Government Organizations
Basics
Jay Rockefeller to Retire From Senate in 2015
Sen. Jay Rockefeller is expected to announce later today that he won't run for re-election in 2014. The West Virginia Democrat will have served 30 years in the Senate. He chairs the Senate Commerce Committee, one of the four Senate committees – though probably the least of the four – that crafts the surface transportation authorization, with a focus on rail.
January 11, 2013
Bob McDonnell: Everyone Should Pay For Virginia’s Roads (Except Drivers)
In transportation circles, there's an endless debate about how to fund infrastructure. Raise the gas tax? Index it to inflation? Institute a vehicle-miles-traveled fee? Many jurisdictions have turned to property taxes, bonds, and sales taxes as a supplement.
January 9, 2013
Do T&I Committee Members Get the Transpo Needs of American Cities?
Who will be looking out for the interests of transit riders in the 113th Congress? It’s easy to figure it out, said Cap’n Transit over the weekend: Just check whether they have an R or a D next to their names.
January 8, 2013
FTA Opens the Door For More Transit Expansions to Receive Federal Funding
One of the most important federal transit programs has undergone a makeover, and transit advocates are cheering the results.
January 7, 2013
Mica’s New Post Gives Him a Good Vantage Point For Sniping at Amtrak
Perhaps Rep. John Mica's most remarkable legacy as chair of the House Transportation Committee is the single-minded focus he gave to attacking Amtrak. Under the guise of wanting it to succeed, Mica has repeatedly excoriated it as a "Soviet-style monopoly" and a waste of taxpayer dollars. He's tried to sell off its only profitable line, the Northeast Corridor, and made a mockery of every aspect of its operations, right down to food service. If there's anything he got more glee out of criticizing, it was the Transportation Security Administration.
January 3, 2013
Transit Tax Benefit Equalized With Parking Benefit in Fiscal Cliff Deal
Happy New Year, transit riders! Thanks to some shrewd maneuvering on the part of some U.S. Senators, transit commuters will be able to claim as much in tax benefits as car commuters do in 2013.
January 2, 2013
In Homage to Daniel Inouye, Feds Commit to Funding Honolulu Transit
Senate titan Daniel Inouye passed away Monday at 88. The Hawaii senator was the longest-serving member in the chamber at the time he died.
December 20, 2012
Blumenauer: Let’s Stop Hiding in Fear of a Mileage Fee
In June, the House of Representatives voted to ban U.S. DOT from even studying the viability of switching from the gas tax to a vehicle-miles-traveled (VMT) fee. But the tide may be turning: The sponsor of the amendment, Rep. Chip Cravaack, has been ousted from Congress, the amendment itself is on the skids, and a new bill would actually require the government to study the VMT option.
December 17, 2012
Finally Getting Serious About Measuring How Much People Walk and Bike
As you might expect, given the billions America spends on highways, measuring the activity of motorists is practically an industry unto itself.
December 13, 2012