Today’s Headlines
Very bad news for train riders in the northeast: The Obama administration’s first rounds of high-speed rail money are unlikely to help improve Acela service, due to lengthy environmental reviews required by U.S. DOT (Globe) Two disparate takes on the House jobs bill: Does it represent “room for real debate” on a new federal transportation … Continued
By
Elana Schor
7:50 AM EST on December 18, 2009
- Very bad news for train riders in the northeast: The Obama administration’s first rounds of high-speed rail money are unlikely to help improve Acela service, due to lengthy environmental reviews required by U.S. DOT (Globe)
- Two disparate takes on the House jobs bill: Does it represent “room for
real debate” on a new federal transportation bill or “Groundhog Day” for entrenched bureaucracy? (GreenWire, HuffPost) - Pennsylvania state legislators head to the Hill to lobby against state leaders’ push to toll I-80 (Pocono News)
- Embattled head of Washington D.C.’s transit agency vows to win back public confidence and work with Obama administration on its new safety bill (WaPo)
- Virginia becomes the latest state to slash transportation spending in a rough economy (AP)
- Maryland edges closer to approving per-mile tolls for its massive new ICC highway, sparking one Democratic candidate to rage against a “drive-to-work tax” (Gazette, Arora for Delegate)
- A less sexy but cheaper electric-car company is quietly making inroads (SFGate)
- Not transportation-related, but telling just the same: LaHood goes to bat for longtime friend Rahm Emanuel, White House chief of staff (Bloomberg)
Streetsblog has migrated to a new comment system. New commenters can register directly in the comments section of any article. Returning commenters: your previous comments and display name have been preserved, but you'll need to reclaim your account by clicking "Forgot your password?" on the sign-in form, entering your email, and following the verification link to set a new password — this is required because passwords could not be carried over during the migration. For questions, contact tips@streetsblog.org.
More from Streetsblog USA
Talking Headways Podcast: How Money for Highways Could Have Built 36 Paris Metros
The money we spent on urban freeways could have transformed American cities for the better.
August 20, 2026
Take Thursday’s Headlines Home, Country Roads
The Trump administration wants to build roads through pristine public lands.
August 20, 2026
A New US-Canada Bridge Opposed By Trump Has a One-of-a-Kind Bike Path
The bike-ped path on the brand new Gordie Howe International Bridge opened on Aug. 5 despite the president's opposition.
August 19, 2026
It’s Me, Wednesday’s Headlines, Hi, I’m the Problem, It’s Me
Is the next Taylor Swift, Drake, Bad Bunny or (insert popular artist here) album drop going to kill you?
August 19, 2026
Opinion: San Francisco Should Not Give Free Curb Space to Waymo
There's no reason one of the most valuable companies in the world should get free access to a public right-of-way.
August 19, 2026