Elana Schor
Recent Posts
Could L.A.’s Transit Plan Become a Winning Campaign Issue for Boxer?
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President Obama did triple duty last night for the re-election campaign of Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA), visiting three fundraisers to send a stark message about polls that show the environment committee chair holding a single-digit lead against her GOP challengers despite a formidable cash advantage. Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA), at left, with the president last […]
Obama Energy Aide: ‘We Probably Saw Peak Demand for Gas … in 2007′
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The decline in American driving that began at the start of the recession, fueled by record-high gas prices, came to an end late last year. But the Obama administration believes that its transport and energy policies have ushered in a long-term shift, "changing the fuel mix in ways that will drive down gasoline demand," according […]
Detroit Residents Press EPA for Stronger Air Pollution Monitoring
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In Washington, "grassroots lobbying" is more often associated with industry-funded issue campaigns than ground-up local advocacy. But residents of Detroit’s industrial southwest neighborhoods took the term back to its roots on Friday, getting a personal visit from Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) officials after a groundswell of complaints about decaying air quality. Cyclists in southwest Detroit. […]
Former U.S. DOT Chief on the Worst-Case Scenario: 4 Years of Extensions
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To a certain extent, hope springs eternal in federal transportation circles. Even as state DOTs and metropolitan planning organizations operate under the latest in a series of extensions of the 2005 law that governs road, transit, and bike-ped spending, few are willing to envision a future in which new legislation doesn’t pass by next year. […]
Congress Approves Repayment for U.S. DOT Workers Furloughed by Bunning
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After a six-week delay, Congress last night agreed to repay U.S. DOT employees for the two days of work they missed when Sen. Jim Bunning (R-KY) filibustered an extension of the 2005 transportation law, forcing a temporary shutdown of much of the federal agency’s business. Sen. Jim Bunning (R-KY) (Photo: CNN) The repayment language was […]
‘Gas Tax’ Sounding Like a Four-Letter Word to the White House and Senate
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Transportation groups of all shapes and sizes have been concerned that the Senate’s forthcoming climate bill could set back the prospects for a federal transportation measure by imposing extra carbon fees on Big Oil — which would then be passed on to customers at the pump, effectively increasing the gas tax for purposes other than […]
Senate GOP Continues to Resist Sanctions-Based Distracted Driving Rules
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The Senate environment committee’s senior Republican yesterday joined his counterpart on the commerce panel in criticizing legislation that would withhold federal highway funding from states that fail to crack down on distracted driving, casting doubt on Congress’ ability to approve any punitive approach to reining in texting and cell phone use by drivers. (Photo: SCnow.com) […]
The Gas Tax: A Trip Back in Legislative Time …
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As Tax Day prompts a rush of political rallies and media coverage, it’s worth looking back at the history of the federal levy that helps pay for transportation projects: the gas tax. The late Sen. Jesse Helms (R-NC) in 1982, when he battled his own party’s attempts to raise the gas tax. (Photo: TIME) Most […]
Feds’ Record on Transport Public-Private Partnerships Prompts Skepticism
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When it comes to creative transportation financing in an age of rising red ink, public-private partnerships (PPPs) are one of the most popular ideas on the table in Washington. Rail planners in Denver and Dallas are exploring the strategy to speed progress on new lines, and the White House’s proposed $4 billion infrastructure fund could […]
Two Cities Exploring ‘Innovative Transport Financing’ For New Rail Lines
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The House transportation committee is holding a hearing today on "innovative financing" for infrastructure projects — a topic near and dear to lawmakers who continue to hunt for a politically feasible, sustainable strategy for funding a new six-year federal transport bill. Riders in Dallas, where a public-private partnership could be the ticket to a new […]
Gillibrand Offers $1B Plan Backing Up White House on Local Food Outlets
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Her approval rating on the rise amid a difficult election battle, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) joined the president’s campaign against childhood obesity this week by proposing $1 billion in loans and grants to build healthier neighborhood grocery stores and farmers’ markets. The view from one type of "food desert." (Photo: Springfield Institute) Gillibrand’s legislation, co-sponsored […]
New Report Maps Link Between Overseas Transit Attacks and Domestic Risk
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Transit networks around the world beefed up security measures in the wake of last month’s fatal bombing of a Moscow subway car, but the relevance of circumstances and tactics used in overseas terrorist attacks to U.S. rail and bus security remains unclear, according to a new report partly funded by the U.S. DOT. A police […]