Elana Schor
Recent Posts
First Lady’s Childhood Obesity Task Force Calls For Transportation Reform
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(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
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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 […]
Centers for Disease Control: Transportation Reform Is Health Reform
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The connection between transportation and public health has slowly edged into the mainstream since Streetsblog Capitol Hill began covering it last year, first through a billion-dollar grant program added to Congress’ sprawling health care bill and now in a Centers for Disease Control (CDC) brief that connects existing U.S. infrastructure with chronic disease, obesity, and […]
Expectations for High-Speed Rail Coming Down to Earth
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Three months after the Obama administration announced the first winners of what it hopes will be the first of many federal grants to build U.S. high-speed rail networks, advocates and planners are settling in for a long battle to surmount the obstacles and unknowns that stand in the way of long-term bullet train development. If […]
Massachusetts Republican Cuts a Bike Version of Scott Brown ‘Truck’ Ad
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After Sen. Scott Brown’s (R-MA) January upset in the race for the congressional seat long held by the late Ted Kennedy, his win was chalked up to several factors: voter reluctance to embrace health care reform, campaign-trail gaffes by the Democratic candidate — and a hyper-folksy ad campaign that featured Brown cruising around the state […]
GAO: Economic Recovery Benefits of ‘Cash for Clunkers’ Are ‘Uncertain’
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"Cash for clunkers," the White House’s much-touted program encouraging trade-ins for more fuel-efficient autos, had an "uncertain" impact on economic recovery, according to a new audit from the independent Government Accountability Office (GAO) — largely because it remains unclear how many of the car sales it spurred would have occurred without taxpayer subsidies. Were "clunker" […]
New Report Takes on ‘Perverse Incentives’ to De-Emphasize Bridge Repair
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When Minneapolis’ I-35 bridge collapsed in 2007, lawmakers from both parties vowed to focus on shoring up the nation’s aging infrastructure. But when the public spotlight faded from the issue of infrastructure repair, Congress showed little appetite for setting aside maintenance aid that did not hold the promise of ribbon-cutting ceremonies or campaign donations. The […]
Jesse Jackson Joins Transit Unions to Rally for More Federal Operating Aid
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Rev. Jesse Jackson, center, joined Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY) for a similar transit workers rally in New York City earlier this month. (Photo: Noah Kazis) "CONGRE$$ PLEASE HELP." "THINK BEFORE YOU CUT." "HANDS OFF OUR BUS OPERATORS." The messages were stark on Capitol Hill today as hundreds of transit workers gathered to protest the wave […]
U.S. DOT Releases Rules for ‘TIGER II’ Grants, Bringing HUD on Board
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The U.S. DOT today released its first round of guidance for the so-called "TIGER II" program, a $600 million pot of competitive transportation grants considered a quasi-sequel to the popular $1.5 billion merit-based fund included in last year’s stimulus law. A ribbon-cutting in Dubuque, Iowa, where a broad revamping of downtown development won TIGER grant […]
U.S. DOT Admits Status Quo Untenable, Vows to Cut Transport Emissions
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In its second Earth Day release, the U.S. DOT today unveiled a 600-page analysis of transportation emissions mandated by Congress in the 2007 energy bill. In addition to weighing in on many potential tactics for limiting transport’s contribution to the changing climate, the document notably recommits the Obama administration to that goal at a time […]
State DOTs Mark Earth Day by Pressing a More Road-Centric ‘Livability’
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As the Obama administration’s inter-agency sustainable communities project commands a growing share of attention and funding in Washington, the response from conservatives and business lobbies has been decidedly less than enthusiastic. Washington D.C.’s bike sharing stations, above, got a prominent mention in the AASHTO report. (Photo: afagen via Flickr) When Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood issued […]
Kerry on Senate Climate Bill: Federal Gas Tax Is Staying at 18.4 Cents
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The several dozen transportation industry groups that raised questions about where the upcoming Senate climate change bill would send proceeds from its new "linked fee" on carbon fuels can stop worrying — because it looks like the legislation won’t contain any new tax on motor fuels. Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) (Photo: Getty) As Sen. John […]