Today’s Headlines

  • Obama administration sends $3.5 billion in new taxpayer money to the mortgage arm of auto lender GMAC, making the federal government its majority shareholder (WaPo)
  • The landscape of interest groups lobbying on climate change is getting big — crazy big (NYT Blogs)
  • One proposal to help marshal public support for higher gas taxes: Let people know exactly where their money is going (Fredericksburg.com)
  • Massachusetts Gov. Patrick to cancel $18 million in planned school transportation cuts (Globe)

ALSO ON STREETSBLOG

Sen. Wyden Proposes TRIP Bonds to Fund Transportation

By Tanya Snyder |
Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) is sort of the bond guy around the Senate. He’s a big fan of bonds as a way to raise money for infrastructure projects without much federal cost. Now he’s introduced a bill to create Transportation and Regional Infrastructure Project bonds. They’re different from Build America Bonds in several significant ways. […]

LaHood: Gas Tax Increase in Congressional Hands

By Elana Schor |
As Congress maneuvers to end the political impasse over the next long-term national transportation bill, lawmakers are going to have to debate an increase in the federal gas tax, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said today. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood (Photo: Getty Images) In his remarks at a Fort Worth transportation meeting, first reported by the […]

Clock Ticks on a Popular Way to Pay for Infrastructure

By Tanya Snyder |
A few weeks ago, when a new ferry was inaugurated in Puget Sound, Washington Governor Chris Gregoire smashed a bottle of champagne and declared, “God bless this boat.” It had been three years since the leaky electric boats that had ferried passengers between Coupeville, Whidbey Island, and Port Townsend were retired three years ago. The new […]