Elana Schor
Recent Posts
A National Infrastructure Bank By Any Other Name …
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The House transportation committee’s new $450 billion bill provides for a national infrastructure bank intended to "maximize the limited resources available for our surface transportation needs," as the panel’s early outline puts it. (Photo: National Association of Water Cos.) This sounds a lot like the infrastructure bank proposed by Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) and 35 […]
House Transpo Leaders United — in Frustration With the White House
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Senior members of the House transportation committee today fired a warning shot at those pushing an 18-month extension of existing federal law, putting the Obama administration and key senators on notice that their $450 billion proposal would move forward this year. How often does this man hold a shovel? (Photo: World Economic Forum via flickr) […]
Oberstar’s New Transportation Bill: Get The Highlights
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Rep. Jim Oberstar (D-MN), the House transportation committee chairman is set to brief reporters this afternoon on his $450 billion, six-year federal transportation bill — which he plans to pursue regardless of the Obama administration’s push for an 18-month extension of existing law. House Transportation Committee Chairman Jim Oberstar (D-MN) has a brewing battle with […]
Senator Boxer Likes LaHood’s 18-Month Highway Trust Extension Plan
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Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA), chairman of the Environment and Public Works Committee and a key player in the federal transportation re-write, just released a statement hailing Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood’s call for an 18-month extension of the existing transport law: I am very pleased that the White House is being proactive in working with the […]
LaHood Asks for 18-Month Extension of Four-Year-Old Transpo Law
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Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood is asking Congress to extend the existing federal transportation law for 18 months, averting the coming insolvency of the nation’s highway trust fund while putting off broad-based transport reform for as long as the Bush administration did in the days surrounding the 2004 election. Photo: AP LaHood’s request comes at an […]
U.S. Dot Clocks High-Speed Rail at 110 MPH, Give or Take
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The federal DOT has just released its guidance for states seeking a share of its $8 billion in high-speed rail funding — and tucked in the rules are standards that could prove crucial to the project’s success. Ray LaHood geeks out on French high-speed rail. Photo via The Overhead Wire The definition of high-speed rail […]
WHO Report Highlights Global Health Risk of Traffic
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Pro football player Donte’ Stallworth was sentenced to 30 days in jail today after killing a pedestrian in an alcohol-related crash. Photo: AP The disparity between the 13 percent of road fatalities suffered by non-drivers and the amount that the federal government spends on their safety — less than one percent — may come as […]
GOP’s New Attack on Health Care Reform Bill: It Promotes Walking!
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Despite a growing awareness among conservatives that walking and biking are causes worth backing, Republicans on Capitol Hill continue to condemn bike-ped programs as wasteful "pork". The GOP’s latest potshots at sustainable transportation come during debate over a health care bill that focuses mainly on insurance and hospitals, but also includes a public health grant […]
Report: Cities Not Getting Their Share of Stimulus Transpo Money
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The nation’s largest metropolitan areas — which account for 63 percent of the U.S. population and 73 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP) — have received less than half of the surface transportation money allocated so far under the Obama administration’s economic stimulus plan, according to a new report compiled for the U.S. Conference […]
AARP Sends Its Transportation Priorities to Congress
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AARP, the Washington mega-force that lays claim to a membership base of 40 million older Americans, today threw its weight behind three transportation policy changes in a letter to House members. The group asked Reps. Jim Oberstar (D-MN) and John Mica (R-FL), the chairman and senior Republican on the House transportation committee, to include "complete […]
Oberstar to Release Transportation Outline Wednesday
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Jim Oberstar (D-MN), chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, will release a "white paper" on his plans for the upcoming federal reauthorization bill in a press conference on Wednesday. It’s important to note that the paper will serve as an outline — legislative language is expected to emerge later. (Streetsblog Capitol Hill’s bet […]
Congress Agrees to Keep Transit Operating Aid in War Bill
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(Photo: Model D Media) House and Senate negotiators struck a deal last night on a $106 billion war spending bill that also gives cash-strapped transit agencies the ability to use 10 percent of their economic stimulus grants to pay operating costs. The issue of operating costs has heated up in recent weeks, with local transit […]