On Tuesday’s Headlines, Your Mileage May Vary
The EPA is sharply raising fuel mileage requirements, Amtrak is planning Northeast Corridor improvements and more headlines.
By
Blake Aued
12:00 AM EST on December 21, 2021
- The Environmental Protection Agency is undoing the Trump administration’s rollback of fuel efficiency requirements and going even further, bumping up the average mileage from 32 miles per gallon to 40 in 2026, which is expected to encourage automakers to sell more hybrids and electric vehicles, and stop 3 billion tons of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere. (CNN)
- Amtrak will use some of its $66 billion in funding from the infrastructure bill to fix antiquated tunnels and bridges that are chokepoints in the Northeast Corridor, its busiest routes. (New York Times)
- Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson is lobbying D.C. for infrastructure money to bury I-30 and for Vision Zero projects. (D Magazine)
- King County’s long-term plan for Seattle-area transit shifts focus away from suburban commuters and toward historically underserved communities. (Smart Cities Dive)
- With the Bureau of Transportation facing a $26 million budget shortfall, Portland officials are considering a surcharge on parking that would fund climate and equity programs. (Bike Portland)
- Drivers have killed 22 cyclists and 204 pedestrians in New Jersey this year, the most since 1989. (WHYY)
- Two Washington, D.C. city council bills would make streets around schools safer for children to walk. (DCist)
- Tulsa’s nonprofit bike-share, This Machine, is facing a spike in thefts and vandalism. (KJRH)
- E-scooter company Lime is expanding into the Middle East. (CNBC)
- The European Union is proposing that all new buildings be pre-wired for EV charging stations. (Clean Technica)
- Uber is working with a UK startup to design a battery-powered taxi and force drivers to foot the bill for its greenwashing. (Jalopnik)
- While other cities have banned or limited cars in certain areas, a Berlin group is pushing to make it the first major city to go car-free within a huge 55-square-mile swath of the German metropolis. (Yes! Magazine)
Blake Aued has been doing Streetsblog's daily national news digest for years. He's also an Atlanta Braves fan, which enrages his editor in New York.
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