with them” (Climatewire) Stark, who has backed multiple transit and bike-ped projects, replaces Rangel at the helm of the Ways and Means Committee, which must approve a way to pay … Continued
March 4, 2010