Federal Energy Forecast: Gas Nearing $3/Gallon, Fuel Consumption Up
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 … Continued
April 8, 2010
Who’s Afraid of Federal Action on Climate Change?
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.
April 7, 2010
Coming Soon to Popular Transport Stimulus Programs: Local Funding
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.
April 7, 2010
Would the New Senate Fuel Tax Deal a Death Blow to the Transport Bill?
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 … Continued
April 6, 2010
What Happened to the Proposed ‘Transportation Tax’ on Wall Street?
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 vocal pushback from Wall Street.
April 5, 2010
New Survey: 84% of Transit Agencies Facing Fare Hikes, Service Cuts
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).
April 2, 2010
Final Obama Fuel-Efficiency Rule Gives Breaks to Electric, Luxury Cars
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.
April 1, 2010
New Report: Congress Should Boost Truck Efficiency by Raising Gas Tax
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) … Continued
April 1, 2010
Could Gas-Tax Bonds Pay For the Next Federal Transportation Bill?
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.
March 31, 2010
As Minneapolis Joins NACTO, Oberstar Backs Shift on Transit Operating Aid
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.
March 31, 2010