Gas Tax
Streetsblog Basics
The 2008 Streetsie Awards, Part 2
Biggest Setback: After being approved by an unprecedented civic coalition, the mayor and New York City Council, congestion pricing -- the one policy measure that simultaneously reduces traffic congestion while raising money for mass transit and livable streets -- died in an Albany backroom without even a vote.
December 30, 2008
If Gridlock Sam Was President…
A bit of pre-Election Day fun: Here's a mock state-of-the-union speech drafted for the next President by "Gridlock" Sam Schwartz. Combining some ideas from Barack Obama's platform with some that no candidate would utter during a presidential campaign, he lays out a plan for infrastructure investment and how to pay for it:
October 28, 2008
The U.S. Wants to “Borrow” From Transit to Pay for Highways
U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary Peters said yesterday that due to declining gas tax revenues, the Highway Trust Fund would need to borrow money from its mass transit account to pay for road projects. Today's big news story was buried at the bottom of page A17 in the New York Times:
July 29, 2008
Joe Lieberman: Did Someone Say “High Gas Prices”?
How obsessed is Washington with gas prices? Acting on a Streetsblog post from last week, a reader wrote Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman urging him to support legislation that would bolster funding for Amtrak. In response, Lieberman's office sent a long, long form letter outlining the many ways the senator is -- you guessed it -- working to keep gasoline as accessible as possible.
May 28, 2008
Q Poll Finds Americans Opposed to Gas Tax “Holiday”
For what it's worth, a Quinnipiac poll released today again shows that Americans aren't buying into the Clinton-McCain gas tax "holiday" gimmick.
May 15, 2008
Mixed Messages From Critic of NY Gas Tax Holiday
Following the lead of John McCain and Hillary Clinton, the State Senate voted yesterday to suspend New York's gas tax for the summer. The move was largely symbolic, as the governor and Assembly speaker have both indicated they won't support the bill.
May 8, 2008
Clinton Camp May Rethink Gas Tax Strategy
With a big loss in North Carolina and a razor-thin victory in Indiana, the Times reports that Senator Hillary Clinton's advisers are expected to reconsider her campaign strategy for upcoming Democratic primaries -- specifically, whether to continue pushing for a federal gas tax cut.
May 7, 2008
Sign a Petition to Clinton and McCain at GasTaxScam.com
Man, those Nigerian spammers are getting better every day. Here is a curious piece of e-mail that landed in the Streetsblog inbox today. If you click the link at the bottom of the e-mail and visit this web site GasTaxScam.com, you'll find an open letter to Senators Hillary Clinton and John McCain that you can sign on to.
May 5, 2008