Today’s Headlines

  • The Senate environment committee was once known as a hotbed of bipartisan congeniality … though it can still look that way, judging from this year’s transportation debate (ClimateWire)
  • The construction industry promotes the role it can play in economic recovery effort (Portfolio)
  • Trucking industry accuses the New York Times of ill treatment after a critical editorial on Anne Ferro, the trucking lobbyist nominated to regulate truck safety, and a story on texting behind the wheel (Fleet Owner)
  • The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, less than helpful on transportation reform despite its support for a gas tax hike, is shedding members over its opposition to congressional action on climate change (NYT)
  • GOP pundit John Feehery calls Transportation Secretary LaHood "the only real PR bright spot" for the White House (The Hill)
  • Chicago transit agency gets a new chief (Sun-Times)

ALSO ON STREETSBLOG

Obama Chooses Trucking Industry Lobbyist to Regulate Truckers

By Elana Schor |
The White House’s choice of trucking lobbyist Anne Ferro to head the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) — the agency charged with preventing truck crashes — prompted consternation yesterday from a senior Democrat on the Senate committee that must approve the nomination. Anne Ferro, nominated to lead the FMCSA. (Photo: Smart Woman) Frank Lautenberg […]

Trucks Gone Green?

By Ben Fried |
This image comes courtesy of TrucksDeliver.org, not the Onion. If BP can stand for "Beyond Petroleum," what’s to stop the trucking industry from claiming to "deliver a cleaner tomorrow"? Not much, apparently. In a story about the current practices of K Street lobbyists, the Washington Post reports that even the American Trucking Associations — a […]

Who Still Likes the House Transpo Bill? Big Oil, Big Truck, and Big Box Retail

By Ben Goldman |
The House has finished marking up its transportation bill in what shaped up to be a very Groundhog Day-esque ordeal of unending, repetitive partisan theater (if you missed it, follow coverage on twitter). The centerpiece was yesterday’s/last night’s/this morning’s Transportation & Infrastructure committee markup, where members debated more than 80 amendments for over 18 hours […]

Feds Put Off Issuing New Trucking Safety Rules

By Tanya Snyder |
Federal safety officials missed their own deadline Friday for making new rules about dangerous trucks. October 28 was the original deadline by which the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration was supposed to announce new hours-of-service regulations for trucking, but in the end, they gave themselves another month to do it. The pending change is the result […]