Tanya Snyder
Tanya became Streetsblog's Capitol Hill editor in September 2010 after covering Congress for Pacifica Radios Washington bureau and for public radio stations around the country. She lives car-free in a transit-oriented and bike-friendly neighborhood of Washington, DC.
Recent Posts
Mica: Transpo Bill Lasts Through September 2014
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I was not expecting this: Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chair John Mica (R-FL) just released a statement saying “the tentative agreement establishes federal highway, transit and highway safety policy and keeps programs at current funding levels through the end of fiscal year 2014.” That’s a full year longer than the Senate bill allowed for. This will no doubt please […]
Boxer Confirms That Some Bike/Ped Protections Remain in Final Bill
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UPDATED 4:45 PM Sen. Barbara Boxer just issued the following statement. It confirms that “half of the funds for bike paths and pedestrian walkways [will be allocated] directly to local entities,” as spelled out in the Cardin-Cochran amendment. It appears that the “opt-out” provision for states only applies to the half that they control, after […]
It’s a Deal: Conference Committee Reaches Agreement [Updated X 2]
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Updated 4:15 p.m.: Barbara Boxer has issued a statement showing the early rumors were off-target — some form of the Cardin-Cochran amendment preserving local government access to a portion of bike/ped funding is in the final bill. While this is something of a relief for everyone working to make their local streets safer for walking […]
Transpo Bill Rumor: DeFazio Says Conference Committee ‘Gutted’ Bike/Ped
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Here’s the latest transpo bill news that has filtered through the tight little seams in the armor around the conference committee. First of all, the House voted last night on the two motions to instruct we mentioned last week: Rep. Diane Black’s criminally bad idea to cancel out important incentives for states to enact distracted […]
Public Weight Loss Failure for Toronto’s Anti-Bike Mayor
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This is sorta hard to watch. Above is Toronto Mayor Rob Ford very publicly failing in his goal to lose 50 pounds, and falling off the scale and injuring his ankle to boot. Ford began the Cut the Waist charity challenge at a formidable 330 pounds. According to Atlantic Cities, he quickly dropped 20 pounds, […]
1,000 Days With No Transpo Bill. How Much Longer Will the Wait Last?
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Conference negotiations are continuing, Congressional staffers are getting no sleep, legislators could even lose their weekend if they don’t get this transportation bill done. Politico noted this morning a key fact that seems to be flying under the radar: the deadline isn’t really Saturday. It’s actually today, if House members are to have the requisite […]
UPDATE: Where Did the Senate Get the Extra Money to Pay For Its Bill?
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UPDATE: The final bill contained a $2.4 billion transfer from Leaking Underground Storage Tank Trust Fund to the Highway Trust Fund in June 2012 and three transfers from the General Fund to the Highway Trust Fund, totaling $18.8 billion. They were: $6.2 billion to the Highway Account of HTF in October 2012; $10.4 billion transfer to Highway Account […]
Pressure Mounts to Hold Sen. Boxer to Her Word on Safe Streets
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With conference negotiations occurring in a black box, transportation advocates on all sides are anxiously awaiting word of the final deal. Rumors abound that Democrats have been willing to negotiate away local control over bike/ped funding as a bargaining chip to get other concessions from Republicans. We don’t know if this is true or not, […]
“Transformative” Bike Projects Win Big in Fourth Round of TIGER Grants
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Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood just announced the 47 transportation projects in 34 states (and DC) that will receive a total of almost $500 million from the TIGER (Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery) program. It’s the fourth round of TIGER grants, bringing the total up to over $3 billion for innovative transportation projects. Houston received $15 […]
Boehner Masks GOP Attack on Safe Streets By Opposing Flowers
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House Speaker John Boehner spoke to reporters yesterday morning. His message: “Republicans Relentlessly Focused on Jobs.” “House Republicans want to get a highway bill done,” he said. “We want a bill, and our colleagues are working toward producing a bill. We just want to make sure it’s a bill that includes real reforms, to ensure […]
Making Lawmakers Answer For Pedestrian Deaths In Their Districts
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Rep. James Lankford, a Tea Party Republican representing Oklahoma City, probably wasn’t responsible for any of the 118 pedestrian deaths in his district between 2001 to 2010. And it’s unlikely Rep. Steve Southerland of Panama City, Florida was behind the wheel when any of the 164 people were killed while walking in his district during […]
Boxer and Mica Release Vague Reassurance of Progress
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Sen. Barbara Boxer and Rep. John Mica just released this statement: The conferees have moved forward toward a bipartisan, bicameral agreement on a highway reauthorization bill. Both House and Senate conferees will continue to work with a goal of completing a package by next week. From what we’re hearing, whatever deal they’ve reached only applies […]