Streetsblog Capitol Hill
New Report Tracks Urban Transit Emissions — Where Does Your City Rank?
While state DOTs marked Earth Day by depicting roads as unsung heroes of livability, the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and the transit industry celebrated in their own ways by releasing reports on local rail and bus systems' roles in reducing U.S. transport emissions.
April 22, 2010
State DOTs Mark Earth Day by Pressing a More Road-Centric ‘Livability’
As the Obama administration's inter-agency sustainable communities project commands a growing share of attention and funding in Washington, the response from conservatives and business lobbies has been decidedly less than enthusiastic.
April 22, 2010
Transit Industry Asks Congress to Quadruple Annual Security Funding
The American Public Transportation Association (APTA), the D.C. lobbying arm for much of the transit industry, today asked the House committee in charge of homeland security spending for $1.1 billion next year to beef up rail and bus security, a four-fold increase over the level that Congress approved for 2010.
April 21, 2010
Obama Aide Defends Transit Safety Plan as Different from Rail Rules
Federal Transit Administration (FTA) chief Peter Rogoff today mounted a defense of the White House's transit safety plan, assuring some skeptical members of Congress that he does not want to "replicate" inter-city rail safety rules that have taken flak for impeding the development of viable U.S. train networks.
April 21, 2010
Kerry on Senate Climate Bill: Federal Gas Tax is Staying at 18.4 Cents
The several dozen transportation industry groups that raised questions about where the upcoming Senate climate change bill would send proceeds from its new "linked fee" on carbon fuels can stop worrying -- because it looks like the legislation won't contain any new tax on motor fuels.
April 21, 2010
In Atlanta, X Marks the Spot for Local Protests Against Transit Cuts
A week of protests against local transit cuts and fare hikes began today in Atlanta, where union members painted large red Xs on buses and rail cars that would go out of service under a plan to end service on about 30 percent of the city's rail and bus networks.
April 20, 2010
New GOP Bill Would Bar Enviro Reviews from Considering Climate
Republicans on the Senate environment committee, who months ago began criticizing the Obama administration for evaluating federally funded infrastructure projects for their impact on climate change, today introduced legislation that would bar the White House from making climate a factor in environmental reviews.
April 20, 2010
Could L.A.’s Transit Plan Become a Winning Campaign Issue for Boxer?
President Obama did triple duty last night for the re-election campaign of Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA), visiting three fundraisers to send a stark message about polls that show the environment committee chairman holding a single-digit lead against her GOP challengers despite a formidable cash advantage.
April 20, 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
Detroit Residents Press EPA for Stronger Air Pollution Monitoring
In Washington, "grassroots lobbying" is more often associated with industry-funded issue campaigns than ground-up local advocacy. But residents of Detroit's industrial southwest neighborhoods took the term back to its roots on Friday, getting a personal visit from Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) officials after a groundswell of complaints about decaying air quality.
April 19, 2010