Fuzzy Numbers Drive Obama Hurricane Sandy Request
According to the Financial Times, the insurance industry estimates the total bill for insurers from Hurricane Sandy will be between $20 billion and $25 billion…. Read More
Low Carbon Fuel Standards Will Drive Gas Prices Higher
The national average of gasoline is $3.78 per gallon, with some drivers experiencing a price of more than $4 per gallon. The price at the… Read More
XpressWest High-Speed Rail Project: Speeding Toward a Taxpayer Bailout
Outdated forecast data containing rosy economic assumptions and signaling potential cost overruns plagues the planned $6.9 billion XpressWest high-speed rail project connecting Victorville, CA, to… Read More
Morning Bell: Transportation Secretary Wants Us to Be Like Communist China
China’s attempt at a high-speed rail network is fraught with corrupt officials, impossible costs, and deadly safety failures. But U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood wishes… Read More
Company Lobbies for More Federal Funds While Over-billing Amtrak
A company that has lobbied for greater federal transportation funding may have overcharged the federal government by millions for a construction contract, according to a… Read More
D.C. Taxi Commission Faces Backlash for Sting Operation on New Car Service
A District of Columbia city council member is calling on the city’s taxicab commission to allow competition to its “mediocre and unreliable” taxi services in… Read More
Falsehoods Abound in Case of California High-Speed Rail
Last week, the independent California High-Speed Rail Peer Review Group recommended that the state legislature not proceed with funding the proposed Los Angeles–San Francisco project…. Read More
Federally Funded Boulders for Nevada
Yesterday, I wrote about the House-passed bill H.R. 2887, which would reauthorize expiring aviation and surface transportation programs for a few months. Senator Tom Coburn… Read More
Transportation Enhancements: A Waste of Taxpayer Dollars
The House passed today H.R. 2887, a bill to reauthorize expiring aviation and surface transportation programs for a few months. Senator Tom Coburn (R–OK) is… Read More
The U.S. Chamber of Tax Hikes
Some national business leaders are outright opposing measures of fiscal responsibility. Fortunately, fiscal conservatives in Congress are fighting back. Case in point: reaction to House… Read More
How Higher Energy Prices Threaten U.S. Jobs
America’s trucking industry is on pace to pay a whopping $138.7 billion for fuel in 2011 — an increase of $37.2 billion over last year… Read More
Obama’s High-Speed Spending on Slow-Speed Rail
Want a fast way to blow some taxpayer dollars? Buy a ticket on President Barack Obama’s high-speed spending trains. High-speed rail is one of the… Read More
House Transportation Rule is Waste Buster
The House Republicans will soon debate and vote on a series of changes in the rules that govern how the House operates during the 112th… Read More
Chris Christie Stops Dumping Money Into A Giant Hole
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) announced today that he is standing by his decision to cancel the under-construction ARC (Access to the Regional Core)… Read More
Free Money! It’s a Nifty Gift from the Federal Government!
Would you like a $14-billion taxpayer-funded tunnel in your town? How about a $500 million light rail train to nowhere? As state and local governments… Read More
$7-A-Gallon Gas Needed to Meet Government’s CO2 Cuts
As the national average of gasoline creeps to three dollars a gallon, economists are warning that high gas prices in the United States could slow… Read More
Waxman Markey Cap and Trade’s Biggest Losers: Transportation
The auto industry has long been a target of environmental activists. The push to put American consumers in smaller cars has been made quite clear…. Read More
Vehicle Mileage Tax Still Bad Idea
Rep. James Oberstar (D-MN) came out strongly in favor of a vehicle mileage tax (VMT) yesterday. Just two months ago Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood floated… Read More
Obama Administration Transportation Policy Needs a Jump-start
The Obama administration’s initial efforts at transportation policy are off to a rocky start. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood this morning came out in favor tracking… Read More
387 Congressmen Agree, Running up the Deficit to Pay for Pork is a Good Idea
In a process familiar to any troubled sub prime borrower, the current federal highway reauthorization bill spends more money than it takes in. Historically, any… Read More
Morning Bell: Bringing Accountability Back to Transportation Funding
The steep rise in gas prices has had a dramatic impact on American driving habits. According to Federal Highway Administration data, this May marked the… Read More
The Rail Line To Nowhere
The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority plan to extend Metrorail 11.6 miles to Dulles International Airport has enjoyed support from the Congressional leaders in both parties,… Read More
A Private Solution to D.C. Transit?
Last week, the federal government indicated it was reconsidering a $900 million grant to fund a massive expansion of the Washington Metro. Today, the Washington… Read More
