AFL-CIO Flexing Its Muscle for Senate Transit Operating Aid Bill
The AFL-CIO, a formidable lobbying force in Washington, is throwing its weight behind a Senate bill offered last week
that would authorize $2 billion in emergency funding for transit
agencies forced to hike fares or cut service in lean budgetary times.
June 2, 2010
Bipartisan Ped Safety Amendment Hitches a Ride on House Auto Bill
The House Energy and Commerce Committee yesterday advanced an auto safety bill aimed at strengthening U.S. DOT regulators’ hands in the aftermath of Toyota’s recall debacle. Despite Republican complaints that the legislation would impose too many new costs on the car industry, bipartisan support emerged readily for an amendment focused on pedestrian safety. Rep. Cliff … Continued
May 28, 2010
Eight Senate Dems Offer $2B Plan for Emergency Transit Operating Aid
Transit agencies forced to raise fares or cut service
to close budget gaps would be eligible for $2 billion in emergency
operating funds under legislation unveiled today by Senate Banking
Committee Chairman Chris Dodd (D-CT) and seven other Democratic
senators, including two members of the party's leadership.
May 26, 2010
Tracing the Fault Lines Between Public and Private Transit Operators
Should private transit companies enjoy the same federal gas tax
exemption that many public operators receive? How does the existence of
private inter-city bus service affect the government's development of
new high-speed rail lines? And does it matter that private transit
firms are eligible for public subsidies, even if at a much smaller rate
than public rail and bus agencies?
May 25, 2010
Feds to Start Scoring Transportation Potential of Housing Grant Applicants
Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Shaun Donovan said late
Friday that his agency will soon start gauging the "location
efficiency" of its grant applicants, determining each project's
potential for connecting residents to surrounding neighborhoods -- and
mirroring the recommendations of a recent report that found a correlation between homeowners' foreclosure risk and their dependence on car ownership.
May 24, 2010
On National Bike to Work Day, U.S. DOT and Cycling Advocates Eye New Moves
In addition to the announcement of
a new local bike-share system, today's D.C. Bike to Work Day found both
the U.S. DOT and the nation's leading bike advocacy groups positioning
themselves to claim new victories for cyclists in the coming days.
May 24, 2010
Four House Republicans Join Dems in Hailing LaHood’s Support for Bike-Ped
Four House Republicans yesterday joined 24 Democratic colleagues in a
letter praising Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood for his public
support of federal bicycling and pedestrian investment -- a stance that
had generated some bad blood between LaHood and the trucking industry.
May 21, 2010
Transit Industry and State DOTs Agree: Senate Climate Bill Needs ‘Rewrite’
The transit industry's leading D.C. lobbying outlet joined the
umbrella group for state DOTs yesterday and two major construction groups to
protest the Senate climate bill's failure to set aside all of the
revenue from its proposed new fuel fees for infrastructure projects --
specifically, to the cash-strapped highway trust fund that is generally
split, 80-20, between roads and transit.
May 20, 2010
Transit Industry to Join State DOTs in Blasting Senate Climate Bill
The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) is set to join
the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials
(AASHTO) and two construction interests tomorrow in protesting the
Senate climate bill's proposed diversion of new fuel fees away from
infrastructure -- an argument that puts the transit industry's leading
D.C. lobbying group squarely in the transportation mainstream.
May 19, 2010