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Biggest Provision of Recovery Bill Infrastructure $ Can Be Used for Fuel-Efficient Rail Projects Too

March 4, 2009

Posted by Deron Lovaas in Moving Beyond Oil

Tags:
changeinwashington, highways, infrastructure, rail, stimulus, transportation policy

The single biggest pot of money provided to states and local jurisdictions for investments in transportation infrastructure -- a $27.5 billion shot-in-the-arm -- is more flexible than many realize, and President Obama and the recovery.gov web site should remind governors...continued

Changing Direction: Another Hopeful Sign with Appointment of Roy Kienitz

March 2, 2009

Posted by Deron Lovaas in Moving Beyond Oil

Tags:
changeinwashington, greentransition, highways, infrastructure, legislation, oildependence, policy, publictransit, rail, sprawl, transportation bill, transportation policy

  A couple of weeks ago I noted some of President Obama's statements about transportation and land-development which showed that he cares about, and understands, important but oft-overlooked policies that have a huge influence on how much oil the nation...continued

Transportation For America: Building A Cleaner, More Fuel-Efficient Future

February 26, 2009

Posted by Deron Lovaas in Moving Beyond Oil

Tags:
changeinwashington, gasoline, highways, infrastructure, lightrail, oildependence, pollution, publictransit, rail, security, smartercities, transportation bill, transportation policy

A big-tent coalition of groups running the gamut from the National Association of Realtors to the American Public Health Association to NRDC unveiled a new platform for federal transportation policy today as part of the Transportation for America Campaign. Check out...continued

Charging for the Use of Our Roads?

February 24, 2009

Posted by Deron Lovaas in Moving Beyond Oil

Tags:
changeinwashington, DOT, highways, infrastructure, legislation, prices, publictransit, rail, transportation bill, transportation policy

Ah, Washington. This is a lovely town, but it has its quirks. When, for example, taxes are the topic. Sen. Russell Long of Louisiana had a funny saying about the national aversion to the sticky issue of generating revenue: "Don't tax me,...continued

Connecting the Dots: President Obama Begins Laying Out a Vision for Transportation

February 18, 2009

Posted by Deron Lovaas in Moving Beyond Oil

Tags:
changeinwashington, development, energy, gasoline, highways, infrastructure, lightrail, metropolitan, publictransit, rail, smartercities, sprawl, transportation bill, transportation policy

Last week was a remarkably revealing week regarding this new Administration's transportation policy. First, on February 10th at a Florida town hall meeting, President Obama declares that  I think a lot more people are open now to thinking regionally in...continued

Roadmap for a Secure, Low-Carbon Energy Economy

February 11, 2009

Posted by Deron Lovaas in Moving Beyond Oil

Tags:
cleanvehicles, energy, globalwarming, liquidcoal, oildependence, publictransit, security, tarsands, transportation policy

Are the goals of energy security and climatic stability fundamentally at odds? Or can we in the U.S. forge ahead toward a preferred future in which we address both these threats? These are valid questions. While we must be...continued

Un-stimulating Debate on Transportation in the Senate

February 3, 2009

Posted by Deron Lovaas in Moving Beyond Oil

Tags:
globalwarming, highways, infrastructure, lightrail, oildependence, publictransit, rail, stimulus, transportation policy

Watching the Senate debate on the economic recovery bill, I am reminded of a remarkable event in 2001. The Surface Transportation Policy Project held an awards dinner to celebrate the tenth anniversary of ISTEA, the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of...continued

Public Transportation Investment Recovered!

January 28, 2009

Posted by Deron Lovaas in Moving Beyond Oil

Tags:
changeinwashington, infrastructure, legislation, lightrail, oildependence, publictransit, rail, stimulus, transportation policy, victories

The amendment I wrote about just a few hours ago was just passed by voice vote! That means little or no opposition against it. This is a good augury for public transportation, as I imply in the statement we just sent...continued

A Recovery for Transportation Investment?

January 28, 2009

Posted by Deron Lovaas in Moving Beyond Oil

Tags:
changeinwashington, energy, infrastructure, legislation, lightrail, oildependence, publictransit, rail, stimulus, transportation policy

As I’ve written about on these pages and in the Huffington Post, the transportation provisions in the recovery bill need to tilt more towards saving oil and cutting global warming pollution, meaning public transportation and rail. I’m not the only...continued

Missing the Train on the Recovery Package

January 19, 2009

Posted by Deron Lovaas in Moving Beyond Oil

Tags:
cars, changeinwashington, globalwarming, highways, infrastructure, legislation, oildependence, policy, publictransit, rail, sprawl, stimulus, transportation policy

Walking through a checklist of items needed for my trek to downtown D.C. from the suburb of College Park (by bicycle, no less!) for the Inauguration tomorrow, I keep reminding myself of a fact of life: After the dust has...continued

What the Stimulus Package may have in common with Detroit

January 8, 2009

Posted by Deron Lovaas in Moving Beyond Oil

Tags:
bicycle, cars, pedestrian, publictransit, stimulus, transportationpolicy

My friend Barbara McCann, communications consultant and coordinator of the "Complete Streets" campaign, is my guest on Switchboard today, penning a terrific piece I'm sure you'll enjoy: Right from the start, the US automakers looking for handouts on Capitol Hill...continued

Transit in New York: Green and Getting Greener

January 8, 2009

Posted by Deron Lovaas in Moving Beyond Oil

Tags:
cars, energy, energyefficiency, metropolitan, newyorkcity, publictransit, rail, smartercities, transportation policy

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority for New York State just unveiled a remarkable report, Greening Mass Transit & Metro Regions. It's the product of a Blue Ribbon Commission chaired by Jonathan Rose, an NRDC board member and President of the Rose...continued

Stop the Secret Porkfest

December 12, 2008

Posted by Deron Lovaas in Moving Beyond Oil

Tags:
globalwarming, highways, legislation, oildependence, stimulus, transportation policy

Heading home for the holidays, lawmakers will surely mull over the heated debate for an auto industry bailout. Regardless of how they feel about the outcome, at least it was discussed in broad daylight. Executives testified twice, submitted plans...continued

Avoiding Buyer's Remorse in the Stimulus Package

December 8, 2008

Posted by Deron Lovaas in Moving Beyond Oil

Tags:
globalwarming, highways, infrastructure, oildependence, publictransit, rail, transportation policy

I am now a part of the National Journal's transportation experts blog, and this week's question is about the stimulus bill: What should the transportation infrastructure portion look like? Here's my answer. Frankly, it's refreshing to hear that question asked...continued

Saving Oil, Cutting Pollution: How to Transform Transportation

November 25, 2008

Posted by Deron Lovaas in Moving Beyond Oil

Tags:
CAFE, cars, DOT, fueleconomy, fueleconomystandards, greentransition, rail, transportation bill, transportation policy

"If you do what you've always done, you get what you've always gotten." -Tony Robbins When you think about transportation issues, what's the first thing that comes to mind? High gas prices and troubled bridges. There was the "bridge to...continued

Deron Lovaas
Deron Lovaas
Federal Transportation Policy Director
Washington, D.C.
I joined NRDC after working for several other conservation groups and Maryland's Environment Department. I...
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