Transportation Policy
Basics
New Business Group Launches to Push Regional Electric Vehicles
Washington's love affair with electric vehicles continued today with the launch of the Electrification Coalition, an alliance of 13 companies hailing from the auto, shipping, and utility industries that have endorsed a $130 billion pitch for a region-by-region transition to battery-powered cars.
November 16, 2009
Feds Propose to Expand Opportunities for Biking and Walking to Transit
When it comes to infrastructure improvements that encourage more people to walk or bicycle to transit stations, how long will commuters be willing to travel? The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has officially answered that question, proposing a significant expansion of the rules governing how close bike-ped projects should be to transit in order to receive government funding.
November 16, 2009
Hesitation and Praise Greet Obama Administration’s Transit Safety Plan
Details of the Obama administration's proposal to carve out a federal presence overseeing transit safety, first reported yesterday by the Washington Post, have yet to cross the desks of some top lawmakers and industry stakeholders. But reaction to the idea, both positive and hesitant, is plentiful this morning.
November 16, 2009
House to Tackle Transit Safety Gaps in December Hearing
The debate over setting national standards for transit safety -- which the federal government has yet to do -- will take center stage at a December 8 hearing of the House transportation committee's transit panel.
November 13, 2009
Voinovich Has a Job-Creation Proposal for the President
Before leaving for Asia yesterday, President Obama announced a job creation summit to take place next month and declared himself "open to any demonstrably good idea" to cut the rising unemployment rate.
November 13, 2009
Which is the Fastest-Rising U.S. Emissions Source: Transport or Electricity?
The climate change bills being considered by Congress treat electric utilities very well, giving more than a third of the revenue generated by CO2 regulation away -- for free -- to power providers. This move pleased coal country Democrats while seeking to lock down benefits for consumers by averting electricity rate hikes.
November 12, 2009
Report: After MN Collapse, Bridge Repair Got Just 11% of D.C. Earmarks
In the wake of the 2007 collapse of Minnesota's I-35 bridge, Washington policymakers vowed a renewed focus on repairing the nation's aging infrastructure. But weeks after the fatal collapse, Congress approved a transportation spending bill with 704 earmarked projects, at a total cost topping $570 million -- and just 11 percent of those earmarks went towards bridge repair, according to a new report released today.
November 12, 2009
White House to Agencies: Prepare for Broad Spending Freeze or 5% Cut
Congressional deficit anxiety, always running high amid conservative Democrats, is reaching something of a fever pitch this week -- while the White House prepares to ask most federal agencies for two alternative budgets for the fiscal year that begins next fall: one that freezes spending and one with a 5 percent cut.
November 12, 2009
Senate to Take Up Mysterious ‘Jobs Bill’ — Is Infrastructure in the Mix?
The notion of a "front-loaded" infrastructure bill to counter the rising U.S. unemployment rate has been circulating in Washington for some time, though solid details on such a measure have yet to emerge.
November 11, 2009
Clinton’s Budget Director Backs Congestion Pricing, VMT Tax
Alice Rivlin, now at the Brookings Institution, is one of the capital's most experienced economic hands.
November 10, 2009