98 House Members — Mostly Dems — Cruising in Taxpayer-Funded Cars
Long before the Obama administration began, congressional Democrats have made
limiting U.S. oil dependence a centerpiece of their agenda. But being a
lawmaker also comes with perks that can compromise one's political
priorities -- and some party leaders have made unflattering headlines
with their willingness to spend taxpayer funds on leasing lavish,
fuel-chugging cars.
November 18, 2009
‘This Needs Attention’: Senators Seek Shot in the Arm on Transportation
Senate environment committee chairman Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and fellow lawmakers today pressed the Obama administration to take a more active role in ending the current political stalemate over federal transportation funding, but the sense of urgency they sought emerged only intermittently during an 80-minute session on infrastructure.
November 18, 2009
Streetsblog Capitol Hill Q&A: Four Questions For Rob Puentes
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 is kicking off a new Q&A series called "The Four Questions."
November 18, 2009
Oil-Centric Houston to Experiment With (Coal-Powered) Electric Cars
Houston has long enjoyed its status as America's oil capital, the type of city where the local Petroleum Club threw a $100,000 gala during a period of then-record high gas prices. But things are changing, thanks to a light rail system that is exceeding ridership predictions and encouraging pedestrian-friendly development.
November 18, 2009
General Electric Inks High-Speed Rail Deal With Chinese Government
While President Obama grappled with political concerns during his trip to China this week, General Electric was busy signing technology-sharing agreements with Beijing partners -- including a high-speed rail pact that positions GE to leap ahead of its competitors in the race for business from the Obama administration's bullet train rollout.
November 18, 2009
Today’s Headlines
Massachusetts transit officials like the sound of the Obama administration’s pitch to help oversee light rail and subway safety (Globe) In addition to its transit safety push, the administration has also issued safety rules for motorcoach buses (Bloomberg) Even conservative Dems such as Sen. Ben Nelson (NE) are open to new transportation spending to help … Continued
November 18, 2009
3 GOPers, 4 Dems Ask Reid to Call Up Six-Month Transport Bill Extension
The senior Republicans on three of the Senate's four infrastructure-centric committees today signed a bipartisan letter asking the leaders of Congress' upper chamber to call up a six-month extension of the 2005 transportation law.
November 17, 2009
Introducing the Samuelson Gas Tax Increase: A Penny Every Month
Democratic lawmakers are discussing the possibility of a one-year stopgap transportation bill but have yet to reach consensus on how to pay for the measure, Sen. Tom Carper (D-DE) said today.
November 17, 2009
Dems, AFL-CIO Step Up Push for Infrastructure Spending as Job Creator
AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka today called for more investments in infrastructure as one plank of a job creation proposal that he plans to bring to the White House employment summit next month -- as congressional Democrats continued jockeying over how and whether to pursue and long-term transportation bill in the coming months.
November 17, 2009
Today’s Headlines
NYU professor Roubini, who publicly predicted the foreclosure crisis, says 11% unemployment will linger for years without more infrastructure stimulus spending (Daily News) Federal government strikes down Boston’s attempt to reroute hazardous trucking cargo around the center city (Globe) General Electric looks forward to riding the infrastructure stimulus gravy train — though some analysts say … Continued
November 17, 2009