Recent Streetsblog NYC posts about 2009 Transportation Bill

Would the New Senate Fuel Tax Deal a Death Blow to the Transport Bill?

By Elana Schor | Apr 6, 2010 | No Comments

Eight Democrats yesterday joined nearly the entire transportation universe, from road-builders to transit advocates, to warn the three Senate authors of a new climate bill against raising gas taxes without using the money for infrastructure. Their message, translated from the often impenetrable language of Washington: Imposing new fuel fees that are not routed to transport […]

What Happened to the Proposed “Transportation Tax” on Wall Street?

By Elana Schor | Apr 5, 2010 | No Comments

For several weeks last fall, as members of the House infrastructure committee pushed for passage of a new six-year federal transportation bill as a strategy to rouse the economy from recession, a proposal to pay for the legislation with a small tax on oil futures trades attracted a healthy crop of Democratic cosponsors and some […]

Could Gas-Tax Bonds Pay For the Next Federal Transportation Bill?

By Elana Schor | Apr 1, 2010 | No Comments

House infrastructure committee chairman Jim Oberstar (D-MN), facing steep political odds in his push to pass a new six-year federal transportation bill this year, has begun to pitch an outside-the-box solution to the financing shortfall that is still stalling congressional action: Treasury bonds. (Photo: Pop and Politics) Oberstar’s proposal would plug the hole in anticipated […]

As Minneapolis Joins NACTO, Oberstar Backs Shift on Transit Operating Aid

By Elana Schor | Mar 30, 2010 | No Comments

At an event in Minneapolis today, House transportation committee chairman Jim Oberstar (D-MN) announced his support for giving urban transit agencies more flexibility to spend federal transportation formula money on operating — a change in the current law that has already won the backing of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood but has split the transit industry. […]

New Poll: Support For Transit Expansion Transcends Rural-Urban Divide

By Elana Schor | Mar 30, 2010 | No Comments

How respondents replied to the following statement: "My community would benefit from an expanded and improved public transportation system, such as rail or buses." (Chart: T4A) Despite the frequent reluctance of rural lawmakers to support more federal investment in transit, a majority of rural and urban voters alike believe their home towns would gain from […]

Oberstar Stays Optimistic About New Transport Bill in 2010

By Elana Schor | Mar 29, 2010 | No Comments

House transportation committee chairman Jim Oberstar (D-MN) on Friday renewed his call for action on a new federal infrastructure bill before year’s end, using a hearing on the Obama administration’s stimulus law to urge passage of long-term legislation as well as a second round of short-term investment in roads, bridges, and rail. House transport committee […]

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