Federal Transportation Bill
Streetsblog LA
Obama Budget Proposes $556B, Long-term Transportation Bill
The White House hasn’t released its FY2012 budget request yet. What we know so far is that it’s a $3.7 trillion budget that would reduce the deficit from $1.6 trillion projected for 2011 to $1.2 trillion next year. President Obama “trims or terminates” more than 200 federal programs, according to the Washington Post, but has big plans for transportation: his budget envisions a $556 billion transportation bill.
February 14, 2011
SGA: Transportation Funding Pays Big Dividends Only If Invested Wisely
In just the last month, several reports have quantified, in various ways, how investing in transportation infrastructure pays off in jobs and economic health. Now Smart Growth America is out with new research showing that it's not enough to plunk down a bunch of money and expect miracles. You've got to do it right.
February 8, 2011
Senate Committee Backs Infrastructure Spending (But Not For Bike Lanes)
“We need to take care of this sooner than later,” Sen. Barbara Boxer said this morning in reference to a surface transportation reauthorization. “We can’t keep doing extension after extension.”
January 26, 2011
Republicans Propose Spending Cuts Targeting Amtrak, Transit Funding
A new Republican proposal would eliminate federal subsidies to Amtrak; kill New Starts, the primary federal transit funding program; and make painful cuts to dozens of other federal programs. It’s a plan by the Republican Study Committee, which is trying to keep alive House Speaker John Boehner’s campaign pledge to reduce the budget by $100 million. Boehner himself has been backing off from the pledge, given the popularity of many of the programs the Study Committee is now proposing to axe.
January 21, 2011
How Obama Should Address Transportation in the State of the Union
Streetsblog Capitol Hill is pleased to publish this guest post from Deron Lovaas, Federal Transportation Policy Director for NRDC.
January 19, 2011
Mica is “Pretty Confident” That New Rules Won’t Starve Highway Trust Fund
The Journal of Commerce reported yesterday that the House Transportation Committee chair, Rep. John Mica (R-FL), is “’pretty confident’ in the assurances he has received in talks with House leaders” that recent changes to House rules wouldn’t jeopardize Highway Trust Fund spending.
January 11, 2011
Obama Admin Will Make Its Transportation Push… During the Next Congress
In a meeting with transportation reform advocates last week, Secretary Ray LaHood indicated that the administration’s proposal will drop early next year. Today Kienitz tipped his hat to the reform community in describing the goals the administration has in mind:
September 29, 2010
Republicans Line Up to Oppose Obama’s Transportation Proposal
The critical multi-year transportation bill, which lawmakers have sidelined since last summer as they’ve quarreled about how to pay for it, looks to be back on the agenda after President Obama’s pugnacious Labor Day speech, in which he called on Congress to ramp up investment in transportation. The broad outline of Obama’s plan calls for rebuilding 150,000 miles of roads, constructing 4,000 miles of rail, and rehabilitating 150 miles of runway over the next six years.
September 9, 2010
Postcards From Our National Transportation Funding Meltdown
At an event billed as a “town hall” held at USDOT headquarters
yesterday, top department officials answered questions about the future
of the nation’s road, rail, bus, and bike networks -- even as the
prospects of passing a comprehensive transportation reauthorization
bill anytime this year appear as dim as ever. Already, reauthorization
of the transportation bill is nearly a year overdue, as lawmakers have
failed to muster the will to pay for it.
July 16, 2010