Boxer and Inhofe Agree: Transportation Policy Reform Can Wait
Green transportation advocates are pressing Congress to refuse any new spending that's not tied to reform of the existing system -- a call that influential senators in both parties ruled out today.
June 25, 2009
House Transpo Leaders and Obama DOT Run Off in Opposite Directions
The conflicted state of federal transportation policy-making was on vivid display today, as House lawmakers pressed ahead on a $500 billion bill that still lacks a funding source while the Obama administration scrambled to find $20 billion for a bailout of the highway trust fund.
June 24, 2009
The High-Speed Rail Numbers Game: Is $13 Billion and 110 MPH Enough?
High-speed rail is one of the Obama administration's most prized policy goals, with $13 billion getting earmarked in the coming year alone to help break ground on up to 11 proposed regional corridors. But what will the U.S. get for its money? A lively Senate hearing yesterday attempted to answer that question.
June 24, 2009
House Dems Agree: Climate Bill Can Help Pay for Greener Transportation
Members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee Tuesday struck a deal ahead of Friday's make-or-break vote on climate change legislation to give greener transportation a place at the table.
June 24, 2009
Senators Seek Rail Safety Funding in Aftermath of Metro Crash
Mere hours after the Washington Metro system suffered a shocking accident, two senior senators released a letter to their colleagues asking for $50 million in grants to improve rail safety technology.
June 23, 2009
Oberstar’s Transportation Bill: The Early Word
Policy wonks across the capital are still poring over the 775-page bill released earlier today by Rep. Jim Oberstar (D-MN), chairman of the House transportation committee. But searching the legislation for the key topics being debated by transportation reformers reveals new details and raises new questions.
June 22, 2009
Oberstar’s Transportation Bill: Download It in Full
House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Jim Oberstar's (D-MN) new federal bill, which he previewed last Wednesday despite pushback from the Obama administration, is officially out.
June 22, 2009
New Report Quantifies Benefits of Adding Smart Growth to Climate Bill
As a new non-partisan analysis of the House climate change bill -- proving that capping CO2 can save money for the poorest fifth of the nation -- continues to make waves on Capitol Hill, it's worth noting that the legislation could yield even greater savings by focusing on reducing transportation-based emissions.
June 22, 2009
House GOPers Propose Filling Trust Fund With Stimulus Money
As their committee's leaders butted heads with the Obama administration, a group of Republicans on the House transportation panel proposed to fill the $7 billion hole in the nation's highway trust fund with unobligated money from the economic stimulus law.
June 19, 2009
House Transpo Leaders United — in Frustration With the White House
Senior members of the House transportation committee today fired a warning shot at those pushing an 18-month extension of existing federal law, putting the Obama administration and key senators on notice that their $450 billion proposal would move forward this year.
June 18, 2009