Tanya Snyder
Tanya became Streetsblog's Capitol Hill editor in September 2010 after covering Congress for Pacifica Radios Washington bureau and for public radio stations around the country. She lives car-free in a transit-oriented and bike-friendly neighborhood of Washington, DC.
Recent Posts
Mica Names New GOP Transpo Committee Members, Rahall Officially Top Dem
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Update: We just learned that Rep. Nick Rahall (D-WV) has been confirmed as the new Ranking Member of the Transportation & Infrastructure Committee. The House Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure just got a bunch of new members. Incoming Chair John Mica (R-FL) announced the Republican picks today. “The Committee and its new Republican Members will […]
Don’t Waste the Next Two Years: A Blueprint for Reform Under GOP Control
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So longtime chair James Oberstar is gone from the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, and the Republicans in charge now are unlikely to take up a transportation bill as expansive as the one he proposed last year. That doesn’t mean transportation advocates should take the next two years off. In “Moving Past Gridlock: A Proposal […]
Transit Benefit (Wrapped in Tax Cuts) Clears the Senate
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The Senate voted 81-19 to support President Obama’s plan to extend the Bush tax cuts this afternoon. Some of those Senators probably didn’t even realize that they were also voting to extend equal tax benefits for transit commuters, on par with parking credits. One Senator was certainly aware. Democrat Bob Menendez of New Jersey told […]
Inside the Bush Tax Cut Compromise is a Gift for Transit Riders
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No matter how you feel about extending the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy, there’s one reason to hope it passes: it includes an extension of the transit benefit. The tax-free benefit for transit used to be capped at $120 a month, but the stimulus raised it to $230, on par with driving benefits. Ya-Ting […]
California Leads Nation in Green Transpo Policies. How Does Your State Rank?
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In the absence of strong guidance from the federal government on climate policy and carbon emissions, states are left to their own devices. And since transportation is the number two source of carbon emissions, accounting for 31 percent of the total, state-level transportation reform must play a large role in any serious effort to reduce […]
AAA Gets an Earful From Members About Equality For Bikes
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In July of last year, when AAA launched their roadside bicycle repair service, cyclists got a warm fuzzy feeling for a minute and thought AAA was about as bike-friendly as an automobile organization could be. That bubble burst in July when AAA Mid-Atlantic President and CEO Don Gagnon editorialized that highway trust fund money should […]
Bikes on Bridges: A How-To Guide for Advocates
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The country’s crisis of crumbling infrastructure could be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to expand bicycle access. With one out of every four U.S. bridges deemed deficient, obsolete, or inadequate, a spate of bridge reconstruction is already overdue. And as planners start engineering the improvements, pedestrians and cyclists have to make sure they’re part of the process. […]
Would an Infrastructure Bank Have the Power to Reform Transportation?
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Our report earlier this week on transportation financing may have left you with a few more questions. We started with a look at TIFIA, which provides credit assistance for infrastructure projects. Many observers see the program as limited by its position inside the DOT and its opaque decision-making process. But what about a National Infrastructure […]
Mica Confirmed as Transpo Committee Chair
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Rep. John Mica (R-FL) was confirmed today as the next Chair of the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee. There have been some contested leadership elections this month but this wasn’t one of them. Mica’s position as chair was basically a foregone conclusion as soon as November’s election results came in. After the Republican conference voted […]
House Punts on Budget, Votes on Yearlong Extension Instead
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Back in February, the Department of Transportation requested a two percent budget increase for next year (FY 2011). [PDF] The extra $2 billion would pay for things like a new Distracted Driver Prevention Program, high speed rail, and livability grant programs. They’re finally getting an answer from Congress, and it’s a resounding “no.” Congress has […]
What the GOP Spending Rollback Would Mean for Transportation
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Back in September, Rep. John Boehner (R-OH), now Speaker-elect, told Good Morning America he wanted to “pass a bill this month at 2008 spending levels – you know, before the TARP, before the bailouts, before the stimulus – and let’s put some certainty in the economy.” He continued, “That in itself would save about 100 […]
Why Reformers Should Care How We Pay for Transportation
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TIFIAs and TIGERs and NIBs — oh my! The alphabet soup of infrastructure funding mechanisms can be alienating even to committed transportation advocates. But with the power of the gas tax diminishing and elected officials refusing to raise it, other financing options are taking on increasing importance. If you’re interested in reforming our transportation system […]