Elana Schor
Recent Posts
White House Awards $2.3B for California High-Speed Rail
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California’s bid for a federal high-speed rail network with top speeds exceeding 200 miles per hour is often called the "only true" bullet train proposal on the table — and the Obama administration agreed today, bestowing $2.34 billion on the Golden State to the delight of lawmakers and rail advocates. The largest share of the […]
A Bike-Ped State of the Union: 9.6% of Trips, 1.2% of Federal Funding
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With the nation still digesting the State of the Union address, the Alliance for Biking & Walking picked an auspicious day to release their biennial Benchmarking report on America’s bike-ped behavior. The group’s bottom-line conclusion: federal transportation funding continues to disproportionately shortchange travelers powered by their own two feet. (Chart: Alliance for Biking & Walking) […]
New Report Links Homeowners’ Auto Dependence With Foreclosure Risk
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Homeowners in car-dependent areas without access to alternative transportation are at greater risk of foreclosure, according to a report released yesterday by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) that calls for mortgage underwriting standards to begin taking so-called "location-efficiency" into account. Weeds spring up near a foreclosed home in Illinois. (Photo: Getty) The NRDC examined […]
Obama Taps High-Speed Rail Winners: Florida, California, Illinois and More
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Click here for a larger version. (Image: U.S. DOT) In his State of the Union address last night, President Obama hinted at what many in the transportation world have anticipated all week: Florida’s emergence as a winner in the race for a share of the White House’s $8 billion (and growing) high-speed rail fund. But […]
Transit Riders Launch Grassroots Lobbying Push in Dire Political Climate
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Advocates for urban transit riders in 14 metro areas climbed the Hill today to pitch lawmakers face-to-face on the need for extra federal transit operating aid, a grassroots lobbying effort that could face considerable challenges even as Democrats craft a new jobs bill with a focus on infrastructure. Lee Gaddies of Detroit speaks at today’s […]
Oakland’s Stimulus Flap: A Shot Across the Bow for Transport Equity?
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The Obama administration’s warning that the Bay Area has jeopardized federal stimulus funding for its Oakland Airport Connector (OAC) project could have national consequences for other urban transit proposals that risk harming low-income riders, civil rights and transit advocates predicted today. The proposed Oakland Airport Connector train. (Photo: BART via Streetsblog SF) Several Bay Area […]
Senate Weighs $14B for Roads, $7.5B for Transit in Jobs Bill
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Senate Democrats huddled behind closed doors this afternoon to assess their options for a new job-creation bill, with one option of around $80 billion making headlines even second-ranked leader Dick Durbin (D-IL) warned that no details are set in stone. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) (Photo: STLToday) But as Democrats debate the wisdom of […]
Democrats Learning to Love the I-Word — But Will Words Bring Action?
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The White House is re-centering its message around economic and fiscal concerns ahead of tomorrow’s State of the Union address, with a new package of job-creation measures expected to vault to the top of the agenda and a three-year "spending freeze" pitched to deficit-wary conservative Democrats. Infrastructure: Democrats love it. But how will they fund […]
EPA Strengthens Nitrogen Dioxide Rules for First Time in 35 Years
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The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced a new "one-hour standard" aimed at limiting Americans’ short-term exposure to nitrogen dioxide (NO2), a pollutant created by cars, power plants, and other industrial sources. (Photo: TreeHugger) NO2, a main ingredient in smog, is linked to adverse respiratory health effects such as chronic asthma. In creating a new […]
In Texas, One Newspaper Laments the Highway Lanes Not Built
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The Transportation Enhancements program, which requires states to set aside 10 percent of their federal transport money for new bicycle and pedestrian facilities, among other projects, turns 19 years old this year. But you’d almost never know it after reading Saturday’s Fort Worth Star-Telegram, in which the paper tallies — with no shortage of alarm […]
Obama Previews His New Budget’s Urban Policy Moves
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When it comes to re-centering the Washington bureaucracy to better accommodate cities’ needs, the first year of the Obama administration has brought its share of progress (a three-agency partnership set to spend $150 million on sustainable development) and hiccups (a White House urban affairs office with lots of talk but little action). (Photo: whitehouse via […]
Feds on New Miami HOT Lanes: Good for Transit
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Miami’s conversion of HOV lane space to new high-occupancy toll (HOT) lanes as part of the federal Urban Partnership program, which also prompted New York City’s congestion pricing push, is cutting travel times for local transit and boosting use — but overall bus ridership in the corridor has stayed static, according to a new report […]