Recent Streetsblog USA posts about Streetsblog Capitol Hill

High-Speed Rail Lobbying Campaign Revives the “$4B” Rallying Cry

By Elana Schor | May 11, 2010 | 5 Comments

The lobbying coalition that helped prod Congress into approving $2.5 billion for high-speed rail last year — twice as much as the Senate had originally set aside — today kicked off a new campaign urging lawmakers to approve $4 billion for bullet trains next year and $2.6 billion for Amtrak. (Photo: TreeHugger) At an event […]

First Lady’s Childhood Obesity Task Force Calls For Transportation Reform

By Elana Schor | May 11, 2010 | 4 Comments

(Chart: LetsMove.gov) The White House’s inter-agency task force on childhood obesity, developed under the stewardship of First Lady Michelle Obama, today released a 124-page report recommending dozens of policy shifts in health care, community development, and transportation that it estimates can bring down obesity rates among kids by 5 percent over the next 20 years. […]

Shock or Yawn? Virginia’s GOP Governor Backs Highway User Fees

By Elana Schor | May 10, 2010 | 13 Comments

Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell (R), who has won over many conservatives by reviving the state’s recognition of Confederate History Month and attempting to declare the White House health care bill invalid within its borders, today proposed to add tolls to Interstate 95 along the North Carolina border. Gov. Bob McDonnell (R-VA) (Photo: LAT) McDonnell announced […]

Obama Administration Helps Jump-Start Two New D.C. Housing Upgrades

By Elana Schor | May 10, 2010 | No Comments

The federal government has long taken heat for giving short shrift to cities, and the Obama administration — which recently lost its urban affairs chief after months of lackluster progress — is no exception. But two projects getting underway in the U.S. capital provide evidence that, slowly but surely, federal funding is making its way […]

U.S. DOT Proposes Giving Minority-Owned Firms Greater Shot at Contracts

By Elana Schor | May 7, 2010 | 2 Comments

Women- and minority-owned companies would have an easier time winning federal transportation contracts under a new rule released by the Obama administration today, which comes in the wake of complaints from social-equity advocates that such firms had received just 2 percent of infrastructure contracts awarded under last year’s economic stimulus law. (Photo: CA DOT) The […]

Arizona Nixes Speed-Limit Enforcement Cameras

By Elana Schor | May 7, 2010 | 7 Comments

In the latest in a series of high-profile conservative moves, Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer’s (R) administration has announced it will stop using cameras to enforce speed limits on the state’s highways — ending a program once billed as a boon to road safety that would also help raise revenue. A speed-camera image of the car […]

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