Elana Schor
Recent Posts
New Report Links Homeowners’ Auto Dependence With Foreclosure Risk
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Homeowners in car-dependent areas without access to alternative transportation are at greater risk of foreclosure, according to a report released yesterday by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) that calls for mortgage underwriting standards to begin taking so-called "location-efficiency" into account. Weeds spring up near a foreclosed home in Illinois. (Photo: Getty) The NRDC examined […]
Obama Taps High-Speed Rail Winners: Florida, California, Illinois and More
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Click here for a larger version. (Image: U.S. DOT) In his State of the Union address last night, President Obama hinted at what many in the transportation world have anticipated all week: Florida’s emergence as a winner in the race for a share of the White House’s $8 billion (and growing) high-speed rail fund. But […]
Today’s Headlines
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Boxer: Senate considering breaking up its jobs bill into several pieces, with an infrastructure provision that would bail out the highway trust fund for this year (Dow Jones) Conservative Rep. Don Young (R-AK), architect of the 2005 federal transportation bill, admits that Alaska’s plans for a gas tax suspension would endanger its financial support from […]
One More Reason to Dig TIGER: Transit and Roads on the Same Footing
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Being D.C.-bound, Streetsblog Capitol Hill could only watch with interest as the U.S. DOT kicked off a transportation "listening tour" this week with four senior lawmakers in Minnesota, which has become a transit hotspot of late with the imminent construction of a new light rail line. (Logo: U.S. DOT) But a helpful source has passed […]
Transit Riders Launch Grassroots Lobbying Push in Dire Political Climate
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Advocates for urban transit riders in 14 metro areas climbed the Hill today to pitch lawmakers face-to-face on the need for extra federal transit operating aid, a grassroots lobbying effort that could face considerable challenges even as Democrats craft a new jobs bill with a focus on infrastructure. A top aide to House transport committee […]
Oakland’s Stimulus Flap: A Shot Across the Bow for Transport Equity?
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The Obama administration’s warning that the Bay Area has jeopardized federal stimulus funding for its Oakland Airport Connector (OAC) project could have national consequences for other urban transit proposals that risk harming low-income riders, civil rights and transit advocates predicted yesterday. The proposed Oakland Airport Connector train. (Photo: BART via Streetsblog SF) Several Bay Area […]
Today’s Headlines
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LaHood explains his texting ban for interstate truck drivers: "We don’t merely EXPECT you to share the road responsibly with other travelers – we REQUIRE you to" (DOT Press) The Bay Area’s Transbay transit center snags $171 million federal loan (Feinstein Press) New York-area experts debate the wisdom of national transportation objectives (Streetsblog NYC) Two […]
Senate Weighs $14B for Roads, $7.5B for Transit in Jobs Bill
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Senate Democrats huddled behind closed doors this afternoon to assess their options for a new job-creation bill, with one option of around $80 billion making headlines even second-ranked leader Dick Durbin (D-IL) warned that no details are set in stone. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) (Photo: STLToday) But as Democrats debate the wisdom of […]
Democrats Learning to Love the I-Word — But Will Words Bring Action?
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The White House is re-centering its message around economic and fiscal concerns ahead of tomorrow’s State of the Union address, with a new package of job-creation measures expected to vault to the top of the agenda and a three-year "spending freeze" pitched to deficit-wary conservative Democrats. Infrastructure: Democrats love it. But how will they fund […]
Today’s Headlines
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Texting while driving is a primary offense for Missouri teens, but very few tickets are getting written (STLToday) More evidence that transportation stimulus spending is viewed through the prism of job creation — not sustainability or connectivity (CNN Money) Dispute over hiring of local workers for the stimulus law’s largest Amtrak project sparks controversy in […]
In the White House’s High-Speed Rail Chase, a First Likely Winner: Florida
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The prediction that Rep. John Mica (R-FL) backtracked on last month is starting to come true: President Obama is headed for Florida on Thursday, and the state is all but certain that he’s coming with $2.6 billion in federal stimulus funding for a new high-speed rail link between Tampa and Orlando. (Photo: FL High-Speed Rail) […]
EPA Strengthens Nitrogen Dioxide Rules for First Time in 35 Years
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The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced a new "one-hour standard" aimed at limiting Americans’ short-term exposure to nitrogen dioxide (NO2), a pollutant created by cars, power plants, and other industrial sources. (Photo: TreeHugger) NO2, a main ingredient in smog, is linked to adverse respiratory health effects such as chronic asthma. In creating a new […]