Elana Schor
Recent Posts
Dem. Senator Asks LaHood to ‘Put an End to’ Transportation Earmarks
| | No Comments
When House leaders agreed last week to ban earmarks to for-profit entities, tax and transportation projects got a notable exemption. But that doesn’t mean Congress has no appetite to curb transport earmarks, as Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO) showed in a letter sent this week to U.S. DOT chief Ray LaHood. Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO) (Photo: […]
Automakers Oppose Congressional Bid to Bar EPA From Limiting Emissions
| | No Comments
The auto industry today aligned with the White House in the debate over a congressional bid to block the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from regulating carbon emissions while lawmakers work to pass a climate bill, warning that such an attempt to yank EPA authority "would collapse" last year’s agreement to raise fuel-efficiency standards. (Photo: TreeHugger) […]
Villaraigosa Steps Up Case for “30 in 10” in D.C.
| | No Comments
Days after pitching the Senate environment committee for federal help with expediting his ambitious "30/10" package of new transit projects, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa was back on the Hill yesterday meeting with lawmakers as part of a broad campaign for more investment in California infrastructure. Villaraigosa, at left, flanked by Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA). […]
House and Senate Split on Approach to Obama’s Transit Safety Plan
| | No Comments
After a year marked by discord between the House and Senate over the timing of the next federal transportation bill, another split emerged yesterday over the timetable for taking up the Obama administration’s plan for federal involvement in transit safety oversight. Rep. John Mica (R-FL) opposes the White House safety plan, but he also wants […]
Environmental Group Offers Congress a Map to Cleaner Freight
| | No Comments
The federal government can reap significant pollution-reduction benefits by focusing on a national freight plan that replaces older diesel equipment with newer, cleaner-burning train cars while building out regional networks more efficiently, the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) said yesterday in a new report [PDF]. Freight rail in Chicago, home of the stimulus-funded CREATE freight project. […]
Is 2010 the Year for Federal Bike Aid? The Answer: A Big ‘Maybe’
| | No Comments
This week’s National Bike Summit culminated in an ambitious new campaign to recruit a million bike advocates and the unveiling of a new Google Maps bike feature. But in a Wednesday session dedicated to the outlook for federal bike investments, cycling advocates hesitated to declare that they could secure new commitments from Washington. Rep. Earl […]
LaHood Reaches Out to Transit Industry, Lamenting ‘Lousy Economy’
| | No Comments
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood sought to commiserate with the cash-strapped transit industry today, declaring the Obama administration an ally of local rail and bus agencies even as the "lousy economy" clouds prospects for passage of a new long-term federal transportation bill. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood (Photo: Getty Images) In an address to the American Public […]
Mr. Villaraigosa Goes to Washington to Pitch 30 in 10
| | No Comments
Senators began searching today for new strategies to connect local planners with an ever-dwindling pot of federal infrastructure dollars, even as a senior U.S. DOT aide declined to say whether the White House’s upcoming principles for the next long-term transportation bill would include funding specifics. Antonio Villaraigosa is seeking a bridge loan from Washington to […]
New House Jobs Bill Dominated by Aid to Cities
| | No Comments
Soon after the Senate signed off yesterday on a $150 billion package of tax extenders and unemployment benefits that was promoted as a job-creation measure — a bill that lacked dedicated new funding for transportation — Democrats on the House education and labor committee were releasing their own jobs legislation. The House proposal also lacks […]
U.S. Transit Trips Hit 10.2B in 2009, With Light Rail Up in Nine Cities
| | No Comments
(Photo: Model D Media) The nation’s transit systems hosted 10.2 billion trips last year, the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) reported yesterday. While that figure represents a 3.8 percent decline from 2008, APTA’s data showed light rail ridership rising in nine cities and the long-term increase in transit use continuing to outpace growth in population […]
Study: Clean-Car Subsidies Alone Can’t Meet White House’s Climate Goals
| | No Comments
Government subsidies for hybrid and electric cars, while "politically seductive," will fail to achieve the Obama administration’s national pollution-reduction goals if they are not coupled with a significant increase in fuel prices, according to a new study by Harvard University researchers. (Photo: Pop and Politics) The team at Harvard’s Belfer Center for Science and International […]
Dodd Vows to Pass Livability Bill Amid Skepticism From Rural Senators
| | No Comments
Even as the Obama administration ramps up its work on a sustainability initiative that treats transportation, housing, and energy efficiency as interconnected aspects of development policy, the effort remains without an official congressional authorization — a situation that Senate Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd (D-CT) vowed to fix yesterday. Senate Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd […]