Today’s Headlines – 2/8/10
February 8, 2010By Sean Barry
Transportation for America’s proposal for infrastructure repair and transit assistance would create 480,000 jobs, according to an Economic Policy Institute model. (EDF Blog)
Tonight’s installment of PBS’ “Blueprint America” series profiles Detroit in the face of a declining auto industry. (NYT)
Where does the House-passed climate bill fall short? Support for public transit, says Portland Congressman Earl Blumenauer. (Politico)
A top Republican on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee vowed to bring GOP ideas to the table on a reauthorization bill. (Streetsblog)
And, most public transportation remains limited in Washington following record-snow – the Federal Government shut down today, but with more snow forthcoming, what will happen tomorrow? (WP)
Today’s Headlines – 2/5/10
February 5, 2010By Sean Barry
With the arrival of the Republicans’ 41st vote, Senate Democrats are uncertain about advancing a large-scale jobs bill. (NYT)
The Highway Trust Fund will be in the red for the foreseeable future absent a new revenue source. (TNR)
Chicago’s Transportation Authority will reduce bus and train service starting this weekend. (Tribune)
Republican support for a gas tax increase is growing in the Texas Legislature. (Dallas Morning News)
An Alabama editorial calls for state officials to get on board with high-speed rail. (Auburn Plainsman)
And, the mayor of Nashville will lead a partnership to improve public transportation in Central Tennessee. (Tennessean)
Today’s Headlines – 2/4/10
February 4, 2010By Sean Barry
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham rejected calls to scrap cap-and-trade legislation for an energy-only bill, calling that approach “half-assed.” (TNR)
Stricter U.S. limits on smog faces steep resistance in oil-rich Texas. (NYT)
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, a member of the Building America’s Future coalition, says a national infrastructure bank could help with California’s water challenges. (NBC)
The 2011 Obama budget puts a focus on creating quality places. (TNR)
And, Colorado Springs residents are experiencing what limited government really looks like. (Post)
Today’s Headlines – 2/3/10
February 3, 2010By Sean Barry
The Senate jobs bill will reportedly include a one-year extension of current transportation law. (WP)
The Obama budget nudges toward smarter, more sustainable infrastructure, but could go much further. (TNR)
DC Metro’s safety oversight committee did not hear about a Red Line accident for nearly 30 hours. (WP)
New York City’s MTA is failing to adequately evaluate contractors. (NYT)
And, key House chairman Jim Oberstar told a White House official he is ready to take up a new transportation bill “whenever this administration can find its political will to support a funding mechanism.” (Streetsblog)
Obama’s 2011 budget gives a lift to livability and transportation
February 2, 2010By Sean Barry
 |
President Obama’s Fiscal Year 2011 budget is a step forward for transportation options and livable communities and contains $1 billion in programs and grants to help turn this positive vision into reality.
In this budget, the President and his advisers attempt to thread a needle between the urgency of unemployment and the longer-term implications of debt. Given these realities, it is gratifying that Obama chose to boost funding on transportation and livability as other programs face cuts. It shows that his team gets it. They understand that investing in the neighborhoods and communities of tomorrow can both create jobs and lay the foundation for future prosperity. Indeed, that dual purpose has been a theme of Obama’s domestic agenda throughout 2009.
The administration had signaled a new path last year with its creation of the Partnership for Sustainable Communities, a joint effort among the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Department of Transportation. The administration recognized that making transportation choices, affordable housing and economic opportunity available to more Americans requires real collaboration among these key agencies. The partnership is on track to receive $830 million in the FY 2011 budget.
The budget also allocates $1 billion for high-speed rail, on top of the $2.5 billion in the current year’s budget and $8 million in grants from the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
Here are few other programs and pilots worth mentioning:
- $4 billion for the National Infrastructure Innovation and Finance Fund
- $150 for the Sustainable Communities Initiative, including an inter-agency research effort on the transportation and housing linkage
- $150 million for Catalytic Investment Competition Grants, a competitive program to support job-creation and large scale projects in disadvantaged areas
- $527 million for the Livable Communities Program
- $32 million for the Healthy Communities Initiative
This is a budget praise-worthy for both the help it delivers today and the investment ushered in for tomorrow. It deserves our support.
Today’s Headlines – 2/2/10
February 2, 2010By Sean Barry
President Obama’s proposed budget takes the ax to a number of oil and gas subsidies. (TNR)
Senate Democrats remain at odds over the size, scope and content of jobs legislation. (Politico)
The U.S. DOT last night identified the local projects set to receive federal aid under New and Small Starts programs. (Streetsblog)
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood likes all the “yes” he is hearing to high-speed rail and criticizes an “ill-informed no” from the Washington Post. (DOT Blog)
The DC Metro is running drills on its buses and trains in an effort to bolster security. (WP)
And a proposed gas tax increase for South Dakota roads was scrapped by the State Legislature. (BusinessWeek)
Today’s Headlines – 2/1/10
February 1, 2010By Sean Barry
A new Highway Loss Data Institute study calls into question whether forbidding cell phone use in cars would decrease crashes. (WSJ)
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, however, took issue with the findings and called for even stricter safety laws. (DOT Blog)
The proposed Obama administration budget includes $100 billion for job-creation legislation. (WP)
Obama is also proposing a permanent expansion of “Build America” infrastructure bonds. (Reuters)
Long Beach is drawing praise for its bicycle-friendly policies. (LA Times)
And, Maryland commuters are exploring how the Washington-area Metro system can get back on track, especially with regard to safety. (Sun)
Today’s Headlines – 1/29/10
January 29, 2010By Sean Barry
The Senate will move likely a job-creation legislation in pieces, with one component devoted to infrastructure. (Roll Call)
President Obama’s high-speed rail push is a strong start, but far short of the funding needed. (TNR)
Transportation for America’s push for transit operating assistance in the jobs bill was cited by a trucking industry news service. (Trucker)
The stimulus bill continues to poll poorly while its basic provisions remain popular. (CNN)
And, Metro riders in Washington DC face a 10 cent fare hike in March rather than service cuts. (WP)
President Obama hails high-speed rail as “the infrastructure of tomorrow”
January 28, 2010By John Robert Smith
 |
| John Robert Smith is co-chair of the Transportation for America campaign and former mayor of Meridian, Mississippi. |
Hearing President Obama call high-speed rail “the infrastructure of tomorrow” gave me great hope. Very rarely has transportation investment made the final cut in a presidential State of the Union address. The fact that it did make the cut this time really speaks to the president’s commitment to making high-speed rail a reality.
I’ve heard critics say over the years that the U.S. is too big for high-speed rail. China is the biggest country in the world and they built over the Himalayas and are now committing an additional $500 billion over the next 20 years. Saudi Arabia too is investing in high-speed rail in preparation for that certain day when oil reserves will no longer sustain the country. If they can do it, we can do it.
High-speed rail investment is about jobs, and not just temporary jobs, but long-term American jobs that cannot be outsourced. These jobs will employ Americans to build both rail networks and passenger rail equipment. This could be a real lifeline for unemployed automotive workers struggling to get and keep a new job. And these Americans will be going to work building a cleaner environment and more sustainable future for all of our children.
I have seen first-hand what investment in rail infrastructure and transit-oriented development can do to lift a mid-sized city like Meridian, Mississippi. Now there are people living in downtown, there’s entertainment downtown and a conference center has been built. It all started with a public sector investment done right. The vibrancy that returns to smaller communities as a result of rail service has improved the quality of life for millions of Americans. This is not about big city versus small, or urban versus rural. Chicago and Los Angeles will surely benefit from rail investment, but so too will places like Minot, North Dakota and Whitefish, Montana. This addresses the needs of our entire country and should be embraced by our representatives in Washington from all corners.
Of all the issues facing Congress, surely high-speed rail investment can transcend partisanship. As a Republican, I have worked with some the most liberal and conservative members of the United States Senate to protect Amtrak for people who depend on it. I see the potential for similar partnerships today and am heartened that we have a president who is leading the way.
Mayor John Robert Smith is co-chair of the T4 America Campaign, president of Reconnecting America, and former mayor of Meridian, Mississippi.
High speed rail grantees awarded, was your state included?
January 28, 2010By Stephen Lee Davis
As you may have heard by now, President Obama is following up his favorable mention of high speed rail in last night’s State of the Union address with a Tampa event to announce the winners of federal grants for high speed rail service. (In case you missed our official statement about the announcement, read that here.)
The President is due to make his announcement this afternoon, but the list of awardees has already been released. So who were the big winners? Certainly Florida and California, who got the biggest grants, netting $1.25 and $2.3 billion respectively. Although the lion’s share of funding is going toward a handful of corridors, 31 states will receive some portion of funding or benefit from new or improved rail service, according to reporting on the proposal. A few notable bloggers have already done superb analysis of the recipients of the $8 billion, starting with Yonah Freemark’s excellent corridor by corridor breakdown on the Transport Politic:
After months of speculation about which states will get funding from the Federal Railroad Administration to begin construction on new high-speed corridors, the news is in. As has been expected, California, Florida, and Illinois are the big winners, with more than one billion in spending proposed for each. But other states with less visible projects, including Wisconsin, North Carolina, and Washington will also get huge grants and begin offering relatively fast trains on their respective corridors within five years. The distribution of dollars is well thought-out and reasonable: it provides money to regions across the nation and prioritizes states that have made a commitment of their own to a fast train program.
Elana Schor at Streetsblog DC included a quote from Chairman Oberstar, who was certainly delighted at the first small step toward a true nationwide high speed rail network.
House infrastructure committee chairman Jim Oberstar (D-MN) hailed today’s first rail grants as “a transformational moment,” adding: “The development of high-speed rail in the United States is an historic opportunity to create jobs, develop a new domestic manufacturing base, and provide an environmentally-friendly and competitive transportation alternative to the traveling public.”
Information about all the corridors can be found in the White House briefing room online. We hope to post additional reaction and analysis later today or tomorrow.
-
- Obama’s 2011 budget gives a lift to livability and transportation
February 2, 2010 - President Obama hails high-speed rail as “the infrastructure of tomorrow”
January 28, 2010 - High speed rail grantees awarded, was your state included?
January 28, 2010 - Building America’s Future brings bipartisanship to rebuilding the country
January 21, 2010 - Cleaner buses can create jobs, improve the environment
January 14, 2010
- Obama’s 2011 budget gives a lift to livability and transportation
The United States of Transit Cutbacks
Driving is down and transit ridership is at record highs. Yet transit agencies across the country are considering layoffs, service cuts and fare hikes. Find out more and learn what you can do to help at t4america.org/transitcuts
Transportation: In your eyes
Send us your transportation-related photos.
