Transportation Funding
Streetsblog LA
Senator Jim DeMint Wants to Eliminate Bike Stim Funds: Take Action!
Senator Jim DeMint, the South Carolina Republican who said that directing stim funds toward bicycle and hiking infrastructure
will not help the economy or create jobs, has gone too far. He and
Republican Senator Tom Coburn of Oklahoma have just proposed an
amendment that would kill all stimulus funds for bike and hiking
trails.
February 6, 2009
Will Senator Boxer Give in to Global-Warming-a-Hoax Inhofe on Stimulus?
A $5.5 billion discretionary fund for transit projects is in danger of being handed over to the highway lobby by Senators James Inhofe, Kit Bond, and Max Baucus. Inhofe you will recall is the former Chair of the Senate Environmental and Public Works (EPW) Committee who boasted in 2005, "I called the threat of catastrophic global warming
the 'greatest hoax ever perpetrated on the American people,' a
statement that, to put it mildly, was not viewed kindly by
environmental extremists and their elitist organizations."
February 3, 2009
Obama Stimulus Leaves Bus Riders By the Side of The Road
The
House version of President Obama's stimulus plan has left bus riders
with nothing to look forward to but stiff fare hikes and painful
service cuts. Bus systems got zero in immediate operating support from
the bill that passed yesterday -- stunning neglect compared to the $150
billion in educational "operating assistance" to local schools and
universities and $127 billion in emergency health care "operating
assistance" to state Medicaid and private insurance programs. A
relatively puny request for $2 billion in transit operating support was
shot down before even reaching committee.
January 29, 2009
Nadler Amendment: The Ayes Have It
The House just passed an amendment to add $3 billion for transit
investment to the stimulus bill. There's a lot more work coming up very
soon -- in the Senate and in conference committee -- but this was a
hard-fought win and everyone who helped push it through should take a
minute to pat yourself on the back.
January 28, 2009
Call This Morning to Secure More Transit Money in Stimulus
Last night Jerrold Nadler's stimulus bill amendment, which would add $3
billion for transit, cleared the House Rules
Committee. The full House may vote on the amendment by noon today, so the sooner you call your representative the better.
January 28, 2009
Call Now for a Better Transit Stimulus
We're at a critical moment for green transportation in the stimulus
package. The key piece on the table now is Jerrold Nadler's amendment
to boost transit investment by $3 billion. A decision could be reached
as soon as today, so now is the time to make those phone calls. The
people to reach are the House leadership and the Appropriations
Committee, who must be persuaded to allow more transit investment into
the bill.
January 27, 2009
Did Team Obama Gut Transit Funds From the Stimulus Package?
Reporting on last week's stimulus letdown
-- when a proposal by US Rep. James Oberstar's Transportation and
Infrastructure Committee for $17 billion in mass transit spending was
slashed by the Appropriations Committee, while $30 billion in proposed
allocations for roads and bridges remained the same -- Grist got word that the then-incoming Obama administration may have had a hand in paring down the transportation package.
January 21, 2009
Dems Release Stimulus Draft: $30B for Highways, $10B for Transit
Via Greater Greater Washington, the Huffington Post is reporting that House Democrats have released a draft summary of an economic stimulus bill, and at first blush there's little for green transportation advocates to cheer. $30 billion is slated for highways, $10 billion for transit -- a marginal improvement over the longstanding 80/20 split in federal funding. Check after the jump for more details.
January 15, 2009
LA Times: State Should Act to Save Transit Funding
An editorial in today's Los Angeles Times takes the Governor, the Democratic-controlled legislature, and pretty much everyone involved in the dramatic showdown in state government to task for their role in stripping transit funding in the proposed budgets that are floating around Sacramento. Sounding more like Kymberleigh Richards or Bart Reed than the flagship newspaper for the Car Culture Capital of America, the Times doesn't pull punches as it breaks down the issue.
January 12, 2009