A Hillbilly Elegy for Thursday’s Headlines

Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, the Republican nominee for vice president, supports more federal subsidies for giant, deadly, gas-guzzling trucks and SUVs.

By Blake Aued

12:01 AM EDT on July 18, 2024

Gage Skidmore

Donald Trump's running mate, Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, sponsored a bill to gut the Biden administration's incentive program for electric vehicles and replace it with incentives to buy gas-powered ones. And the larger the vehicle, the bigger the rebate. (Quartz)
Stories about how the EV market is slumping are too simplistic, according to Slate. For example, e-bike sales are through the roof, even though they don't qualify for the same type of incentives as cars.
House Republicans are taking a look at the Biden administration's climate policies in light of a recent Supreme Court ruling restricting agencies' ability to interpret laws. (Smart Cities Dive)
The most dangerous congressional districts for pedestrians are mostly in the South and mostly majority Black and brown. (Streetsblog USA)
The Federal Transit Administration announced $1.5 billion in infrastructure grants to buy zero-emissions buses in New Jersey, Boston, Los Angeles, Detroit and more than 100 other communities. (EC&M)
The FTA ordered the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority to address safety issues like worker fatigue and inadequate training. (Trains)
Transit consultant Jarrett Walker thinks Chicago transit agencies need more funding, but is opposed to a proposal to consolidate them (Human Transit). Walker also spoke with John Greenfield at Streetsblog Chicago.
A former Detroit Free Press reporter writes that, when the city demolishes I-375, what replaces it should serve first and foremost as a connection between neighborhoods.
Louisville is creating a new department of transportation. (Lane Report)
Charlotte had five crashes involving pedestrians in just three days. (WCNC)
With its new majority, the UK's Labor Party plans to nationalize rail, improve bus service and revive a northern high-speed rail line. (The Guardian)
Oslo's climate budget caps emissions in the city, leading to innovations like electric construction equipment. (World Resources Institute)
Informal transit networks like those found in African cities are often inequitable, but providing subsidies for certain routes can change that cheaply. (City Fix)
Dubai is turning its main traffic artery into a 40-mile High Line-style walking and biking trail with 1 million trees. (Fast Company)