Elana Schor
Recent Posts
Report: Feds Subsidize Parking Six Times as Much as Transit
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(Image: Subsidyscope) "Subsidy" is a word used quite often in transportation policy-making circles, whether by road acolytes who claim (falsely) that highways are not federally subsidized because of the gas tax or by transit boosters who lament Washington’s unceasing focus on paying for more local asphalt. But the subsidy debate often overlooks the government tax […]
Deja Vu: Congress Could Put Off Deal on Transport Bill Until Next Month
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After a day of twists and turns, the House yesterday approved a three-month extension of the current law that governs spending on the nation’s transit, bridges, and roads. Yet the 335-85 vote obscures an ongoing clash between the House and Senate that could extend into a fourth straight month. (Image: East Bay R.E.) House transportation […]
Business Lobby to Senate: No, Stimulus Won’t Do Enough for Transport
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As the Senate backs up the White House’s push for an 18-month delay in approving a new federal infrastructure bill, one of its major arguments is that the economic stimulus law’s $48 billion in transportation money would help tide the nation over until long-term legislation could be passed. (Image: CleanTechies Blog) "The good news is […]
New Report: 10% Transit Growth Would Help Meet House Climate Target
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(Image: U.S. EIA via Climate Progress) A 10 percent annual increase in U.S. transit ridership would reduce CO2 emissions by 180 million tons each year, taking the nation halfway to the target set by the House climate change bill within three years, according to a report [PDF] released today by Environment America and the Coalition […]
Oberstar’s 3-Month Transport Bill Extension Heading to House Floor
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A three-month extension of existing federal infrastructure law — which is set to expire in eight days — is headed for a vote in the full House this week, likely as soon as tomorrow, according to a spokesman for transportation committee chairman Jim Oberstar (D-MN). House transport committee chairman Jim Oberstar (D-MN) (Photo: Bike Portland […]
Obama Administration Sends $100M in Stimulus Aid to 43 Transit Agencies
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The U.S. DOT announced today that 43 local transit agencies from more than two dozen states would share the $100 million in competitive clean-transport grants included in this winter’s $787 billion economic stimulus law. Atlanta’s transit system, pictured above, won $10.8 million in stimulus aid. (Photo: Atlanta MetBlogs) The big winners in the bid for […]
Boxer Reminds Metrolink: Train Crew Members Shouldn’t Ride Solo
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The transportation spending bill passed by the Senate this week includes $50 million in rail safety grants sought in June by environment committee chairman Barbara Boxer (D-CA) — but the bill may not become law for months, and today Boxer told California’s Metrolink commuter rail that interim safety protections would have to stay in place. Flickr photo: ProKelly This […]
High-Speed Rail Routes and the Looming Choice Among ‘Megaregions’
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(Image: America 2050) They may sound like villains in the next Transformers movie, but "megaregions" are a vital aspect of U.S. life these days. The vast majority of the nation lives in one of the 11 inter-city clusters identified by America 2050 in its new analysis of the future of high-speed rail, making megaregions the […]
Oberstar to Back 3-Month Delay in Transport Bill As Soon As Next Week
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House transportation committee chairman Jim Oberstar (D-MN) is readying a proposal to extend current infrastructure law by three months — 15 months less than the delay preferred by the White House — and could introduce the legislation as soon as next week, his office said today. House transport committee chairman Jim Oberstar (D-MN) (Photo: Capitol […]
Pro-Tea Party Republican’s Angry Letter to D.C. Metro: Read it in Full
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Apparently unfamiliar with the concept of irony, Rep. Kevin Brady (R-TX) has drafted an angry letter to the chief of Washington D.C.’s Metro, complaining that protesters at last weekend’s 9/12 "tea party" had difficulty traveling by transit — the very transit system that Brady voted against aiding, and the epitome of government spending that the […]
Warner Scores a (Small) Win for White House’s Transportation Agenda
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While it pushes for an 18-month delay in the next federal infrastructure bill, the Obama administration has proposed a data collection effort that would help states and localities begin tracking ridership and usage of transit, roads, buses, and the like — a small put pivotal step towards enacting national performance standards for transportation. Sen. Mark […]
Klobuchar & Webb: Dems’ Unlikely Opponents of Bike-Ped Investment
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Sen. Tom Coburn’s (R-OK) attempt to curb federal investment in bicycle and pedestrian paths, as well as other "transportation enhancements," was defeated on the Senate floor today — but it managed to pick up two unlikely Democratic supporters in the process. A college-age Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), with her father at right. (Photo: Klobuchar for […]