Senate approves water infrastructure bill

Amanda Bayhi - May 16, 2013

(Photo: Geir Vika / Flickr) In an 83-14 vote, the Senate passed a bill Wednesday that will authorize several water infrastructure projects throughout the nation, McClatchy reported. The $12.5 billion bill, the Water Resources Development Act, would allow the U.S. Army ...

And the Idaho road you drove in on

John Latta - Apr 03, 2013

Idaho will now let extra-heavy trucks roam the state’s non-freeway routes. State Governor Otter has signed legislation approving the monster trucks, according to The Spokesman-Review. He’s tossed a couple of caveats into the decisions, but nevertheless trucks closing in on 130,000 pounds ...

New, all-inclusive [includes aerotropolises] freight policy bill introduced

John Latta - Mar 06, 2013

New Jersey Democratic congressman Albio Sires has introduced new legislation in Washington which he says is designed to "strengthen our national freight transportation policy by creating a national plan for moving goods efficiently by road, rail, water, and air." “With freight volumes ...

EPA regulations battle surfacing

John Latta - Apr 29, 2011

It had to happen. As EPA regulations continue to require industry to do more and change existing practices, the chafing had to eventually lead to some sort of outburst. And now it begins. Now a group of the country's top executives has ...

$3.54 billion capital transportation program proposed for New Jersey DOT, NJ Transit

Tina Grady Barbaccia - May 27, 2010

The New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) announced a proposed Transportation capital program for NJDOT and NJ TRANSIT in the amount of $3.54 billion for the fiscal year starting July 1, 2010. The FY 11 spending plan includes a $200 million ...

Congress introduces toxic chemicals legislation

Tina Grady Barbaccia - Apr 26, 2010

Congress introduced legislation this week to revamp the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), according to the National Asphalt Association (NAPA). The Senate version, "Toxic Chemicals Safety Act" would shift the burden of assessing chemical safety away from ...

House OKs $15 billion jobs bill, Senate to vote on amendments March 16

Tina Grady Barbaccia - Mar 12, 2010

Congressional Democrats made headway on their top legislative priority — job creation — when the House of Representatives approved a $15 billion package of tax credits and highway construction. The 217-to-201 vote gave Democrats a much-needed victory after weeks of ...

Is the Senate’s approval of a highway bill extension a step in the right direction or two steps back?

Tina Grady Barbaccia - Feb 26, 2010

The Senate passed an extension of the highway bill through the end of December, which seems like it would be a move in the right direction. But that one advancement forward may very well be one move in the right direction ...

House Passes Pay-As-You-Go (PayGo) legislation

Tina Grady Barbaccia - Feb 22, 2010

The House of Representatives voted on Feb. 4 to restore a "common sense" spending law that helped eliminate budget deficits in the 1990s. The Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010 (H.J. Res. 45) requires both the House of Representatives and the Senate to ...

RoadWorks: MPOs May Merit Makeover

Brooke Wisdom - Oct 01, 2009

MPOs: Options Exist to Enhance Transportation Planning Capacity and Federal Oversight. Metropolitan planning organizations are responsible for transportation planning in metropolitan areas, but according to the GAO, little is known about what has been achieved by their planning efforts. The ...

RoadWorks: What to Research Next Year

Brooke Wisdom - Oct 01, 2009

Assuming that new surface transportation legislation will eventually arrive, the Federal Highway Administration has moved to develop a planning and environment research program for FY 2010. You now have the chance to deliver your input to FHWA before the program ...