Elana Schor
Recent Posts
The Big Trouble With ‘Miles Per Gallon’
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(Photo: snoweyes via Flickr) Can you answer this riddle? A town maintains a fleet of vehicles for town employee use. It has two types of vehicles. Type A gets 15 miles per gallon. Type B gets 30 miles per gallon. The town has 100 Type A vehicles and 100 Type B vehicles. Each car in […]
Today’s Headlines
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Infrastructure advocate and Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell (D) says the Senate climate bill is "impossible to pass" (Politico) More fallout from the AP’s attempt to link transportation stimulus money with job creation (ARTBA Press, SGA Blog, Q-C Times) LaHood vows that high-speed rail work will help Michigan — which played locally with the headline "Michigan […]
Big Transit News: Bush-Era Rule Tossed, Enviro Benefits on the Table
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Transportation reformers and members of Congress have long clamored for changes to the federal government’s major transit grant program, otherwise known as "New Starts," and Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood answered today with an announcement of sweeping changes in the works. LaHood made his announcement today at the Transportation Research Board conference. (Photo: AP) The first […]
Freight Rail Traffic Hit 20-Year Lows in 2009
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From Warren Buffett’s acquisition of BNSF to the Obama administration’s high-speed rail initiative, the nation is abuzz with talk about a revival of freight trains as an energy-efficient alternative to trucks. (Photo: TSA) But amid the positive forecasts for freight, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) released data today that showed just how bad of […]
State DOTs: We Back National Transport Goals — If We Get to Write Them
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Congressional efforts to set national goals for the American transportation system are stalled for now, but the U.S. DOT said today that it is preparing for an eventual transition to a world where performance targets are the norm for transit, roads, bridges, and ports. (Photo: UVA) "National goals should be set by U.S. DOT […]
Today’s Headlines
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Check out the U.S. DOT’s new rules on positive train control for commuter rail (FRA Press) Oberstar to visit Oklahoma this week for an inspection of stimulus projects (AP) Congressional Democrats don’t want to talk about a gas tax increase, but the vice chairman of GM likes the idea (Messenger) Could the Senate climate bill […]
Bailout Beneficiary Wells Fargo Loses Transit Tax-Shelter Lawsuit
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The tax tricks known as SILOs — in which major banks snapped up rail cars and other pieces of public infrastructure from cash-strapped localities, only to lease them back and claim a tax write-off — has prompted an outcry from the Hill as Wall Street’s biggest players invoked obscure claims to wring money from local […]
Pelosi: Gas Tax Hike Doesn’t Have Majority Support in Congress
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After touring the Detroit Auto Show yesterday with fellow lawmakers, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) took one question yesterday: Why are Democrats not pursuing a federal gas tax hike, given its potential to cut carbon emissions and its support from auto industry players aiming to stoke demand for efficient cars? House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) […]
Baltimore Rolls Out Free, Fully Funded Downtown Bus Service
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Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon is on her way out of office, thanks to a deal with prosecutors pursuing a corruption case against her, but she’s leaving something positive in place for local transit riders. Sheila Dixon, outgoing Baltimore mayor, with a new city bus. (Photo: Baltimore Skyline) The city’s new free bus line, dubbed the […]
Today’s Headlines
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White House to change the way it counts jobs "created or saved" by last year’s $787 billion stimulus … though not necessarily in a more transparent fashion (ProPublica) LaHood: "You see no criticism of ‘cash for clunkers’ in America" (Motor Trend) States expressing skepticism about EPA’s plans to regulate greenhouse gas emissions in the absence […]
White House and Congress Take Issue With AP’s Transport Stimulus Claims
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The Associated Press published a piece today that, after putting "economists and statisticians" to work on analyzing $21 billion in federal stimulus money for transportation, reached a volatile conclusion: (Photo: WBEZ) Local unemployment rates rose and fell regardless of how much stimulus money Washington poured out for transportation, raising questions about Obama’s argument that more […]
Should a Climate Bill Even Try to Fight Sprawl?
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The potential for a cap-and-trade climate bill to set aside significant amounts of money for reforming local land use and transportation planning is often touted by Democrats, environmental groups, and this particular Streetsblogger. Should the approach California used in SB 375 (being signed into law above) be applied to a congressional cap-and-trade climate bill? (Photo: […]