February 27th, 2009 |
Obama’s budget stands in opposition to thirty years of failed subsidies to the private sector
Though President Obama’s first budget proposal, whose rough outlines were released yesterday, doesn’t say much about his transportation proposals, it does provide insight into our country’s new direction overall.
America’s fundamental problem is that it has allowed income inequality to increase rapidly over the past four decades, especially as compared to that in other developed nations. Because of our generous corporate tax breaks, lack of national health care, and inferior education system, we have simply made the problem worse, exasperating the plight of the poor and encouraging the
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February 26th, 2009 |
Huge budget provides billions to transportation, but doesn’t appear to mark sea change in vision for U.S. mobility
The Obama administration has officially released its budget outline, which provides a summary of how the federal government will spend money in fiscal year 2010 (from July 2009 to July 2010). It also provided some information about how it intends to use its limited funds over the next 10 years. Here is what we know so far:
The bill will “increase” funding to public transit, focusing on public transportation’s environmental benefits,
It will provide $1 billion a year for at least five years for high-speed rail,
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February 26th, 2009 |
States all around the country see themselves as likely qualifying for HSR grants, but we’ll have to wait a few months to see which projects get funding
The economic stimulus bill included $8 billion for high-speed rail projects. Though Republicans continue to repeat the lie that the funding has already been earmarked for a maglev project between Los Angeles and Las Vegas, the truth is that there are a large number of corridors around the country that are likely to apply for funds. Here are the projects whose sponsors have mentioned in the news as being interested in applying for the funds
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February 25th, 2009 |
High-speed line running through Toronto and Montréal getting another think-over
Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty said yesterday that Canadian Prime Minister Steven Harper is frowning on the idea of a high-speed rail line between Québec City and Windsor, via Montréal and Toronto, reports the Canadian Press. Mr. McGuinty, along with his centrist Liberal Party ally Québec Premier Jean Charest, have been strong supporters of the line, which would do quite a bit to connect the biggest cities in the two provinces. Mr. Harper’s conservative party has been notoriously uninterested in the project over the past twenty years of proposals, though recently the conservatives
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February 25th, 2009 |
Hints at broad interest in nation-building at home
Last night, President Barack Obama addressed the nation in a pseudo-State of the Union address in front of a joint session of Congress, with the Supreme Court and the Cabinet in attendance. His comments, meant to encourage the nation in this period of collective doldrums, were focused on energy, health care, and education, with a small element at the end focused on foreign affairs. In his 52-minute speech, he didn’t address how transportation is an integral element of the energy problem, but he did mention public transportation when talking about the stimulus bill:
“Over the
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February 24th, 2009 |
House and Senate to consider bill that wraps up funding needs for fiscal 2009
With Barack Obama addressing Congress tonight and the work on the budget for FY 2010 beginning on Thursday, House and Senate Democrats have released the draft bill that will account for the last of the remaining federal funding “omnibus” appropriations for fiscal 2009, which doesn’t end until July.
The bill provides the following changes from the budget requested by President Bush a year ago:
—
Program
FY 2008 Enacted
Bush ’09 Request
Omnibus ’09 Bill
Highways
$40.2 B
$39.4 B
$40.7 B
State Rail Assistance
$30 M
$100 M
$90 M
Amtrak
$1.33 B
$0.9 B
$1.49 B
FTA
$9.3 B
$10.1 B
$10.1 B
» Capital Projects
$1.57 B
$1.62 B
$1.81
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