Elana Schor
Recent Posts
House to Vote This Week on Weak ‘Cash for Clunkers’ Plan
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The House is poised this week to take up the so-called "cash for clunkers" bill, which aims to boost the slumping U.S. auto market by giving out tax credits of $3,500 and up to anyone who trades in a gas-guzzling car for a more efficient model. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) is backing a stronger version […]
House GOP Urges Elimination of (GOP-Backed) Kid Safety Program
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House Republicans aren’t known for their well-reasoned spending proposals lately, but they took it to a new level today by sending President Obama a $375 billion budget-cutting plan that slices $1 billion from bicycle and pedestrian programs. One hopes that crossing guard in orange isn’t a House GOPer. (Photo: CA DOT) The cuts have next […]
LaHood Vows to Avert Federal Transpo Bankruptcy and Pay For It
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The Obama administration is working on a plan to fill the shortfall in the nation’s highway trust fund by August without adding to the federal deficit, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood told Congress today. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood (Photo: HillBuzz) The circumstances behind the trust fund’s financial troubles are well-known: a nationwide decline in driving coupled […]
Transit Planners to Congress: Please Figure Out How to Fund Us
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To all but the most ardent transit wonks, the phrase "New Starts" sounds like a motivational tape sold on late-night TV. But those two words actually represent Washington’s predominant mechanism to pay for major transit expansions — everything from expanding an existing rail station to building a new bus line. Minnesota’s Hiawatha rail line is […]
LaHood, Biden Meet With Governors on High-Speed Rail
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Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and Vice President Biden met at the White House this afternoon with officials from 20 states in contention for funding as part of the Obama administration’s high-speed rail program. The high-speed Midwest Regional Rail Initiative’s proposed reach. (Photo: Michigan Messenger) "This is how the interstate highway system started, folks," Biden told […]
Cycling in National Cemetery: Yea or Nay?
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Local D.C. issues aren’t the stock in trade of Streetsblog Capitol Hill, but the Washington Post lately has been refereeing a debate that resonates on the national level: Is Arlington National Cemetery inhospitable to cyclists? A Marine pedals through D.C.’s Congressional Cemetery. (Photo: M.V. Jantzen via Flickr) The Post ran a letter to the editor […]
Bush Transpo Secretary’s Biggest Disappointment: Bush
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DC Velocity magazine has just released a lengthy interview with Norman Mineta, the Bush-era transportation secretary and former Democratic member of Congress. Former U.S. DOT chief Mineta (r.), with his biggest disappointment. (Photo: Academy of Achievement) In the interview, Mineta — who now works on infrastructure at the consulting firm Hill & Knowlton — spoke […]
Obama’s Highways Chief: Wishy-Washy on Emissions?
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Victor Mendez, nominated by the White House to lead the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), spent more than an hour this morning with the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee — but the most illuminating moment in the hearing came as the clock was running down. FHWA nominee Victor Mendez testified before the Senate today. (Photo: […]
Solve the Congestion Crisis And Win $50,000
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Have you ever idled in traffic or waited for a late bus while thinking: "The city government should put me in charge of fixing this mess"? Good solutions to this could net you $50,000. (Photo: ITSA) Well, it’s time to make notes on that brilliant traffic-calming idea. The Intelligent Transportation Society of America (ITSA) kicked […]
Polly Trottenberg Tapped For Senior U.S. DOT Spot
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It’s a happy Friday for transportation wonks: the White House has nominated Polly Trottenberg, executive director of Building America’s Future, as assistant secretary for policy at the federal DOT. Polly Trottenberg, tapped as assistant DOT secretary (Photo: NewTalk) Trottenberg’s ascension signals that the Obama administration will make transit a serious priority and encourage a more […]
Sotomayor’s Eminent Domain Stance: What Does It Mean for Cities?
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Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor is dominating the conversation in Washington as analysts begin to dig into her past rulings. And while she has yet to weigh in on abortion, the judge has spoken loud and clear on an issue of interest to livable streets advocates: eminent domain. Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor (Photo: Gothamist) […]
Obama Keeps Roads Out of National Forests — For a Time
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Paved roads are a fact of life in most of the country, but should they be permitted in the nation’s protected forest areas? The Obama administration says no, as Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack affirmed today in a directive that prohibits road construction in nearly 50 million acres of forest land. Alaska’s Copper River Highway runs […]