Streetsblog Capitol Hill
An Urban Planning Tale That Writes Itself
In Fort Myers, Florida, one family is the sole occupant of a 32-story luxury condominium. That is not a typo:
July 30, 2009
A Suggestion for Today’s ‘Beer Summit’
It's become the pint heard 'round the world, thanks to the fascinated mainstream media -- and in a few hours, President Obama will finally sit down for a beer with Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. and Sgt. James Crowley, the Cambridge police officer who arrested Gates in his own home two weeks ago.
July 30, 2009
Maryland County Foolishly Seeking Congestion Relief in New Lanes
One would not normally describe Montgomery County, Maryland as a place with retrograde views on land-use and planning issues.
July 30, 2009
McCain & Coburn: Let’s Make Roads Safer — by Slashing Safety Money
A report released today [PDF] by Sens. John McCain (R-AZ) and Tom Coburn (R-OK), timed to coincide with debate on a $7 billion highway trust fund fix, accuses their fellow lawmakers of "raiding" the fund for transportation "pet projects."
July 30, 2009
Senate Debating House’s $7B Trust Fund Fix, With 4 GOP Amendments
The Senate began debate this morning on the $7 billion rescue of the nation's highway trust fund that was passed by the House late yesterday, with four GOP amendments slated for a vote.
July 30, 2009
Succumbing to Senate Pressure, House Boosts Trust Fund Rescue to $7B
The House just approved its short-term fix for the nation's highway trust fund by a vote of 363-68 ... but something happened on the way to the floor: What began as a $5 billion rescue became a $7 billion one.
July 29, 2009
Senior House Members Urge Removal of Amtrak’s New In-House Watchdog
The chairman and senior Republican on the House oversight committee took a step further today in their investigation of internal conflicts at Amtrak, calling for the removal of the staffer who was installed as the rail company's inspector general (IG) after the sudden resignation of the previous in-house watchdog.
July 29, 2009
Senate Panel Backs $1.2B for High Speed Rail, $1.4B Extra For Highways
The Senate panel in charge of transportation spending has just released its version of the budget bill that passed the House last week, giving less to high-speed rail and more to highways than the lower chamber of Congress.
July 29, 2009
Four Senators Propose Pushing States to Ban Texting While Driving
Four Democratic senators introduced legislation today that would offer states a choice: ban texting and e-mailing while driving within two years or lose 25 percent of their federal highway money.
July 29, 2009
Your Burger or Your Car! (And More Fun with False Dichotomies)
The Washington Post's Ezra Klein, whose blog is a must-read look at the political dynamics of congressional policy-making, makes an eyebrow-raising assertion in his food column today:
July 29, 2009