Elana Schor
Recent Posts
Streetsblog Capitol Hill Q&A: Four Questions For Rob Puentes
| | 1 Comment
America’s transportation and infrastructure policies affect literally everyone who moves from place to place in the country, but often they are under-discussed and over-simplified by the mainstream media. To help broaden the debate, Streetsblog Capitol Hill is kicking off a new Q&A series called "The Four Questions." Robert Puentes, senior fellow at the Brookings Institution’s […]
Oil-Centric Houston to Experiment With (Coal-Powered) Electric Cars
| | 1 Comment
Houston has long enjoyed its status as America’s oil capital, the type of city where the local Petroleum Club threw a $100,000 gala during a period of then-record high gas prices. But things are changing, thanks to a light rail system that is exceeding ridership predictions and encouraging pedestrian-friendly development. One of Houston’s new charging […]
General Electric Inks High-Speed Rail Deal With Chinese Government
| | No Comments
While President Obama grappled with political concerns during his trip to China this week, General Electric was busy signing technology-sharing agreements with Beijing partners — including a high-speed rail pact that positions GE to leap ahead of its competitors in the race for business from the Obama administration’s bullet train rollout. One of China’s high-speed […]
Three GOP Senators Ask Reid to Call Up Six-Month Transport Bill Extension
| | No Comments
The senior Republicans on three of the Senate’s four infrastructure-centric committees today signed onto a letter asking the leaders of Congress’ upper chamber to call up a six-month extension of the 2005 transportation law. Senate environment chairman Barbara Boxer (D-CA) (Photo: Politics Now) In the letter, Sens. Jim Inhofe (OK), Kay Bailey Hutchison (TX), and […]
Introducing the Samuelson Gas Tax Increase: A Penny Every Month
| | 1 Comment
Democratic lawmakers are discussing the possibility of a one-year stopgap transportation bill but have yet to reach consensus on how to pay for the measure, Sen. Tom Carper (D-DE) said today. Sen. Tom Carper (D-DE) (Photo: Politics Daily) Carper, speaking at a National Journal policy conference, said the prospects for short-term transport legislation still depend […]
Obama Administration’s Transit Safety Rules to Eventually Apply to Buses
| | No Comments
The Obama administration’s proposal for a new federal role in transit safety oversight would eventually apply to buses, although the first round of rules would be directed at subways and light rail, according to the U.S. DOT. Transit buses, such as this Miami model, are expected to be part of the new federal safety plan. […]
Feds Propose to Expand Opportunities for Biking and Walking to Transit
| | No Comments
When it comes to infrastructure improvements that encourage more people to walk or bicycle to transit stations, how long will commuters be willing to travel? The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has officially answered that question, proposing a significant expansion of the rules governing how close bike-ped projects should be to transit in order to receive […]
Hesitation and Praise Greet Obama Administration’s Transit Safety Plan
| | 1 Comment
Details of the Obama administration’s proposal to carve out a federal presence overseeing transit safety, first reported yesterday by the Washington Post, have yet to cross the desks of some top lawmakers and industry stakeholders. But reaction to the idea, both positive and hesitant, is plentiful this morning. The D.C. Metro (Photo: WaPo) "Safety is […]
Coal-Burning Electric Utilities Still Commanding Dem Senators’ Attention
| | 4 Comments
As reported here yesterday, transportation is a close second to electric power generation in the not-so-great race to become the nation’s fastest-rising source of emissions. Minnesota roads, like this one, produce a greater share of the state’s pollution than electric utilities. (Photo: MPR) So as the climate change debate heats up in the Senate, it’s […]
Which is the Fastest-Rising U.S. Emissions Source: Transport or Electricity?
| | No Comments
The climate change bills being considered by Congress treat electric utilities very well, giving more than a third of the revenue generated by CO2 regulation away — for free — to power providers. This move pleased coal country Democrats while seeking to lock down benefits for consumers by averting electricity rate hikes. But did the […]
Report: After MN Collapse, Bridge Repair Got Just 11% of D.C. Earmarks
| | 2 Comments
In the wake of the 2007 collapse of Minnesota’s I-35 bridge, Washington policymakers vowed a renewed focus on repairing the nation’s aging infrastructure. But weeks after the fatal collapse, Congress approved a transportation spending bill with 704 earmarked projects, at a total cost topping $570 million — and just 11 percent of those earmarks went […]
White House to Agencies: Prepare for Broad Spending Freeze or 5% Cut
| | No Comments
Congressional deficit anxiety, always running high amid conservative Democrats, is reaching something of a fever pitch this week — while the White House prepares to ask most federal agencies for two alternative budgets for the fiscal year that begins next fall: one that freezes spending and one with a 5 percent cut. U.S. DOT headquarters […]