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
Can the U.S. Make Bus Rapid Transit Work as Well as Latin America?
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In suburban Maryland, the debate about transit has often been cast as a decision between a light rail “purple line” and bus rapid transit. Democrat Martin O’Malley and local environmentalists lobbied for light rail while Republican Bob Ehrlich’s push for bus rapid transit was largely seen as an effort to “obfuscate, alter, study and delay” […]
State Transpo Officials Push to Toll for Maintenance, Not Just Capacity
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Last week, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood told state DOT officials gathered at an AASHTO conference in Washington that he was all in favor of tolling – but only to add new capacity. “We believe in tolling,” LaHood said. “You can raise a lot of money with tolls. If a state comes to us with good […]
Transpo’s Losses in First Round of Spending Cuts Look Worse Than They Are
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The two houses of Congress were so much at odds over the Republicans’ proposed spending cuts that they needed two more weeks to bicker about it. So last week, they pushed off a little longer final passage of the budget for a fiscal year that started five months ago. But in order to even pass […]
Yes, Transit Belongs in the Highway Trust Fund
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As gas tax revenues wane, making it harder to finance a long-term transportation bill, ideas are beginning to circulate about how to save the (very poorly named) Highway Trust Fund. Some say the gas tax needs to rise. Others say fewer programs need to be financed out of the fund, which pays for all federal […]
President Obama Signs Transportation Extension
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The House passed it 421-4, the Senate passed by voice vote, and now President Obama has signed the Surface Transportation Extension Act. The entire transportation program would have gone silent today if he hadn’t, since the previous extension was to expire. Transportation officials welcomed the news, saying the extension would allow construction projects to move […]
Who Wants Florida’s $2.4 Billion in High-Speed Rail Funds?
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Gov. Rick Scott got to say no, yet again, to Florida’s dreams of high-speed rail. Florida’s Supreme Court ruled this morning that Gov. Scott doesn’t have to accept federal money to build a high-speed rail line between Tampa and Orlando. Two state senators had filed a lawsuit, claiming Scott had “overstepped his authority” by turning […]
Senate Passes Transportation Extension
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The Senate has passed the Surface Transportation Extension Act, extending SAFETEA-LU for the seventh time and keeping the transportation program going at current spending levels. The House passed the bill yesterday. Senator Barbara Boxer, chair of the Environment and Public Works Committee, released a statement expressing her satisfaction that the bill has passed both houses. […]
Senators Hammer LaHood for Specifics on Funding His Transpo Plan
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Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood played defense – and dodgeball – this morning as members of the Senate Budget Committee grilled him on how he proposed to pay for the administration’s new transportation agenda. Secretary Ray LaHood indicates how many details he’s going to give Congress on how to fund the transportation budget proposal (Photo: AP) […]
House Passes Seventh Extension of Transportation Bill
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Just in the nick of time, the House has passed an extension of the current transportation law. The sixth extension of SAFETEA-LU was set to expire this Friday. The extension is not expected to face any problems in the Senate. Although the House has been cutting every expenditure it can get its hands on, it […]
Mica, LaHood Stump at AASHTO Meeting
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Rep. John Mica promised state DOT leaders this morning that he would deliver a six-year reauthorization bill. He said he had previously thought of advancing a shorter-term bill but transportation officials convinced him of the need for greater certainty. With the full zeal of the converted, he announced, “Anyone who talks about anything less than […]
Mica on the Next Transportation Bill: Size Matters
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We caught up with Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chair John Mica today and asked him about the reauthorization. Streetsblog: First, I wanted to ask you what your thoughts are about the size of the six-year bill? John Mica: Size matters. (Long pause, Mica laughs.) SB: Any guesses? Would it be limited to what’s in the […]
GAO: Trucking the Least Efficient Mode of Freight Shipping
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Freight transportation, which accounts for nearly a quarter of transportation-related greenhouse gas emissions, doesn’t get as much attention as passenger transportation because most people don’t feel it affects them as much. But more than 15 million trucks deliver 70 percent of the goods this country consumes – and the GAO says that’s a mistake. The Government […]