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
The Senate’s “Dr. No” Says He’ll Block An Extension Unless Bike/Ped Is Cut
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Oklahoma Republican Tom Coburn is known around the Senate as “Dr. No” for his propensity to hold up key legislation, single-handedly, because it contains something not to his liking (or sometimes because he’s upset about something else entirely.) On Veterans Day in 2009, he shocked even his GOP colleagues by blocking veterans’ benefits because he […]
GOP Leader’s Infra “Compromise” Is Just Another Ploy to Kill Bike/Ped
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House Majority Leader Eric Cantor has put forth an idea that major news outlets are calling an “olive branch” to President Obama on infrastructure funding. Is he offering to increase spending levels over the starvation program being proposed by Republicans on the House Transportation Committee? No. Is he proposing to include performance measures, making sure […]
Polluters Rejoice! Obama Caves on Proposed Ozone Standard
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This morning, President Obama announced that he would direct the EPA to back off of new ozone standards that would have saved an estimated 12,000 lives [PDF]. They’ll revisit it in 2013. Obama said the action was taken in the interest of “reducing regulatory burdens and regulatory uncertainty, particularly as our economy continues to recover,” […]
Mayors’ Jobs Agenda Item #1: Pass the Transportation Bill
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As the country awaits President Obama’s jobs plan, to be announced (at a new time!) next Thursday, many are making their own suggestions about how to stimulate job creation. The U.S. Conference of Mayors threw its hat in the ring today, releasing “A Common Sense Jobs Agenda” [PDF] with its full-throated insistence that Congress pass […]
Boxer and Johnson Warn Senators of Job Losses If Transpo Bill Isn’t Extended
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Two key Democratic senators today released state-by-state numbers showing how many jobs would be lost if the current surface transportation authorization bill is not extended by September 30. Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA), chair of the Environment and Public Works Committee, and Sen. Tim Johnson (D-SD), chair of the Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee, sent […]
Tennessee Mom Threatened With Arrest For Letting Daughter Bike to School
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It’s back-to-school time, and along with it, the requisite crackdown over kids getting to school by bike. A few years ago, we highlighted cases from Mississippi to British Columbia where authorities stopped kids from walking alone. And now, we have the case of Teresa Tryon of Tennessee, threatened with criminal charges for letting her child […]
President Obama Pushes Congress For a Clean Extension of Transpo Bill
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“I’m calling on Congress, as soon as they come back, to pass a clean extension of the surface transportation bill,” President Barack Obama said from the Rose Garden this morning. “This bill provides funding for highway construction, bridge repair, mass transit systems, and other essential projects that keep our people and our commerce moving quickly and […]
With Deadlines Looming, Mica Supports Transportation Extension
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Congress returns from a monthlong recess — oh sorry, “district work period” — next Wednesday. Before September 30, they’ll have to figure out next steps for keeping the transportation program going, assuming there’s no way that the two chambers will come to an agreement about a long-term bill before the current extension expires. Both houses […]
Well That’s a Relief: Hurricane Irene Shouldn’t Affect Gas Prices Much
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Now that we’ve made it through Hurricane Irene, in many cases with less damage than expected, we can turn our attention to the real question: what does this mean for gas prices? From Lexington, Kentucky to Palm Springs, California, consumers have seen some jump in gas prices over the past week. Some say it may […]
In D.C., August Means Vacation
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Things are pretty quiet in D.C. right now. Congress went out of session, pulling all the hot air out of the city (and it’s quite a lovely temperature right now). Tradition demands that everyone else in Washington take some time off too. Who am I to argue? Given that the 2011 budget, the gas tax, […]
EPA Publishes Guide to Performance Measures for Livability
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In the vein of several other recent reports that have highlighted significant transportation reforms that can be made now, with or without a reauthorization bill, the EPA has published guidelines for states and MPOs to make livability plans a reality [PDF]. They illustrate how using performance metrics can lead to better-designed transportation networks, especially when […]
Taking Greyhound? Papers, Please.
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Transportation options for undocumented immigrants are becoming narrower and narrower in the U.S. Whatever you may think of immigration policy, there are about 11 million people living in the shadows in this country who have ever fewer ways to get around. Immigration agents have been boarding Greyhound buses to nab undocumented immigrants, according to a […]