Recent Streetsblog SF posts about Transportation Policy

EPA Air Chief: We Need to Do More to Reduce VMT

By Elana Schor | Jan 14, 2010 | 2 Comments

Obama administration officials "need to align together" to work on reducing the nation’s total vehicle miles traveled — work that should go beyond a pending congressional climate bill — the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) air-quality chief said today. Gina McCarthy, EPA’s top air pollution regulator. (Photo: CECE) Gina McCarthy, EPA’s assistant administrator for air and […]

LaHood Wants More TIGER Aid in the Congressional Jobs Bill

By Elana Schor | Jan 14, 2010 | No Comments

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood made a splash yesterday by announcing that the U.S. DOT would look at the environmental and community-building benefits of transit projects, not just their adherence to a government cost-effectiveness standard. Washington D.C.’s proposed K Street transitway, pictured above, is one of many projects vying for TIGER money. (Photo: The City Fix) […]

Big Transit News: Bush-Era Rule Tossed, Enviro Benefits on the Table

By Elana Schor | Jan 13, 2010 | 2 Comments

Transportation reformers and members of Congress have long clamored for changes to the federal government’s major transit grant program, otherwise known as "New Starts," and Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood answered today with an announcement of sweeping changes in the works. LaHood made his announcement today at the Transportation Research Board conference. (Photo: AP) The first […]

State DOTs: We Back National Transport Goals — If We Get to Write Them

By Elana Schor | Jan 13, 2010 | No Comments

Congressional efforts to set national goals for the American transportation system are stalled for now, but the U.S. DOT said today that it is preparing for an eventual transition to a world where performance targets are the norm for transit, roads, bridges, and ports. (Photo: UVA) "National goals should be set by U.S. DOT in […]

Pelosi: Gas Tax Hike Doesn’t Have Majority Support in Congress

By Elana Schor | Jan 12, 2010 | 1 Comment

After touring the Detroit Auto Show yesterday with fellow lawmakers, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) took one question yesterday: Why are Democrats not pursuing a federal gas tax hike, given its potential to cut carbon emissions and its support from auto industry players aiming to stoke demand for efficient cars? House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) […]

White House and Congress Take Issue With AP’s Transport Stimulus Claims

By Elana Schor | Jan 11, 2010 | No Comments

The Associated Press published a piece today that, after putting "economists and statisticians" to work on analyzing $21 billion in federal stimulus money for transportation, reached a volatile conclusion: (Photo: WBEZ) Local unemployment rates rose and fell regardless of how much stimulus money Washington poured out for transportation, raising questions about Obama’s argument that more […]

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