Recent Streetsblog USA posts about Barack Obama

What the Virginia Campaign Can Teach Us About Transportation Policy

By Ryan Avent | Oct 19, 2009 | 2 Comments

However the Virginia off-year gubernatorial race ends up — and at the moment it looks as though Republican Bob McDonnell will reclaim the governor’s mansion for the GOP after years of Democratic dominance — the media will frame the story as a referendum on the policies of national Democrats. Virginian rivals Creigh Deeds (D, at […]

Senate Climate Bill Delayed Yet Again As Obama Takes Nobel

By Elana Schor | Oct 9, 2009 | 1 Comment

As my colleague Ryan wrote earlier, the congressional climate change bill no represents the most meaningful path for urbanists, and advocates for clean transportation in general, to make their voices heard in the national debate. President Obama, accepting the Nobel Peace Prize today. (Photo: AP) So it bears repeating that the bill is losing momentum, […]

Obama Bans Texting While Driving for Guv Workers — And There’s More

By Elana Schor | Oct 1, 2009 | 1 Comment

The U.S. DOT’s distracted driving summit came to a close today with the unveiling of an executive order from President Obama that prohibits federal employees from texting behind the wheel of a government car or using a government-provided messaging device while driving any vehicle. (Photo: brainlink.org) In addition, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced plans for […]

Fly on the Wall Alert: Obama, LaHood, and Tom Friedman Tee Off

By Elana Schor | Sep 21, 2009 | 2 Comments

In yesterday’s New York Times, columnist Tom Friedman published an impassioned plea for American policy-makers to reconsider their knee-jerk opposition to raising the federal gas tax or debating a carbon tax to set a more appropriate price for energy use. Friedman writes: The president on the links. (Photo: Gawker) According to the energy economist Phil […]

Happy Labor Day Weekend

By Elana Schor | Sep 4, 2009 | No Comments

(Photo: AP via Politico) President Obama faces some difficult transportation and environmental choices this month: Should he insist on an 18-month delay for a new infrastructure bill or strike a compromise with House transport committee chairman Jim Oberstar (D-MN)? Should he push the Senate forward on a climate bill before year’s end or tell the […]

Tracking Transport Subsidies: As Tough as Following the Stimulus Money

By Elana Schor | Aug 17, 2009 | No Comments

The $787 billion economic stimulus effort was intended to be a model of government transparency — but a privately run website called Recovery.org soon began beating out the government in the race to trace federal dollars. Now, as the Pew Charitable Trusts begins to expand its Subsidyscope fiscal monitoring project, some similar gaps in spending […]

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