Oberstar’s 3-Month Transport Bill Extension Heading to House Floor
A three-month extension of existing federal infrastructure law -- which is set to expire in eight days -- is headed for a vote in the full House this week, likely as soon as tomorrow, according to a spokesman for transportation committee chairman Jim Oberstar (D-MN).
September 22, 2009
Today’s Headlines
When it comes to consuming fewer resources to save the environment, Energy Secretary Steven Chu says Americans are a lot like teenagers: they “aren’t acting in a way they should act.” (WSJ) Are states that outlaw texting while driving encouraging rule-breaking by posting traffic updates on Twitter? (AP) What’s in Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood’s wallet? … Continued
September 22, 2009
Fly on the Wall Alert: Obama, LaHood, and Tom Friedman Tee Off
In yesterday's New York Times, columnist Tom Friedman published an impassioned plea for American policy-makers to reconsider their knee-jerk opposition to raising the federal gas tax or debating a carbon tax to set a more appropriate price for energy use. Friedman writes:
September 21, 2009
Feds Could Soon End Pro-Transit Privatization Rule — in One State Only
The transportation spending bill passed by the Senate on Thursday includes a provision that rolls back a Bush-era pro-privatization rule which blocks local transit agencies from providing bus service to special events -- think state fairs and NFL football games. But there's a catch: the rule is only reversed in the home state of the senator who controls the U.S. DOT's annual budget.
September 21, 2009
Obama Administration Sends $100M in Stimulus Aid to 43 Transit Agencies
The U.S. DOT announced today that 43 local transit agencies from more than two dozen states would share the $100 million in competitive clean-transport grants included in this winter's $787 billion economic stimulus law.
September 21, 2009
Bloomberg and Dems Blast Congressional Plan to Let Guns on Amtrak
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg teamed up with two Democratic members of Congress yesterday to blast the Senate for its vote in favor of forcing Amtrak to allow guns and ammunition in passengers' checked baggage.
September 21, 2009
Today’s Headlines
Detroit’s longtime mayor urges a new focus on transportation reform (Free Press) Denver’s environmentally sustainable public housing effort gets $10 million federal grant (D.Post) Bike advocates jumpstart ambitious new project in Las Vegas (Bikes Belong Press) How did Thomas Jefferson make it into Planetizen’s list of Top 100 urban thinkers? (TNR)
September 21, 2009
Boxer Reminds Metrolink: Train Crew Members Shouldn’t Ride Solo
The transportation spending bill passed by the Senate this week includes $50 million in rail safety grants sought in June by environment committee chairman Barbara Boxer (D-CA) -- but the bill may not become law for months, and today Boxer told California's Metrolink commuter rail that interim safety protections would have to stay in place.
September 18, 2009
Joel Kotkin on Smart Growth: The Streetsblog Re-mix
When columnist Robert Samuelson published an alarmingly misguided attack on high-speed rail last month, the St. Louis Urban Workshop fired back in a unique fashion: with a "re-mix" of Samuelson's op-ed that cleverly edited the piece to better reflect reality.
September 18, 2009
High-Speed Rail Routes and the Looming Choice Among ‘Megaregions’
They may sound like villains in the next Transformers movie, but "megaregions" are a vital aspect of U.S. life these days. The vast majority of the nation lives in one of the 11 inter-city clusters identified by America 2050 in its new analysis of the future of high-speed rail, making megaregions the best potential sites for rail development.
September 18, 2009