Recent Streetsblog USA posts about Streetsblog Capitol Hill

Obama Energy Aide: ‘We Probably Saw Peak Demand for Gas … in 2007’

By Elana Schor | Apr 19, 2010 | No Comments

The decline in American driving that began at the start of the recession, fueled by record-high gas prices, came to an end late last year. But the Obama administration believes that its transport and energy policies have ushered in a long-term shift, "changing the fuel mix in ways that will drive down gasoline demand," according […]

Detroit Residents Press EPA for Stronger Air Pollution Monitoring

By Elana Schor | Apr 19, 2010 | No Comments

In Washington, "grassroots lobbying" is more often associated with industry-funded issue campaigns than ground-up local advocacy. But residents of Detroit’s industrial southwest neighborhoods took the term back to its roots on Friday, getting a personal visit from Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) officials after a groundswell of complaints about decaying air quality. Cyclists in southwest Detroit. […]

Former U.S. DOT Chief on the Worst-Case Scenario: 4 Years of Extensions

By Elana Schor | Apr 19, 2010 | 3 Comments

To a certain extent, hope springs eternal in federal transportation circles. Even as state DOTs and metropolitan planning organizations operate under the latest in a series of extensions of the 2005 law that governs road, transit, and bike-ped spending, few are willing to envision a future in which new legislation doesn’t pass by next year. […]

Congress Approves Repayment for U.S. DOT Workers Furloughed by Bunning

By Elana Schor | Apr 16, 2010 | No Comments

After a six-week delay, Congress last night agreed to repay U.S. DOT employees for the two days of work they missed when Sen. Jim Bunning (R-KY) filibustered an extension of the 2005 transportation law, forcing a temporary shutdown of much of the federal agency’s business. Sen. Jim Bunning (R-KY) (Photo: CNN) The repayment language was […]

‘Gas Tax’ Sounding Like a Four-Letter Word to the White House and Senate

By Elana Schor | Apr 16, 2010 | 3 Comments

Transportation groups of all shapes and sizes have been concerned that the Senate’s forthcoming climate bill could set back the prospects for a federal transportation measure by imposing extra carbon fees on Big Oil — which would then be passed on to customers at the pump, effectively increasing the gas tax for purposes other than […]

Menendez Proposes Tax Credit for Transit-Oriented Development

By Elana Schor | Apr 15, 2010 | 9 Comments

New construction projects that are within a half-mile of transit stations and exceeding national energy-efficiency standards would be eligible for a tax credit under legislation introduced today by Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ), the senior member of the Banking Committee’s transit panel. Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ) (Photo: Paterson Online) Menendez’s "green buildings" tax credit is aimed […]

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