Elana Schor
Recent Posts
New Poll: 27% of Public Would Cut Transit Aid, Versus 12% for Highways
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(Graphic: Annie Lowrey) The latest weekly edition of the Economist/YouGov poll asks where, if a balanced federal budget were the goal, the American public would rather see cuts to federal spending. As the chart above shows, transit was given the theoretical axe by 27 percent of respondents, tied with agriculture and housing but far behind […]
Amtrak on Pace to Break Annual Ridership Record
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Amtrak carried 13.6 million passengers over the past six months, putting it on pace for a record-breaking ridership year, according to a statement released today by officials at the national inter-city rail system. Amtrak’s Acela line saw carried 13.5 percent more riders last month than in March 2009. (Photo: America 2050) Every one of Amtrak’s […]
Federal Energy Forecast: Gas Nearing $3/Gallon, Fuel Consumption Up
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Average gas prices are expected to hit $2.92 during this summer’s peak driving season, with fossil-fuel consumption rising overall as the economy begins to recover from a recession that limited U.S. emissions growth, according to a forecast released this week by the federal Energy Information Administration (EIA). (Photo: Pop and Politics) The EIA’s latest short-term […]
Who’s Afraid of Federal Action on Climate Change?
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In financial reports that publicly traded companies file to their investors and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the words "material adverse effect" are often found. Automakers are bracing for new fuel-efficiency standards more than any coming climate bill. (Photo: TreeHugger) Put simply, the phrase is a red flag for any factor that could significantly […]
Coming Soon to Popular Transport Stimulus Programs: Local Funding
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Two of the most popular transportation programs in the Obama administration’s stimulus law, the $1.5 billion in competitive grants known as TIGER and the $8 billion high-speed rail initiative, had an added feature that made them even more attractive to cities and states: the federal funding awards would not require a local match. Amtrak’s Empire […]
Would the New Senate Fuel Tax Deal a Death Blow to the Transport Bill?
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Eight Democrats yesterday joined nearly the entire transportation universe, from road-builders to transit advocates, to warn the three Senate authors of a new climate bill against raising gas taxes without using the money for infrastructure. Their message, translated from the often impenetrable language of Washington: Imposing new fuel fees that are not routed to transport […]
What Happened to the Proposed ‘Transportation Tax’ on Wall Street?
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For several weeks last fall, as members of the House infrastructure committee pushed for passage of a new six-year federal transportation bill as a strategy to rouse the economy from recession, a proposal to pay for the legislation with a small tax on oil futures trades attracted a healthy crop of Democratic cosponsors and some […]
New Survey: 84% of Transit Agencies Facing Fare Hikes, Service Cuts
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Budget shortfalls exacerbated by the lingering recession have forced 84 percent of local transit agencies to hike fares, cut service, or begin considering one or both of those options since the beginning of 2009, according to a report released today by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA). (Chart: APTA) APTA’s bleak survey reflects data from […]
Final Obama Fuel-Efficiency Rule Gives Breaks to Electric, Luxury Cars
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The Obama administration today released its final rule raising U.S. auto fuel-efficiency standards to an average of 35.5 miles per gallon (mpg) by 2016, winning plaudits from environmental groups while offering extra benefits to makers of electric and luxury cars. Transportation Secretary Ray Lahood, at left, with EPA chief Lisa Jackson at right. (Photo: Getty […]
New Report: Congress Should Boost Truck Efficiency by Raising Gas Tax
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As the federal government moves forward on a mandate to set stronger fuel-efficiency rules for trucks and buses, a new report from an independent scientific body is urging lawmakers to take another approach: raise fuel taxes. The 2007 federal energy law aimed to set new fuel-efficiency rules for trucks as well as buses. (Photo: TTI) […]
Could Gas-Tax Bonds Pay For the Next Federal Transportation Bill?
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House infrastructure committee chairman Jim Oberstar (D-MN), facing steep political odds in his push to pass a new six-year federal transportation bill this year, has begun to pitch an outside-the-box solution to the financing shortfall that is still stalling congressional action: Treasury bonds. (Photo: Pop and Politics) Oberstar’s proposal would plug the hole in anticipated […]
As Minneapolis Joins NACTO, Oberstar Backs Shift on Transit Operating Aid
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At an event in Minneapolis today, House transportation committee chairman Jim Oberstar (D-MN) announced his support for giving urban transit agencies more flexibility to spend federal transportation formula money on operating — a change in the current law that has already won the backing of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood but has split the transit industry. […]