Elana Schor
Recent Posts
Carnahan Steps Up Push For Federal Help With Transit Operating
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While lawmakers maneuver to fill local transit agencies’ operating budget gaps with economic stimulus cash, Rep. Russ Carnahan (D-MO) is taking it a step further with a proposal that would make federal operating aid permanent — and use it as an incentive to spur more state-level funding as well as emissions reductions. Rep. Russ Carnahan […]
When Will Oberstar’s Transportation Bill Drop? Place Your Bets Now
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At first it was slated to emerge by June 1. Then its release was said to slip to this week. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Jim Oberstar (D-MN) now plans to release his version of the six-year federal transportation bill by the end of the month, with a full House vote unlikely to come […]
House to Vote This Week on Weak ‘Cash for Clunkers’ Plan
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The House is poised this week to take up the so-called "cash for clunkers" bill, which aims to boost the slumping U.S. auto market by giving out tax credits of $3,500 and up to anyone who trades in a gas-guzzling car for a more efficient model. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) is backing a stronger version […]
LaHood Vows to Avert Federal Transpo Bankruptcy and Pay For It
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The Obama administration is working on a plan to fill the shortfall in the nation’s highway trust fund by August without adding to the federal deficit, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood told Congress today. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood (Photo: HillBuzz) The circumstances behind the trust fund’s financial troubles are well-known: a nationwide decline in driving coupled […]
Transit Planners to Congress: Please Figure Out How to Fund Us
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To all but the most ardent transit wonks, the phrase "New Starts" sounds like a motivational tape sold on late-night TV. But those two words actually represent Washington’s predominant mechanism to pay for major transit expansions — everything from expanding an existing rail station to building a new bus line. Minnesota’s Hiawatha rail line is […]
Cycling in National Cemetery: Yea or Nay?
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Local D.C. issues aren’t the stock in trade of Streetsblog Capitol Hill, but the Washington Post lately has been refereeing a debate that resonates on the national level: Is Arlington National Cemetery inhospitable to cyclists? A Marine pedals through D.C.’s Congressional Cemetery. (Photo: M.V. Jantzen via Flickr) The Post ran a letter to the editor […]
Bush Transpo Secretary’s Biggest Disappointment: Bush
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DC Velocity magazine has just released a lengthy interview with Norman Mineta, the Bush-era transportation secretary and former Democratic member of Congress. Former U.S. DOT chief Mineta (r.), with his biggest disappointment. (Photo: Academy of Achievement) In the interview, Mineta — who now works on infrastructure at the consulting firm Hill & Knowlton — spoke […]
Solve the Congestion Crisis And Win $50,000
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Have you ever idled in traffic or waited for a late bus while thinking: "The city government should put me in charge of fixing this mess"? (editor’s note: Ubrayj, put your hand down.) Well, it’s time to make notes on that brilliant traffic-calming idea. The Intelligence Transportation Society of America (ITSA) kicked off a $50,000 […]
Sotomayor’s Eminent Domain Stance: What Does It Mean for Cities?
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Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor is dominating the conversation in Washington as analysts begin to dig into her past rulings. And while she has yet to weigh in on abortion, the judge has spoken loud and clear on an issue of interest to livable streets advocates: eminent domain. Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor (Photo: Gothamist) […]
Polly Trottenberg Tapped For Senior U.S. DOT Spot
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It’s a happy Friday for transportation wonks: the White House has nominated Polly Trottenberg, executive director of Building America’s Future, as assistant secretary for policy at the federal DOT. Polly Trottenberg, tapped as assistant DOT secretary (Photo: NewTalk) Trottenberg’s ascension signals that the Obama administration will make transit a serious priority and encourage a more […]
Obama Keeps Roads Out of National Forests — For a Time
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Paved roads are a fact of life in most of the country, but should they be permitted in the nation’s protected forest areas? The Obama administration says no, as Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack affirmed today in a directive that prohibits road construction in nearly 50 million acres of forest land. Alaska’s Copper River Highway runs […]
Flashback: Obama Once Led Push for ‘Complete Streets’
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With Congress out of town on its Memorial Day break, the nation’s capital is a quiet place to be — but all of that will change next week, as the appearance of the House transportation bill is expected to kick off an intense battle to reshape federal policy on transit, bikes, roads and bridges. Before […]