Elana Schor
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Brown Offers Senate Plan For More Federal Operating Aid to Local Transit
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Local transit officials seeking more federal operating aid during lean budgetary times got a new ally today in Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), who introduced legislation in Congress’ upper chamber to give rail and bus agencies more flexibility to spend funding from Washington on averting service cuts and layoffs. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) (Photo: Partnership for […]
Environmental Group Offers Congress a Map to Cleaner Freight
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The federal government can reap significant pollution-reduction benefits by focusing on a national freight plan that replaces older diesel equipment with newer, cleaner-burning train cars while building out regional networks more efficiently, the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) said yesterday in a new report [PDF]. Freight rail in Chicago, home of the stimulus-funded CREATE freight project. […]
House and Senate Split on Approach to Obama’s Transit Safety Plan
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After a year marked by discord between the House and Senate over the timing of the next federal transportation bill, another split emerged yesterday over the timetable for taking up the Obama administration’s plan for federal involvement in transit safety oversight. Rep. John Mica (R-FL) opposes the White House safety plan, but he also wants […]
LaHood Reaches Out to Transit Industry, Lamenting ‘Lousy Economy’
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Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood sought to commiserate with the cash-strapped transit industry today, declaring the Obama administration an ally of local rail and bus agencies even as the "lousy economy" clouds prospects for passage of a new long-term federal transportation bill. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood (Photo: Getty Images) In an address to the American Public […]
Is 2010 the Year for Federal Bike Aid? The Answer: A Big ‘Maybe’
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This week’s National Bike Summit culminated in an ambitious new campaign to recruit a million bike advocates and the unveiling of a new Google Maps bike feature. But in a Wednesday session dedicated to the outlook for federal bike investments, cycling advocates hesitated to declare that they could secure new commitments from Washington. Rep. Earl […]
U.S. DOT Cagey on Funding New Transport Bill as Senators Seek Solutions
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Senators began searching today for new strategies to connect local planners with an ever-dwindling pot of federal infrastructure dollars, even as a senior U.S. DOT aide declined to say whether the White House’s upcoming principles for the next long-term transportation bill would include funding specifics. Antonio Villaraigosa is seeking a bridge loan from Washington to […]
New House Jobs Bill Dominated by Direct Aid to Cities
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Soon after the Senate signed off yesterday on a $150 billion package of tax extenders and unemployment benefits that was promoted as a job-creation measure — a bill that lacked dedicated new funding for transportation — Democrats on the House education and labor committee were releasing their own jobs legislation. The House proposal also lacks […]
Goldman Sachs: Yes, Build America Bonds Are Good for Transport — And Us
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Goldman Sachs today confirmed that the taxpayer-subsidized debt offering known as Build America Bonds (BABs), which have helped several urban transit agencies and state DOTs pay for new projects since last year, tend to result in higher underwriting fees for Wall Street banks than most tax-exempt municipal bonds. (Chart: WSJ) Responding to an inquiry from Sen. […]
Could Transport Bill Inaction Hurt the White House’s Sustainability Push?
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The White House’s lack of interest in passing a new long-term federal transportation bill before next spring at the earliest is common knowledge in Washington, but the Obama administration has paid little political price so far for its approach to the issue. That began to change today, thanks to two lawmakers on the House panel […]
U.S. Transit Trips Hit 10.2B in 2009, With Light Rail Up in Nine Cities
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(Photo: Model D Media) The nation’s transit systems hosted 10.2 billion trips last year, the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) reported yesterday. While that figure represents a 3.8 percent decline from 2008, APTA’s data showed light rail ridership rising in nine cities and the long-term increase in transit use continuing to outpace growth in population […]
Study: Clean-Car Subsidies Alone Can’t Meet White House’s Climate Goals
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Government subsidies for hybrid and electric cars, while "politically seductive," will fail to achieve the Obama administration’s national pollution-reduction goals if they are not coupled with a significant increase in fuel prices, according to a new study by Harvard University researchers. (Photo: Pop and Politics) The team at Harvard’s Belfer Center for Science and International […]
Dodd Vows to Pass Livability Bill Amid Skepticism From Rural Senators
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Even as the Obama administration ramps up its work on a sustainability initiative that treats transportation, housing, and energy efficiency as interconnected aspects of development policy, the effort remains without an official congressional authorization — a situation that Senate Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd (D-CT) vowed to fix yesterday. Senate Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd […]