Infrastructure

Look no further than House Speaker John Boehner. MSNBC contributor Steve Benen reports on a Jan. 8 Capitol Hill press conference where the Republican speaker from Ohio appeared to put the kibosh on even considering a federal gas tax increase.

January 12, 2015 - MSNBC/Maddow Blog

A movement at the state and federal levels would take advantage of low oil prices to boost gas taxes to pay for infrastructure. Michigan, Iowa, and Utah proposals, and a change to the federal Corker-Murphy plan, are described below.

January 12, 2015 - The Wall Street Journal

The House voted for the tenth time to approve the pipeline, and a split decision by the Nebraska Supreme Court removes a key objection of President Barack Obama to ruling on Keystone XL. The Senate begins debate Monday.

January 11, 2015 - NPR: The Two-Way

Much of the United States went through a cold snap in recent days. How many of you transit commuters sought refuge under heat lamps this week?

January 9, 2015 - Chicago Tribune

The California governor began an unprecedented fourth term by laying out goals to reduce carbon emissions and oil consumption, address road and bridge maintenance, build high speed rail, and construct two huge water tunnels under the Sacramento Delta

January 8, 2015 - San Francisco Chronicle

Calling it an "ideal time" to increase the 25-cent gas tax due to the lowest gas prices in five years, Rep. Linder Bateman (R-Idaho Falls) said legislators will have to "bite the bullet" to address aging road and bridge infrastructure.

January 8, 2015 - Local News 8 (ABC)

The oil industry was predicting motorist outrage and an increase in gas prices of around 70-cents due to the carbon charge effective in the state on January 1. Some prices increased 10-cents, but went largely unnoticed.

January 6, 2015 - San Diego Union-Tribune

The long-beleaguered California High Speed Rail project will have a historic moment today, January 6. The media's coverage of the event indicates the yet-to-be-determined future of the project.

January 6, 2015 - Los Angeles Times

The Transport Politic provides its seventh annual list of major transit investments, finding an enormous amount of effort and funds going into improving transportation systems around North America.

January 6, 2015 - the transport politic

The New York State authority with responsibility for the Thruway system, including the Tappan Zee Bridge as the most famous of its 809 bridges, is weathering leadership changes and a dismal budget shortfall.

January 5, 2015 - WNYC

Senator John Thune (R-S.D.), current ranking member and incoming chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation surprised the media when he announced on a Sunday morning talk show that a gas tax increase is possible.

January 5, 2015 - National Monitor

Tanya Snyder writes of the results of the 2014 "Streetsies Awards," based on the votes of Streetsblog readers.

January 5, 2015 - Streetsblog USA

In this Washington Post opinion, Paul Bledsoe, former staff member of the Senate Finance Committee, clears up five common misunderstandings about the federal gas tax to inform discussions on America's infrastructure funding crisis

January 4, 2015 - The Washington Post

It's 'back to the future' for Atlanta's $98 million investment that opened Dec. 30, although these will be modern, not vintage, streetcars that operate on a small loop. Streetcars last operated here in 1949. Mayor Reed intends to lengthen the route.

January 3, 2015 - The New York Times

Plummeting oil prices means Texans are seeing savings at the gas pump, but they also mean reduced revenue due to Proposition 1, the November 4 ballot measure that diverted energy taxes from the state's rainy day fund to the transportation budget.

January 3, 2015 - The Dallas Morning News

The tax would be a wholesale tax paid by fuel suppliers as has become more common in the last two years, not a retail tax at the gas pump. The Democratic governor's main problem may be his timing—the house flipped to Republican control.

January 2, 2015 - Pioneer Press

Politico takes a critical look at the streetcar trend in American cities—which had some high profile setbacks during 2014—with an eye toward the legacy of the Obama Administration.

January 1, 2015 - Politico

Jon Christensen and Mark Gold survey the environmental accomplishments of the Los Angeles region as well as the state of California over the course of the past year.

December 31, 2014 - LA Observed

Miami is in a race against time to build defenses against climate change and rising sea levels—resilience projects that require property tax revenue generated from luxury developments built in the areas most at risk.

December 31, 2014 - The Washington Post

A deeper look at the traffic data on Planetizen reveals trends from the planning and urban design conversation of 2014.

December 31, 2014 - James Brasuell