Economics
Shock or Yawn? Virginia’s GOP Governor Backs Highway User Fees
Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell (R), who has won over many conservatives by reviving the state's recognition of Confederate History Month and attempting to declare the White House health care bill invalid within its borders, today proposed to add tolls to Interstate 95 along the North Carolina border.
May 10, 2010
U.S. DOT Proposes Giving Minority-Owned Firms Greater Shot at Contracts
Women- and minority-owned companies would have an easier time winning federal transportation contracts under a new rule released by the Obama administration today, which comes in the wake of complaints from social-equity advocates that such firms had received just 2 percent of infrastructure contracts awarded under last year's economic stimulus law.
May 7, 2010
DeLauro Pushes Alternative to ‘Disappointing’ White House I-Fund
Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) today continued her push for a National Infrastructure Bank (NIB), lamenting the Obama administration's choice to pursue a $4 billion fund housed within the U.S. DOT rather than an independent entity focused on water, electricity, and other broader needs.
May 5, 2010
GAO: Economic Recovery Benefits of ‘Cash for Clunkers’ Are ‘Uncertain’
"Cash for clunkers," the White House's much-touted program encouraging trade-ins for more fuel-efficient autos, had an "uncertain" impact on economic recovery, according to a new audit from the independent Government Accountability Office (GAO) -- largely because it remains unclear how many of the car sales it spurred would have occurred without taxpayer subsidies.
April 30, 2010
Obama Energy Aide: ‘We Probably Saw Peak Demand for Gas … in 2007’
The decline in American driving that began at the start of the recession, fueled by record-high gas prices, came to an end late last year. But the Obama administration believes that its transport and energy policies have ushered in a long-term shift, "changing the fuel mix in ways that will drive down gasoline demand," according to a senior adviser to Energy Secretary Steven Chu.
April 19, 2010
Feds’ Record on Transport Public-Private Partnerships Prompts Skepticism
When it comes to creative transportation financing in an age of rising red ink, public-private partnerships (PPPs) are one of the most popular ideas on the table in Washington. Rail planners in Denver and Dallas are exploring the strategy to speed progress on new lines, and the White House's proposed $4 billion infrastructure fund could provide seed money for PPPs all over the country.
April 14, 2010
Nevada Becomes Newest Battleground in Mileage Tax Debate
Nevada's state DOT is in the early stages of a years-long study aimed at mapping a possible transition from the gas tax to a vehicle miles traveled (VMT) fee, a shift urged last year by a congressionally chartered panel on infrastructure financing and encouraged by Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR).
April 9, 2010
New Poll: 27% of Public Would Cut Transit Aid, Versus 12% for Highways
The latest weekly edition of the Economist/YouGov poll asks where, if a balanced federal budget were the goal, the American public would rather see cuts to federal spending. As the chart above shows, transit was given the theoretical axe by 27 percent of respondents, tied with agriculture and housing but far behind foreign aid, which held the lead at 71 percent.
April 8, 2010
Federal Energy Forecast: Gas Nearing $3/Gallon, Fuel Consumption Up
Average gas prices are expected to hit $2.92 during this summer's peak driving season, with fossil-fuel consumption rising overall as the economy begins to recover from a recession that limited U.S. emissions growth, according to a forecast released this week by the federal Energy Information Administration (EIA).
April 8, 2010
Can L.A. Put the “10” in Its “30/10” Transit Plan?
As Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa continues to push for federal help with expediting his "30/10" transit expansion plan, winning support from California's Democratic senators, one big question remains unanswered: Can the city actually get all of its 13 proposed projects done within a decade, even if Washington steps in?
April 7, 2010