Elana Schor
Recent Posts
AFL-CIO Flexing Its Muscle for Senate Transit Operating Aid Bill
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The AFL-CIO, a formidable lobbying force in Washington, is throwing its weight behind a Senate bill offered last week that would authorize $2 billion in emergency funding for transit agencies forced to hike fares or cut service in lean budgetary times. Rev. Jesse Jackson, second from left, has joined transit workers’ unions in their Save […]
New Report Examines the Media’s Role in the Gas Tax Debate
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Chart: University of Vermont Transportation Research Center The success of state-level plans to increase gas taxes is tied to the media’s portrayal of the proposals in question, with narratives tied to "crumbling infrastructure" and "economic progress" showing more success than those emphasizing long-term transportation budget gaps, according to a new report released by the University […]
Eight Senate Dems Offer $2B Plan for Emergency Transit Operating Aid
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Transit agencies forced to raise fares or cut service to close budget gaps would be eligible for $2 billion in emergency operating funds under legislation unveiled today by Senate Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd (D-CT) and seven other Democratic senators, including two members of the party’s leadership. Sens. Chris Dodd (D-CT), left, Charles Schumer (D-NY), […]
Feds to Start Scoring Transportation Potential of Housing Grant Applicants
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Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Shaun Donovan said late Friday that his agency will soon start gauging the "location efficiency" of its grant applicants, determining each project’s potential for connecting residents to surrounding neighborhoods — and mirroring the recommendations of a recent report that found a correlation between homeowners’ foreclosure risk and their dependence […]
On Bike to Work Day, U.S. DOT and Cycling Advocates Eye New Moves
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In addition to the announcement of a new local bike-share system, today’s D.C. Bike to Work Day found both the U.S. DOT and the nation’s leading bike advocacy groups positioning themselves to claim new victories for cyclists in the coming days. FTA chief Peter Rogoff addressing cyclists at this morning’s Bike to Work Day events. […]
Four House Republicans Join Dems in Hailing LaHood’s Support for Bike-Ped
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Four House Republicans yesterday joined 24 Democratic colleagues in a letter praising Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood for his public support of federal bicycling and pedestrian investment — a stance that had generated some bad blood between LaHood and the trucking industry. Rep. Jack Kingston (R-VA), left, in the "congressional ride" during March’s National Bike Summit. […]
APHA Tallies ‘Hidden Health Costs’ of Transportation Status Quo
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The nation’s transportation planning process fails to account for more than $200 billion per year in "hidden health costs" imposed by traffic and air pollution, according to a new report from the American Public Health Association (APHA) that maps the nexus between infrastructure and health care. Traffic brings with it billions of dollars in "hidden […]
Transit Industry and State DOTs Agree: Senate Climate Bill Needs ‘Rewrite’
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The transit industry’s leading D.C. lobbying outlet today joined the umbrella group for state DOTs and two major construction groups to protest the Senate climate bill’s failure to set aside all of the revenue from its proposed new fuel fees for infrastructure projects — specifically, to the cash-strapped highway trust fund that is generally split, […]
Transit Industry to Join State DOTs in Blasting Senate Climate Bill
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The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) is set to join the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) and two construction interests tomorrow in protesting the Senate climate bill’s proposed diversion of new fuel fees away from infrastructure — an argument that puts the transit industry’s leading D.C. lobbying group squarely in the […]
Behind the Transport Industry’s Lament About the Senate Climate Bill
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While transport reform advocates hailed last week’s long-awaited Senate climate bill for directing an estimated $6 billion-plus towards local land use planning and green infrastructure, state DOTs and construction interests criticized the legislation — suggesting that the measure’s sponsors could face stiff resistance from the transportation industry’s mainstream despite making concessions to win over all […]
Specter of Gas Tax Lingers as Rendell, Villaraigosa Push Infrastructure Bank
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Gov. Ed Rendell (D-PA) and Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (D), two of the nation’s best-known advocates for greater investment in the built environment, today joined several House Democrats in calling for federal action on a National Infrastructure Bank (NIB) — even as questions about the bank’s scope, and Congress’s resistance to raising sustained new […]
Senate Climate Bill Would Send $6B-Plus to Cleaner Transportation
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Transportation would receive more than $6 billion of the revenue generated by selling carbon emissions permits to fuel providers under a new Senate climate bill introduced today by Sens. John Kerry (D-MA) and Joseph Lieberman (I-CT). Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), left, Joseph Lieberman (I-CT), center, and John Kerry (D-MA), right, began their climate talks in […]