Today’s Headlines
(ed. note. Streetsblog Capitol Hill will be on a lighter-than-usual publishing schedule for this morning as well as tomorrow. Any infrastructure news we might be missing? Give a shout at elana [at] streetsblog [dot] org.)
December 10, 2009
House and Senate Agree on $2.5B for High-Speed Rail — And More
After lengthy negotiations, the House and Senate agreed last night on a massive "omnibus" spending bill [PDF] that includes $2.5 billion for high-speed rail -- a compromise between the two chambers -- as well as $150 million for the Obama administration's sustainable communities effort and $150 million for the Washington D.C. Metro system.
December 9, 2009
McCain & Coburn: Inadvertent Transportation Reformers?
Sens. John McCain (R-AZ) and Tom Coburn (R-OK) are no fans of dedicated federal spending on cleaner transportation. From bike and pedestrian safety to local transit funds, the duo has made a habit of attacking non-road projects as wasteful "pork."
December 9, 2009
Cities for Cycling Launches With Blumenauer, Sadik-Khan, Byrne
Addressing a packed house in Washington last night, Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), founder of the Congressional Bike Caucus, posed a Zen-like 'universalist cyclist question'.
December 9, 2009
Today’s Headlines
Republicans on the House transportation committee warn that a federal role in transit safety oversight may not translate into fewer injuries on railways (Mica Press) As the Obama administration takes on rail transit safety, the NTSB moves forward on passenger bus safety (AP) Was Obama flip-flopping when he admitted that what’s “shovel-ready” isn’t always the … Continued
December 9, 2009
White House Backs $50B For ‘Merit-Based Infrastructure Investment’
President Obama today threw his weight behind significant new transportation spending as part of a broad jobs bill taking shape in Congress, with $50 billion slated for transit, roads, bridges, and ports and the administration endorsing "merit-based infrastructure investment that leverages federal dollars."
December 8, 2009
White House Unveils Transit Safety Bill to Cautious Praise on the Hill
Lawmakers on the House transportation committee today greeted details of the Obama administration's transit safety plan with approval, but some sounded skeptical notes about the costs of state compliance with new federal rules even as transit agencies cope with billions of dollars in maintenance and repair backlogs.
December 8, 2009
Wall Street Bailout Money For Infrastructure? Maybe Not
President Obama will deliver a speech on job creation this morning in Washington, but one tactic that has won over quite a few Democrats of late -- redirecting unspent money from last year's financial bailout to transportation -- may not be as possible as lawmakers had thought.
December 8, 2009
Today’s Headlines
Obama administration officials put the kibosh on plans to use stimulus money on a pedestrian footbridge to the New England Patriots football stadium (AP) Do lists of “shovel-ready” projects translate into quick transportation job creation? Not in the Michigan town of Jackson (Citizen-Patriot) How can the Obama administration make sure local (especially urban) governments get … Continued
December 8, 2009
NY and CA: How Did They Spend Transportation Stimulus Money?
In an economic recovery report released today by New York Gov. David Paterson (D), the state broke down its plans for the estimated $31 billion it received as part of the Obama administration's first stimulus law.
December 7, 2009