Recent Streetsblog USA posts about 2009 Transportation Bill

Bridging the Local-National Message Divide: The Climate Bill is the Answer

By Ryan Avent | Oct 9, 2009 | No Comments

Urban areas have a lot to contribute to the congressional climate change debate. (Photo: SDOT Blog) This week, I was fortunate to attend the Open Cities conference in Washington (along with fellow Streetsbloggers Elana Schor and Aaron Naparstek), on the ways in which new media is shaping urban policy. The takeaway, for me at least, […]

Streetsblog Q&A: Bush DOT Chief Backs Transport Tech Funding

By Elana Schor | Oct 8, 2009 | No Comments

Former Transportation Secretary Mary Peters, who served for eight years in George W. Bush’s DOT, sat down with Streetsblog Capitol Hill yesterday to urge that Congress add a dedicated funding stream of $1 billion each year for transportation technology to the next long-term infrastructure bill. Since leaving office, Peters has transitioned to private consulting work […]

Is a Bigger Transportation Bill — This Year — Back on the Table?

By Elana Schor | Oct 6, 2009 | 1 Comment

That’s the suggestion that an anonymous "Senate aide" made to Bloomberg News this morning, recounting a possible White House change of heart as mounting job losses stoke new debate over a second stimulus bill: Administration officials have told allies in Congress that a broader transportation bill, and extensions of a homebuyer tax credit and unemployment […]

Congress’ Transport Impasse Hits States — and Not Just Their Road Funds

By Elana Schor | Oct 5, 2009 | 1 Comment

When lawmakers failed on Wednesday to reach a deal on avoiding the cancellation of $8.7 billion in transportation spending authority, the consequences of Congress’ inaction weren’t immediately palpable to most voters — but the loss is sinking in on the local level. (Photo: USGS.gov) From Texas to New Jersey to Colorado, local DOT officials are […]

GOP Blocks Plan to Use Bailout Fund to Preserve $8.7B in Transport Money

By Elana Schor | Oct 1, 2009 | No Comments

A bipartisan bid to extend existing federal transportation law for three months — and tap the TARP bailout fund to avert the cancellation of $8.7 billion in contract authority — was rejected on the Senate floor last night after GOP senators insisted on using stimulus money, rather than bailout cash, to fix the problem. Was […]

Senate Passes One-Month Extension of Transport Law … For Now

By Elana Schor | Sep 30, 2009 | No Comments

By a vote of 62-38, the Senate has just passed a one-month extension of the 2005 transportation law, which was set to expire at midnight tonight and leave state DOTs without a steady source of funding for road, bridge, and transit projects. But the one-month stopgap, which was approved by the House last week, does […]

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