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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→
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→
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→
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→
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→
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→
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→
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→
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→
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→
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→
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→
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→
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→
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→