Today’s Headlines
Boxer Says House GOP Is Standing in the Way of a Bill (WaPo) “I Know You Are But What Am I?” Says Mica (The Hill) Contractors Target Four Republicans in Their Districts, Pressure Them on Bill (The Hill) Mica Speaks Out on Transportation! (Finally) (T&I) Regulating Driving Reduces Car Use 20-30%, Transit Expansion Reduces It … Continued
June 14, 2012
Where Is John Mica as Congress Takes Transpo Programs to the Brink?
Over the past month or two, I couldn’t help noticing that Rep. John Mica, chair of the Transportation Committee in the House, seemed completely consumed with fingerpointing at federal agencies. While the country’s transportation programs neared a crisis point -- and indeed, there is no other way to describe the current deadlock over a transpo bill -- the top dog in the House was barking up a whole other tree.
June 12, 2012
Today’s Headlines
What a Difference a Year Makes: No Appetite for Transpo Spending Cuts in House (National Journal) The Chicago Delusion: Why This “Global City” Tanked So Hard (City Journal) “Priority One Is Access to Transit”: The TOD Real Estate Premium (Globe and Mail) Highways Vs. Everything Else, Georgia Edition (AJC) Georgia’s Infrastructure Will Pay Dearly to … Continued
June 12, 2012
House Attack on Safe Streets Makes Transpo Bill Ever More Elusive
We reported last week that the House had proposed allowing states to “opt out” of funding bicycle and pedestrian safety improvements in its counter-offer to the Senate during transportation bill negotiations. The House GOP essentially wants to reject the Cardin-Cochran amendment, which gave local governments control over half the “Additional Activities” funding set aside for bike/ped programs, letting states make decisions about the other half.
June 11, 2012
House GOP Threatens to Wipe Out Local Control Over Bike/Ped Funding
The House GOP couldn't pass a transportation bill of their own, so now they want to undo one of the major bi-partisan achievements in the Senate transportation bill.
June 8, 2012
Conference Devolves Into Talk of Extensions
If you were still hoping a real bill could come out of the transportation conference, here’s a bitter pill: House Speaker John Boehner is now talking about a six-month extension of the current law.
June 7, 2012
Today’s Headlines
House Votes For Formulas, Against Strategic Spending (Hill) Senate Conference Proposal Includes Aid For Gulf States (The Advocate) Uncertainty Lingers Around Detroit Light Rail (Detroit News) Three Tax Reforms For Better Cities (Strong Towns) Arts, Affordable Housing, and Unaffordable Parking: Three Swords Against Sprawl (The Spec) Wendell Cox Is Wrong That Sprawl Can Make For … Continued
June 7, 2012
Pelosi Challenges Boehner to Cancel Recess, Pound Out a Transpo Bill
All play and no work makes Jack an unemployed construction worker.
June 6, 2012
House Appropriators Leave TIGER, HSR Out of Next Year’s Budget
It's always confusing when, in the middle of endless bicameral hand-wringing about transportation spending, the House Appropriations Committee puts out a budget for transportation without much ado.
June 6, 2012