LaHood: Gas Tax Increase in Congressional Hands
As Congress maneuvers to end the political impasse over the next long-term national transportation bill, lawmakers are going to have to debate an increase in the federal gas tax, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said today.
November 30, 2009
Climate’s 17 Undecided Dems Got $2.3M From Transport & Electric Lobbies
The trouble with broad analysis pieces on campaign cash is that they often go for eye-popping numbers while obscuring uncomfortable political realities. For example, Greenwire reported this morning that the 27 senators who remain undecided on the chamber's pending climate bill took "more than $20 million ... over the past two decades from energy interests with a direct stake in pending legislation."
November 30, 2009
Today’s Headlines
House Democrats on track to approve more transportation spending as part of a December jobs bill, but health care is likely to postpone Senate action until 2010 (NYT) LaHood calls for a national crackdown on texting while driving — but doesn’t pick a side, legislatively speaking (WashPost) Missouri is on the verge of a transport … Continued
November 30, 2009
The Case For a Merit-Based and Front-Loaded Infrastructure Bill
Even as much of official Washington pauses for the holiday weekend, the congressional winds keep shifting in favor of a job-creation bill that aims to front-load infrastructure spending between next year and the 2012 election.
November 25, 2009
Streetsblog Capitol Hill Q&A: Four Questions For Mike McKeever
America's transportation and infrastructure policies affect literally
everyone who moves from place to place in the country, but often they
are under-discussed and over-simplified by the mainstream media. To
help broaden the debate, Streetsblog Capitol Hill runs a Q&A series called "The Four Questions."
November 25, 2009
Today’s Headlines
Pelosi explains why DeFazio’s Wall Street infrastructure tax is on the table: “The downside is always felt by the worker and the upside is always realized by those who never seem to take a loss …” (HuffPost) … meanwhile, the Speaker also signals openness to the “front-loaded” infrastructure proposal first floated by Durbin (Yglesias) Officials … Continued
November 25, 2009
Consumer Group: White House Left Fuel-Efficiency Savings on the Table
The Obama administration's proposal to raise auto fuel-efficiency (CAFE) standards to 35.5 miles per gallon by 2016 could have gone even further in order to reap the maximum environmental and economic benefits of cleaner cars, according to a new analysis [PDF] released today by the Consumer Federation of America.
November 24, 2009
New Report: Road Funding From Non-Road Users Doubled in 25 Years
The myth that U.S. roads "pay for themselves" thanks to user fees is a subject that's likely familiar to many Streetsblog Capitol Hill readers -- but just how much of the nation's highway funding is provided by charging drivers?
November 24, 2009
DeFazio, Perlmutter Drafting New Version of Wall Street Transport Tax
Reps. Pete DeFazio (D-OR) and Ed Perlmutter (D-CO) are working on a broader version of the former lawmaker's plan to pay for U.S. infrastructure investment by imposing a small tax on stock transactions, despite a note of caution sounded last week by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA).
November 24, 2009
Today’s Headlines
As Congress works on its new, likely infrastructure-tinged jobs bill, it’s avoiding the “S” word (The Hill) Speaking of stimulus, federal dollars aren’t making much of an economic splash in California — yet (C.C. Times) California’s senators join Schwarzenegger for a White House letter on high-speed rail (SFGate Blog) Florida edges closer to filling its … Continued
November 24, 2009