Elana Schor
Recent Posts
Centers for Disease Control: Transportation Reform is Health Reform
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The connection between transportation and public health has slowly edged into the mainstream since Streetsblog Capitol Hill began covering it last year, first through a billion-dollar grant program added to Congress’ sprawling health care bill and now in a Centers for Disease Control (CDC) brief that connects existing U.S. infrastructure with chronic disease, obesity, and […]
LaHood Answers GOP Critic, Soothes Dem Skeptic of Sustainability Budget
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As Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood tangled with a senior GOP senator today over the White House’s $500 million-plus request for its inter-agency office of sustainable communities — a new project aimed at channeling federal energy towards local transit-oriented and smart growth plans — an influential Democrat joined her fellow senator in raising questions about diverting […]
Today’s Headlines
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Gulf oil spill seen in Washington as possibly fatal to the prospects for a climate deal … (Grist) … but that’s not stopping Sen. Kerry (D-MA) from touting his bill’s oil industry endorsements (E&E News) Lawmakers begin admitting that the next long-term federal transport bill will wait … and wait, and wait (JOC) U.S. DOT […]
DeLauro Pushes Alternative to ‘Disappointing’ White House I-Fund
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Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) today continued her push for a National Infrastructure Bank (NIB), lamenting the Obama administration’s choice to pursue a $4 billion fund housed within the U.S. DOT rather than an independent entity focused on water, electricity, and other broader needs. Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) (Photo: America 2050 via Flickr) "If it’s true […]
EPA Adopting ‘Fix-it-First’ Infrastructure Policy — For Water
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Environmental groups have long called for a national "fix-it-first" standard to apply to new transportation projects, requiring states to focus on repair of existing infrastructure before constructing new lane miles. The approach has caught on in several state capitals, but not in Washington — except when it comes to water infrastructure. A sign advertising "spring […]
Expectations for High-Speed Rail Coming Down to Earth
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Three months after the Obama administration announced the first winners of what it hopes will be the first of many federal grants to build U.S. high-speed rail networks, advocates and planners are settling in for a long battle to surmount the obstacles and unknowns that stand in the way of long-term bullet train development. If […]
Today’s Headlines
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After a lackluster year, Carrion leaves White House "urban czar" post for lesser duties at HUD (NYDN) FTA chief Rogoff skeptical on Dallas’ chances of snagging viable transit public-private partnership (Morn News Blog) LaHood uses Massachusetts appearance to take the state to task for not acting on distracted driving (Globe) Ryan Avent: Seattle light rail […]
Senate Dems Unveil Auto Safety Legislation
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Democrats are moving quickly on their plan to take a unified approach to auto safety reforms in the aftermath of the Toyota recalls, with Senate Commerce Committee members releasing a new bill today that would quintuple the maximum existing penalties for carmakers who — like Toyota — fail to promptly notify the public of defective […]
New Analysis: 59% of Road Stimulus Went to Repair, 33% to New Capacity
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(Photo: DMI Blog) In the first year of the Obama administration’s economic stimulus law, 59 percent of its $27 billion in transportation formula funds went to projects that preserve existing roads, while 33 percent was used to build new pavement, according to an analysis by the advocacy group Smart Growth America (SGA). The new data, […]
Today’s Headlines
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Three senators propose bill forcing BP to pay a higher share of the damages incurred by Gulf Coast oil spill (HuffPost) On-the-ground details from Ohio State University’s Moving Ahead transportation conference (Col. Gov. Examiner) An op-ed response to the Gulf spill: Keep drilling, stop driving, use oil wisely (Streetsblog SF) More spill fallout, as the […]
Obama Administration to Award $775M for Bus Transit Upgrades
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The Obama administration plans to award $775 million in bus transit grants this summer, Federal Transit Administration (FTA) chief Peter Rogoff announced yesterday during a transit industry conference in Ohio. Federal Transit Administrator Peter Rogoff (in hard hat) (Photo: WaPo) The bus grants are aimed at shoring up aging equipment and helping cash-strapped localities modernize […]
Alabama ‘English-Only’ Ad Raises Specter of Lost Federal Transport Money
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Some campaign commercials win instant fame, while others go the infamy route — as is the case with an ad cut by Alabama Republican Tim James, who promises voters that if he is elected governor this fall, drivers’ license exams will be given only in English. "This is Alabama," James tells the camera in the […]