Recent Streetsblog USA posts about Streetsblog Capitol Hill

New House Jobs Bill Dominated by Direct Aid to Cities

By Elana Schor | Mar 11, 2010 | No Comments

Soon after the Senate signed off yesterday on a $150 billion package of tax extenders and unemployment benefits that was promoted as a job-creation measure — a bill that lacked dedicated new funding for transportation — Democrats on the House education and labor committee were releasing their own jobs legislation. The House proposal also lacks […]

Goldman Sachs: Yes, Build America Bonds Are Good for Transport — And Us

By Elana Schor | Mar 10, 2010 | No Comments

Goldman Sachs today confirmed that the taxpayer-subsidized debt offering known as Build America Bonds (BABs), which have helped several urban transit agencies and state DOTs pay for new projects since last year, tend to result in higher underwriting fees for Wall Street banks than most tax-exempt municipal bonds. (Chart: WSJ) Responding to an inquiry from Sen. […]

Could Transport Bill Inaction Hurt the White House’s Sustainability Push?

By Elana Schor | Mar 10, 2010 | 2 Comments

The White House’s lack of interest in passing a new long-term federal transportation bill before next spring at the earliest is common knowledge in Washington, but the Obama administration has paid little political price so far for its approach to the issue. That began to change today, thanks to two lawmakers on the House panel […]

House Moves to Repay U.S. DOT Workers Furloughed by Bunning Filibuster

By Elana Schor | Mar 10, 2010 | No Comments

The House voted today to compensate nearly 2,000 U.S. DOT workers who were forcibly furloughed last week when Sen. Jim Bunning (R-KY) mounted a five-day blockade of legislation extending federal transportation spending for the month of March. Sen. Jim Bunning’s (R-KY) one-man filibuster kept U.S. DOT workers off the job for two days. (Photo: CNN) […]

U.S. Transit Trips Hit 10.2B in 2009, With Light Rail Up in Nine Cities

By Elana Schor | Mar 9, 2010 | No Comments

(Photo: Model D Media) The nation’s transit systems hosted 10.2 billion trips last year, the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) reported yesterday. While that figure represents a 3.8 percent decline from 2008, APTA’s data showed light rail ridership rising in nine cities and the long-term increase in transit use continuing to outpace growth in population […]

Study: Clean-Car Subsidies Alone Can’t Meet White House’s Climate Goals

By Elana Schor | Mar 9, 2010 | No Comments

Government subsidies for hybrid and electric cars, while "politically seductive," will fail to achieve the Obama administration’s national pollution-reduction goals if they are not coupled with a significant increase in fuel prices, according to a new study by Harvard University researchers. (Photo: Pop and Politics) The team at Harvard’s Belfer Center for Science and International […]

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