Federal Funding
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GAO: Mileage Fee Could Be More “Equitable and Efficient” Than Gas Tax
While governors debate raising (or eliminating) their states' gas taxes, buzz is building about mileage-based fees, or a vehicle-miles-traveled charge. A House provision to ban U.S. DOT from studying such a fee has gone away (along with its sponsor), while Rep. Earl Blumenauer is trying to get the Treasury Department to look into how it could work. And a new report from the Government Accountability Office says that would be a good idea.
January 14, 2013
Seven Jiu-Jitsu Moves for Advocates to Use MAP-21 to Their Own Advantage
OK, truth: Raise your hand if you find federal transportation legislation intimidating and incomprehensible.
December 11, 2012
Obama Takes Another Swing at $50 Billion in Infrastructure Spending
President Obama is pressing for infrastructure investment again as part of the fiscal cliff negotiations. The president kicked off talks calling for an end to the debt ceiling, the extension of middle-class tax cuts, and $50 billion in infrastructure spending -- a proposal that first arose last year as part of his ultimately unsuccessful American Jobs Act.
December 4, 2012
Eight Burning Questions About Post-Election Transpo Policy and Politics
If I’ve learned one thing from all the meetings about transportation I’ve covered, it’s this: There is no progress without a solution on funding.
December 3, 2012
GAO: States “Flexing” Fewer Federal Dollars to Transit
Supporters of livable streets may hear about the “flexibility” of transportation dollars and cringe – after all, that word often refers to the ability of states to use bike/ped money for road building. But flexibility can work both ways. Between 2007 and 2011, states devoted $5 billion in surface transportation funds -- known in some quarters as "highway money" -- to transit programs, according to the Government Accountability Office.
November 21, 2012
Who Should Foot the Bill for Sandy’s Damage to Tracks and Train Tunnels?
As the East Coast surveys the damage from Hurricane Sandy, cities are still struggling to get their transit systems back up and running.
October 30, 2012
FHWA Helps Cities and Towns Land Bike/Ped Funding
American cities and towns should get a leg up on using federal funds to make streets safer for biking and walking, thanks to rules enacted yesterday by the Federal Highway Administration.
October 23, 2012
Will Transportation Investments Keep Up With the Way Americans Travel?
Phineas Baxandall is a senior analyst at the U.S. Public Interest Research Group.
October 22, 2012
Five Factors That Will Determine Whether TIFIA Benefits Transit
Phineas Baxandall is a senior analyst at the U.S. Public Interest Research Group.
October 16, 2012
Federal Housing Administration Clears Way for More Walkable Development
Over the last five years America has seen an historic housing downturn, but the prevailing trend hasn't sapped demand for walkable, urban development, especially in many larger metros.
October 15, 2012