WASHINGTON — The Obama administration is pushing for a six-year, $53 billion investment in high-speed, higher-speed and expanded passenger rail service, but a fight is brewing with congressional Republicans. An initial $8 billion in funding for these rail projects is expected to be included in the president’s fiscal year 2012 budget request that will be [...]
Transit, HSR on thin ice with new Congress
January 13, 2011
(The following article, written by Ken Orski, editor and publisher of Innovation Briefs, is reproduced with permission of Mr. Orski.) WASHINGTON — Congressional action on transportation this year, including the shape of the next surface transportation bill, will be inevitably influenced by the changed political geography of the 112th Congress. Not only will the level [...]
Republican T&I Committee members named
January 12, 2011
WASHINGTON — Republicans have finalized appointments to the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee, which will be chaired in the upcoming Congress by John Mica (R-Fla.). Members include Minnesota’s Chip Cravaack, who defeated Democrat Jim Oberstar in the November congressional elections. Oberstar has served as chairman of the T&I Committee under Democratic control that expires at year-end. Most [...]
Outgoing T&I chair fears political polarization
November 29, 2010
WASHINGTON — The outgoing chairman of the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee – Jim Oberstar (D-Minn.), who was defeated in the Nov. 2 elections – fears increased polarization along party lines when the new Congress is seated in January. In an interview published by cnn.com, Oberstar, who was known to exert great effort to reach [...]
