Federal Funding
Streetsblog Basics
Debt Deal Could Mean More Painful Cuts for Transportation
The House and Senate are getting close to voting on a deal, reached over the weekend, to raise the debt ceiling and cut spending.
August 1, 2011
Bike League: “Eligibility” for Bike-Ped Isn’t the Same As “Dedicated Funding”
At this point, we’re not expecting any movement on a transportation bill, in either house, before the August recess. (After that, get ready for a panicked frenzy of activity ahead of the September 30 deadline.)
July 27, 2011
Study: Building Roads to Cure Congestion Is an Exercise in Futility
We hear it all the time: The road lobby insists that the only way to reduce mind-numbing traffic congestion on the roads they built is to build new roads. Federal funding gives huge blank checks to state DOTs, which tend to prioritize road building over transit, bridge maintenance or anything else. But mounting evidence suggests that building new roads won't do anything to alleviate congestion.
May 31, 2011
Dangerous By Design: How the U.S. Builds Roads That Kill Pedestrians
If you had to cross this road on your walk to work, wouldn’t you rather drive?
May 24, 2011
Good News From the Senate: Transit Operating Assistance and Much More
Today’s Senate Banking Committee hearing held some good news for transit riders. Unintuitive though it may be, Banking has jurisdiction over public transportation in the Senate. While in the House, the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee handles every aspect of the reauthorization, in the Senate the bill gets carved up. Environment and Public Works is taking the lead, with the specifics on transit left to Banking. Luckily, there are some transit champions on Banking: Jack Reed (D-RI), Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Robert Menendez (D-NJ) and Jeff Merkley (D-OR) to name a few.
May 19, 2011
Kerry on Transportation Funding: “We’re in a Crazy Place Right Now”
As the House and Senate get closer to unveiling their respective transportation proposals, it’s crunch time for figuring out how to pay for infrastructure investment moving forward. Senator Max Baucus (D-MT), who has let slip that he’s in favor of a short two-year reauthorization because of current funding constraints, chaired a hearing in the Finance Committee yesterday to examine options for financing. No panacea emerged, and conservatives on the committee and among the witnesses quickly countered most of the suggestions raised.
May 18, 2011
Senate Finalizing Transpo Bill — It’s Up to Boxer to Preserve Bike/Ped Funding
According to Congressional insiders, members of the Senate's Committee on Environment and Public Works are meeting today and tomorrow to hash out the details of their proposal for a multi-year transportation reauthorization bill. Hanging in the balance of these negotiations may be the federal government's only programs dedicated to funding infrastructure for biking and walking.
May 12, 2011
Tales From the Post-Earmark Era: Pork Won’t Hog the Transpo Money
We knew it could happen, people! There had to be a better way to distribute federal dollars than Congressional earmarks. The FHWA just announced that 11 programs, funded at a combined $422 million, will be making discretionary grants for innovative projects. "These grants will support projects that work to improve safety, maintain a state of good repair, and make communities more livable," the FHWA statement said. The money for most of those 11 programs used to be consumed almost entirely by earmarks.
May 10, 2011
Mica Wants to Abandon Federal Commitment to Bike-Ped Funding
Jonathan Maus at BikePortland just brought our attention to a recent comment we wish House Transportation Committee Chair John Mica (R-FL) hadn't made. As the Orlando Sentinel reported yesterday, Rep. Mica is making noises about "siphoning away" money for bike paths. The Sentinel says Mica "wants to add flexibility to how states spend their share of federal gas taxes by cutting back on mandates. He added that states still could spend on bike paths and sidewalks if they were a priority."
May 6, 2011
Well That Was Quick: Obama Disavows Mileage Fee Proposal
The Hill is reporting that the Obama administration has already sworn off a move toward a vehicle-miles-traveled fee. We just reported that an undated draft of the administration transportation proposal included the creation of an office to study the feasibility of implementing such a system to replace the traditional fuel tax.
May 5, 2011