Elana Schor
Recent Posts
NY and CA: How Did They Spend Transportation Stimulus Money?
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In an economic recovery report released today by New York Gov. David Paterson (D), the state broke down its plans for the estimated $31 billion it received as part of the Obama administration’s first stimulus law. New York spent more than half of its transport stimulus money on transit. (Photo: PlanetWare) A chart of New […]
EPA Makes it Official: Emissions Threaten Public Health
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Acting under a Supreme Court mandate, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ruled today that greenhouse gas emissions endanger public health and contribute to the harmful environmental effects of climate change, paving the way for pollution regulations under the Clean Air Act. (Photo: TreeHugger) "Today, EPA announced that greenhouse gases threaten the health and welfare of […]
Rendell: National Infrastructure Bank Could Move as Part of New Jobs Bill
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Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell (D), who is in Washington today continuing his push for a "front-loaded" federal transportation bill, told Streetsblog Capitol Hill that he sees momentum building for a National Infrastructure Bank (NIB) to be created as part of the jobs bill now moving forward in Congress. Gov. Ed Rendell (D-PA) (Photo: Post-Gazette) Rendell, […]
Partisan Politics and Rail: Tea Party Movement Targets Florida Plan
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The conservative "tea party" movement, last seen complaining about the government-funded local transit system that they took during an anti-government march in Washington D.C, is veering back to form in Florida with an organized protest against the state’s proposal for broad new investments in rail transit. The "Tea Party" is now a registered political party […]
Rendell & Lawmakers Aligning on 2-Year, Treasury-Funded Transport Bill
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Senior Democrats in Congress are warming to a new two-year federal transportation bill as a vehicle for upwards of $100 billion in infrastructure spending aimed at job creation — and a key player in building that momentum makes his home far from the Capitol. Gov. Ed Rendell (D-PA), the co-chairman of Building America’s Future (editor’s […]
Streetsblog Capitol Hill Q&A: Blumenauer Talks Economic Recovery
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On the issue of clean transportation, from transit to bike paths to water quality, few members of Congress are as knowledgeable or active as Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR). Chairman of the Congressional Bicycle Caucus and founder of the new Livable Communities Task Force, the Portland lawmaker is on the front lines of Washington’s biggest infrastructure […]
In New Orleans, LaHood $280 Million in Bus and Streetcar Grants
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During a visit to New Orleans, where city planners are seeking nearly $100 million in federal stimulus money for three new streetcar lines, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood today announced plans to award $280 million in grants for streetcar and bus networks. New Orleans is counting on bonds, backed by sales taxes, to finance new streetcar […]
The Missed Opportunity For an Urban Stimulus: Mayors ‘Were Ignored’
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wo-thirds of America’s population, and more than three-quarters of its economic productivity, come from major cities. So why did the Obama administration’s economic stimulus law end up giving metropolitan areas the short end of the stick? Daniel Malloy, Democratic mayor of Stamford, CT (Photo: Bridgeport City Council) Harry Moroz of the Drum Major Institute attempts […]
LaHood to Congress: It’s Time to Talk About a Gas Tax Increase
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As Congress maneuvers to end the political impasse over the next long-term national transportation bill, lawmakers going to have to debate an increase in the federal gas tax, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said today. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood (Photo: Getty Images) In his remarks at a Fort Worth transportation meeting, first reported by the local […]
Consumer Group: White House Left Fuel-Efficiency Savings on the Table
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The Obama administration’s proposal to raise auto fuel-efficiency (CAFE) standards to 35.5 miles per gallon by 2016 could have gone even further in order to reap the maximum environmental and economic benefits of cleaner cars, according to a new analysis [PDF] released today by the Consumer Federation of America. In his analysis, Consumer Federation research […]
New Report: Road Funding From Non-Road Users Doubled in 25 Years
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(Image: Subsidyscope) The myth that U.S. roads "pay for themselves" thanks to user fees is a subject that’s likely familiar to many Streetsblog Capitol Hill readers — but just how much of the nation’s highway funding is provided by charging drivers? The answer may surprise even active critics of the current asphalt-centric transportation system. Between […]
DeFazio, Perlmutter Drafting New Version of Wall Street Transport Tax
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Reps. Pete DeFazio (D-OR) and Ed Perlmutter (D-CO) are working on a broader version of the former lawmaker’s plan to pay for U.S. infrastructure investment by imposing a small tax on stock transactions, despite a note of caution sounded last week by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA). Rep. Ed Perlmutter (D-CO) (Photo: AP) The new […]