Elana Schor
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Today’s Headlines
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Previewing tonight’s "Blueprint America" episode on the path Detroit must take to build a future apart from the auto industry; check it out on PBS at 10pm (NYT) Dallas looking ahead to the transportation challenges it will face while hosting Super Bowl 2011 (Morn News) A new study from the Economic Policy Institute finds that […]
TIGER Grant Winners to be Announced By February 17
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The winners of $1.5 billion in merit-based transportation stimulus grants through the program known as TIGER (Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery) will be announced on or perhaps even before February 17, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood confirmed this week. A rendering of Phoenix’s SkyTrain, which has applied for TIGER aid to link light rail with the […]
Today’s Headlines
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(Chart: PERI via Grist) A reminder that transit, and trees, are better job creators than fossil fuels (Grist) "Before calls for a gas tax increase become deafening, DOT needs some real reform of the way it does business, prioritizing projects of real significance and managing for successful outcomes" (TNR’s The Avenue) A look at Portland’s […]
Two Troubling Transportation Numbers for the Obama Administration
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Today brought news of two grim transportation numbers from the Obama administration: 2 and $53 million. Atlanta’s Metro won a share of the emissions-cutting transit grants that the White House proposes to cut next year. (Photo: Atlanta Metblogs) The first figure is the percentage of federal transport stimulus contracts that have gone to disadvantaged and […]
DeLauro Questions Obama Budget’s Infrastructure Fund Proposal
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Despite brought support for the concept of a National Infrastructure Bank (NIB) to help pay for major improvements to America’s built environment, including transportation, significant uncertainty still surrounds the questions of how the bank would work as well as what it would fund. Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) (Photo: America2050 via Flickr) As Streetsblog Capitol Hill […]
Senate Dems to Call Up Jobs Bill Monday … With Transport Details TBA
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Senate Democratic leaders appeared this morning to tout their commitment to passing a job-creation bill by the end of next week — but the substance of their jobs measure, including the fate of pivotal transportation provisions, remains up in the air. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) (Photo: LV City Life) Harry Reid (D-NV), the […]
Today’s Headlines
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One day after President Obama signaled a loss of momentum for climate change legislation, he walks back the notion as one GOP senator urges Democrats not to pass "some half-assed energy bill" instead (MoJo Blog) Limit the amount of smog produced by autos and other fossil fuel-burners? Texas officials say heck no (NYT) Schwarzenegger joins […]
A High-Speed Rail Reality Check for Texas
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Despite data backing up the White House’s assertion that politics played no role in high-speed rail decision-making, Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) — waging a re-election bid against a GOP primary challenger as well as the Democratic mayor of Houston — wasn’t shy about complaining after his state received less than one-hundredth of the $1.8 […]
White House Pitches $400M for Healthier Neighborhood Food Outlets
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The connection between walkable development and grocery shopping may not seem immediately apparent — until you consider studies conducted in cities from Austin to Seattle that showed the share of trips taken by foot or by transit rises as local food outlets move closer to residential areas. The White House budget envisions a new investment […]
Miami, Sacramento, Boston Transit Projects Still Seeking Federal Approval
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Amid the good vibes yesterday over new federal funding agreements for transit projects in New York City, Oakland, Hartford, and other metro areas, the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) also offered a spell of bad news to a few local proposals that are still working to meet the agency’s standards for aid. An extension of Miami’s […]
Today’s Headlines
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Senate’s jobs bill, still slated for release this week, is expected to include a one-year extension of existing transportation law to keep the highway trust fund afloat (WaPo) Infrastructure expert Rob Puentes: The White House’s budget’s focus on transportation alone for its National Infrastructure Fund is "somewhat disappointing" (TNR’s The Avenue) Fast Company takes a […]
A Modest Proposal: Ask Developers to Help Pay For Better Transport
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At today’s debate on conservative support for transit, developer Chris Leinberger had a modest proposal for lawmakers who are desperately seeking new transportation financing strategies in an era of diminishing gas tax returns: Ask real-estate developers to pay for projects that will increase their profits. Chris Leinberger at last year’s Walk21 conference. (Photo: M. Katz) […]