BAF IN THE NEWS:
Stateline: Gas Tax Loses Favor as Governors Look for New Transportation Money
In the search for more transportation money, governors and state lawmakers are largely avoiding one of the most obvious and straightforward funding sources: state gasoline taxes.
Pittsburgh City Paper: Rendell: Brimmeier "did a great job" heading Turnpike
Count former Gov. Ed Rendell among those not too concerned about the possibility that former Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission head Joe Brimmeier could take over the Port Authority.
New York Times: Edward Koch, Former Mayor of New York, Dies
Edward I. Koch, the master showman of City Hall, who parlayed shrewd political instincts and plenty of chutzpah into three tumultuous terms as mayor of New York with all the tenacity, zest and combativeness that personified his city of golden dreams, died Friday morning at age 88.
Washington Post: Ed Koch, outspoken former mayor of New York, dead at 88
Edward I. Koch, the former U.S. congressman and New York mayor whose wisecracks and pugnacity embodied the city he led back from the edge of bankruptcy in the 1970s, died Friday of congestive heart failure at a hospital in New York, a spokesman said. He was 88.
Politicker: Mayor Bloomberg and Aspiring Mayors Fondly Remember Ed Koch’s Legacy
http://politicker.com/2013/02/mayor-bloomberg-and-aspiring-mayors-fondly-remember-ed-kochs-legacy/
At 2 a.m. this morning, former Mayor Ed Koch passed away due to congestive heart failure. He was 88, outspoken, and if you listen to some of New York City’s leading political figures, “an irrepressible icon,” “larger than life” and “part of the fabric of New York.”
NATIONAL NEWS:
New York Times: Can Obama Do for the Grid What Eisenhower Did for Highways?
Building on earlier discussions of President Obama’s options on energy and the environment, here’s a “Your Dot” contribution from Lee C. Harrison, a frequent comment contributor who’se a senior research associate at the Atmospheric Sciences Research Center of the University of Albany:
Fast Lane: One of America's grandest terminals turns 100
http://fastlane.dot.gov/2013/01/one-of-the-grandest-of-terminals-hits-100.html#.UQvW0x1EHjs
It's a beauty on the outside, a beauty on the inside, and it has that clock. But transportation fans know its beauty isn’t skin deep--it extends all the way to to its well-engineered tracks and platforms
NRDC Switchboard: LaHood Leaves a Legacy of Strong Investment in Transportation Infrastructure
http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/plehner/lahood_leaves_a_legacy_of_stro.html#.UQp8OwkE6Zk.twitter
At the League of American Bicyclists’ National Bike Summit in 2010, Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood wasn’t, like many attendees, wearing a fluorescent bike pin on his lapel. But he did jump up on a table and deliver an impromptu speech about the importance of transportation alternatives, bike paths and walking paths, and livable communities, to raucous applause from a roomful of avid bikers. “People want alternatives,” he said. “They want to get out of their cars, out of congestion.”
Sustainable Cities Collective: Infrastructure Underinvestment's Dire Consequences
The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) has been reporting on the economic consequences of underinvestment in our nation’s infrastructure for some time. Their most recent report, Failure to Act: The Impact of Current Infrastructure Investment on America’s Economic Future, highlights the economic gains in terms of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), personal disposable income, exports, and jobs if we choose as a country to invest in our communities.
The Energy Collective: Preparing Transportation for Climate Change
http://theenergycollective.com/deronlovaas/179006/transportation-climate-change-readiness
This past Sunday at church, my daughter and I heard a story based on a children’s book that delighted her and caught my attention too. You may have heard of it – “Ming Lo Moves the Mountain.” It’s a clever parable about a family frustrated at the effects of a mountain looming over their home, including lack of sunlight and occasional boulders crashing through the roof. They determine they have to move the mountain, and after consulting the village wise man repeatedly they finally figure out how to get the job done. They deconstruct their house, pack it up, close their eyes, and take enough steps back that the mountain magically becomes smaller!
The Hill: Enviros praise LaHood as 'unexpected champion of green policies'
Departing Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood was an "unexpected champion of green policies," the head of the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) said Thursday.
Transportation For America: Rethinking the gas tax: Suddenly it’s the theme of 2013
Is the per-gallon gas tax going the way of the full-service filling station? To look at the flurry of proposals coming out lately, you might think so. Since the start of the year, major new proposals from industry leaders, governors and state legislatures have sparked a new debate over the ways we collect revenue collection for transportation — at the federal, state and local levels.
STATE NEWS:
Washington Post (Associated Press Reprint): McDonnell names members of panel to focus on creating jobs in Virginia’s rural communities
RICHMOND, Va. — A council created by Gov. Bob McDonnell is continuing efforts to focus on creating jobs in Virginia’s rural communities.
Washington Post (Associated Press Reprint): Md. transportation agency seeks citizen input on 20-year biking and walking plan
ANNAPOLIS, Md. — The Maryland Department of Transportation wants to hear from people who enjoy walking or biking.
Fox News California: We Don’t Want High-Speed Rail Here
http://www.myfoxla.com/story/20929029/time-to-pull-the-plug-on-high-speed-rail
California's High-Speed Rail Authority is still selling their so-called bullet train, by saying they're going to get from Madera to Fresno to Bakersfield.
Orlando Business Journal: FDOT maps out plan to provide transit link to SunRail
http://www.bizjournals.com/orlando/news/2013/01/31/fdot-to-map-out-plan-to-provide.html
When SunRail begins running from DeLand to Sand Lake Road in 2014, a plan will be in place to connect to areas east and west of the commuter rail system.
Charlotte Observer: McCrory warns: Streetcar could risk Charlotte's light rail money
http://www.newsobserver.com/2013/01/31/2647160/city-mccrory-threatens-light-rail.html
Gov. Pat McCrory told two city of Charlotte staff members this week that state money for the light-rail extension to UNC Charlotte could be at risk if the city builds a controversial streetcar, according to a memo sent Thursday.
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Governor touts private funding of transportation
EASTON, Pa. -- Days before he is to lay out a transportation funding plan, Gov. Tom Corbett on Thursday held up a new roadway interchange here as a model of paying for infrastructure with private investment.
Jackson Free Press: Oklahoma Mayor Helps Guide Jackson Vision
http://www.jacksonfreepress.com/news/2013/jan/31/oklahoma-mayor-helps-guide-jackson-vision/
It's not every day a governor opens for a headlining mayor. That was the case Wednesday, though, when Gov. Phil Bryant gave an introductory speech before Oklahoma City, Okla. Mayor Mick Cornett gave some resounding words to the more-than 500 audience members at the Greater Jackson Chamber Partnership's annual meeting.
Edmond Sun: Committee considers Regional Transit Authority
http://www.edmondsun.com/local/x1633469301/Committee-considers-Regional-Transit-Authority
Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett asked the Regional Transit Dialogue Steering Committee (RTD) if there is a consensus that one agency should be responsible for all metro rail and buses.
The Cap Times: Jeffrey D. Sachs: America’s new Progressive Era?
NEW YORK – In 1981, US President Ronald Reagan came to office famously declaring: “Government is not the solution to our problem. Government is the problem.” Thirty-two years and four presidents later, Barack Obama’s recent inaugural address, with its ringing endorsement of a larger role for government in addressing America’s – and the world’s – most urgent challenges, looks like it may bring down the curtain on that era.