Elana Schor
Recent Posts
Defining the ‘Public’ in Public-Private Partnerships
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In a must-read piece for the Center for Public Integrity (CPI), Matt Lewis digs deeper into the network of cities and towns that employ D.C. transportation. He begins with a thought-provoking anecdote: A ribbon-cutting in Dubuque, IA, for IBM’s new tech center. (Photo: Gazette) Last September, city fathers in Dubuque, Iowa, lured three members of […]
What if America’s Urban Economies Were National Ones?
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The U.S. Conference of Mayors released a report this week with some dire conclusions for the nation’s cities: Even the payroll growth that many prognosticators anticipate this year won’t make a dent in double-digit urban unemployment. Half of the 363 biggest metro areas won’t return to their pre-recession jobs levels until 2013 or beyond. (Chart: […]
How Will Obama’s Sustainability Team Spend Its $150M? A Preview
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Before the U.S. DOT gave some early clues as to how the agency would craft its new transit funding rules, deputy housing and urban development (HUD) secretary Ron Sims answered another question that’s been on the minds of transit and local-planning wonks: How will the Obama administration’s three-agency partnership for sustainable communities spend its $150 […]
U.S. DOT Previews How New Transit Rules Could Define ‘Livability’
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When the Obama administration announced an ambitious revamp of transit funding rules to, as the Transportation Secretary put it, "take livability into account," urban planners and rail fans alike were pleased — but also uncertain. Baltimore’s rail network, with the proposed new Red Line — which could get a boost from the U.S. DOT’s livability […]
A Common Thread in the Home Buyer’s Tax Credit and ‘Cash for Clunkers’
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Back in the days of "cash for clunkers," which saw the Obama administration send nearly $3 billion in taxpayer-funded rebates to boost the sagging auto industry, our Ryan Avent and several other economics wonks pointed out an inconvenient fact: Many participants in the program would have bought cars anyway, and the rebates only pulled their […]
Dodd and DeLauro Vow to Get Infrastructure Bank Done This Year
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Supporters from every corner of the transportation universe joined Gov. Ed Rendell (D-PA), Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), and Sen. Chris Dodd (D-CT) today at a press event aimed at jumpstarting a National Infrastructure Bank (NIB), which the two Connecticut lawmakers vowed to steer to passage this year. Gov. Ed Rendell (D-PA), above, founded BAF with […]
The MA Senate Race: Consequences for Transport and Climate Policy
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Democrats awoke this morning to find their worst fears realized, as lackluster Senate hopeful Martha Coakley (D-MA) was upset by Republican Scott Brown. Voters, lawmakers, and advocates are left to wonder what becomes of their issues in a year already marked by political upheaval. Sen.-elect Scott Brown (R-MA), with his family on election night. (Photo: […]
Obama Quietly Gets Federal Agencies Involved in Transport Planning
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When President Obama signed an executive order in October requiring federal agencies to craft strategies for reducing their greenhouse gas emissions, he described the mandate as Washington "lead[ing] by example" on the pollution-reduction front. (Photo: AP) And that’s true — but the order also includes language telling federal agencies to get involved in integrating local […]
CBO Echoes Obama’s Candor on the Pitfalls of ‘Shovel-Readiness’
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During last month’s White House jobs summit, President Obama carved out some common ground with critics of his first stimulus law’s $47 billion in infrastructure spending — which was distributed mainly by the book through state DOTs. "The term "shovel-ready," let’s be honest here, doesn’t always live up to its billing," he acknowledged. The CBO […]
Could a Green Bank Hitch a Ride on the Jobs Bill?
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Fans of a National Infrastructure Bank (NIB) that would help leverage private-sector funding for transportation projects are still hoping for Hill action after the House declined to add the idea to its $154 billion jobs bill. But the NIB isn’t the only new financing strategy on the table, as Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) reminded […]
Enviro Group Sees State DOTs’ Transport Predictions — and Raises Them
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Just before New Year’s, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), the Washington voice for state DOTs that’s often dubbed the "road lobby," counted down 10 hot topics for 2010. Freight upgrades made EDF’s transport wish list for 2010. (Photo: TSA) Most items on AASHTO’s list are awaited with equal fervor by […]
EPA Air Chief: We Need to Do More to Reduce VMT
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Obama administration officials "need to align together" to work on reducing the nation’s total vehicle miles traveled — work that should go beyond a pending congressional climate bill — the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) air-quality chief said today. Gina McCarthy, EPA’s top air pollution regulator. (Photo: CECE) Gina McCarthy, EPA’s assistant administrator for air and […]