NATIONAL NEWS:
The Atlantic Cities: Why U.S. Immigrants Drive Less Than Natives
http://www.theatlanticcities.com/commute/2013/11/why-us-immigrants-drive-less-natives/7689/
U.S. immigrants drive a lot less than native-born Americans. They're twice as likely to commute by transit and one-and-a-half times as likely to carpool when they arrive in the country — and they remain more likely to use those modes 15 years later. This big driving gap declines once an immigrant has lived in the United States for a couple decades. But even then some difference lingers.
Washington Post: Severe storm disrupts holiday travel
November 26, 2013 7:59 AM EST — Thanksgiving travelers are stuck, with a severe storm grounding hundreds of flights and making roads dangerous. (AP)
New York Times: Climate Crisis: Who Will Act?
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/25/opinion/climate-crisis-who-will-act.html?hpw&rref=
Geneva — The last-minute deal at the United Nations Climate Conference in Warsaw keeps hopes for a comprehensive successor agreement to the 1997 Kyoto protocol alive. But let us be clear: Much more decisive action will be needed if we are to stand any chance at fending off the dangers of climate change.
STATE NEWS:
Bloomberg: California High-Speed Rail Bond Sale Rejected by Judge
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-11-25/california-high-speed-rail-bond-sale-rejected-by-judge.html
The California High-Speed Rail Authority was barred from issuing more than $8 billion in bonds to help finance a high-speed rail line from San Francisco to Los Angeles after a judge said the agency failed to provide sufficient justification for approving the sales.
Next City: The Dallas Where JFK Died Is No More, and a Movement to Tear Down a Highway Is the Evidence
Perhaps the best summary of the half-century of changes that have shaped Dallas comes through the refrain of a Silver Jews song of the same name: “How’d you turn a billion steers into buildings made of mirrors?”
NorthJersey.com: Opinion: We neglect infrastructure at our own risk
http://www.northjersey.com/news/opinions/infrastructure_112613.html#sthash.Ig25qfOg.dpuf
THIS WEEK marks the 81st anniversary of the opening of the Pulaski Skyway Bridge – a milestone for what was once a modern span supporting commuters, freight and commerce. While the bridge is finally receiving much needed attention to prevent it from literally falling down, its condition highlights a serious local, regional and national problem.
Transportation Nation: Holy Crap Nor'easter: News, Traffic Maps and Storm Tracker
You're already tense enough about the upcoming holiday - and now a coming storm could really throw a spanner in the works. Don't worry - we've got you covered, whether you're traveling by air, ground or just want to watch this nasty weather approach.
Los Angeles Times: Sacramento judge's ruling throws bullet train's future in doubt
http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-1126-bullet-train-ruling-20131126,0,2663991.story#axzz2ll592fsv
In a major legal blow to the California bullet train, a Sacramento judge ruled that state officials cannot pursue their plan to tap billions of dollars in voter-approved bond funding for construction, a decision that could cause indefinite delays in the massive $68-billion project.
New York Times: Group to Promote Revised Plan for Tolls on East River Bridges
There could be no more talk, transit advocates reasoned, of “congestion pricing,” a phrase Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg often used before his sweeping plan to overhaul New York City’s bridge tolling system was vanquished in 2008, and treated as political arsenic ever since.
San Francisco Chronicle: Task force: billions needed to fix transit in S.F.
http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Task-force-billions-needed-to-fix-transit-in-S-F-5008878.php
San Francisco's transportation system - famous for its slow Muni buses, pothole-pocked streets and inadequate bike and pedestrian amenities - needs a lot of help: $10.1 billion worth, a task force appointed by the mayor has concluded.
KUHF: $30 Million Dollar Project Aims To Improve Pedestrian Mobility Throughout Houston
There's progress today in an effort to improve bicycle and pedestrian paths in key parts of Houston. Six new projects will close significant gaps in two major paths inside the 610 Loop. The projects are being completed with both government grants and local dollars. Long before vehicular traffic took over and inundated the roadways, Houston enjoyed getting around by walking and with bicycles.
Marketplace: Instead of airport parking, some fliers now rent out their cars
There are few more dreaded phrases than this: "Can I borrow your car?" But just as people increasingly rent out their houses to strangers on Airbnb, a new company is betting that we'll be willing to hand over our car keys when we go out of town.
The Philadelphia Inquirer: Andrews calls for independent oversight of railroads
PAULSBORO U.S. Rep. Robert E. Andrews called Monday for more vigorous, independent oversight of railroads, nearly a year after a train derailment in Paulsboro caused the release of a toxic chemical and forced hundreds of people from their homes.
Politico Morning Transportation
By Adam Snider | 11/26/13 5:57 AM EST
Featuring Kathryn A. Wolfe and Scott Wong
GOLDEN STATE FAST TRAIN OFF TRACK? The California high-speed rail project is back in the spotlight and sure to get a close look from the Hill after suffering a dual setback yesterday — a judge blocked a bond sale and ordered a new version of a $68 billion funding plan. The rulings from Sacramento County Superior Court Judge Michael Kenny mean the California High-Speed Rail Authority can’t sell $8 billion of the $10 billion in voter-approved bonds and has to spend months restructuring its funding plan. It’s the latest blows for a project that still needs tens of billions of dollars but won’t be getting any from the feds as long as Republicans control the House. The ambitious project has also come under the congressional microscope for delays and roller-coaster cost estimates ranging from $33 billion to nearly $100 billion before settling in at $68 billion. The AP has more: http://bit.ly/19Yvxnt
Staying positive: Dan Richard, chairman of the CHSRA’s board, didn’t seem too downbeat in his statement: “We are reviewing both decisions to chart our next steps, but it is important to stress that the court again declined the opposition’s request to stop the high-speed rail project from moving forward. Additionally, the judge did not invalidate the bonds as approved by the voters in Proposition 1A. Like all transformative projects, we understand that there will be many challenges that will be addressed as we go forward in building the nation’s first high-speed rail system.”
Oh, and there’s this… KPBS reports on another problem for the project — sinking land. http://bit.ly/1aOz9gd
NTSB QUESTIONS FAA SAFETY MANDATE: Kathryn reports for Pros: “The NTSB says the FAA may be going too far with a directive to inspect and replace engine parts in thousands of general aviation planes. In August, the FAA proposed a new airworthiness directive to inspect and replace cylinders that could be subject to cracking on some aircraft engines manufactured by Continental Motors Inc. … But in a letter to the FAA dated Nov. 5, the NTSB — which doesn’t flinch from aggressive safety recommendations — said the FAA’s AD goes much further than it can support with its own data, and it suggests that the FAA scale back the AD’s scope so that it's in line with a less ambitious safety recommendation the NTSB made last year.” Pros get the full story: http://politico.pro/Ii8hv4
In other air safety news: The FAA says it will issue an airworthiness directive for Boeing 787 Dreamliners and 747-8s “this week” after reports of engine icing during some storms.
OBAMA MEETS WITH TSA VICTIM’S FAMILY: While in Los Angeles late last night, President Barack Obama met with the family of Gerardo Hernandez, the first ever TSA officer to be killed in the line of duty. Obama met with the family in his hotel room, and also met wounded TSA officers Tony Grigsby and James Speer, the White House said.
TURKEY TIME COUNTDOWN: T-MINUS TWO DAYS. Thanks for reading POLITICO’s Morning Transportation, your daily tipsheet on trains, planes, automobiles and ports, where on this day in transportation history, streetcars started running in New York City (1832), the first cloverleaf interchange appears on the cover of the “Engineering News-Record” (1931) and President Franklin D. Roosevelt called for gas rationing (1942). Please send me your tips, news and insights: asnider@politico.com. And follow me on Twitter: @AdamKSnider.
“It's like we follow I-83 down to harbor cities …” http://bit.ly/16UyIlE
HALVORSON’S MILLIONS: Art Halvorson is no pauper. The Coast Guard vet trying to unseat Transportation Chairman Bill Shuster is worth millions thanks to his real estate investments, public records show. Halvorson has between $6.6 and $26.3 million, mostly from 13 properties he owns in Virginia, Maryland, Iowa and the Carolinas. And that doesn’t include his primary residence, a 250-acre farm in Manns Choice in Pennsylvania’s 9th district. Halvorson earned between $390,000 and $2.5 million from renting out his properties this year. Shuster, on the other hand, has between $663K and $1.6 million in assets. The incumbent Shuster has a healthy lead in early polling, but Scott reports that if things get closer, “Halvorson’s personal wealth — much of it located outside of Pennsylvania — could feature more prominently in the GOP primary race.” His story: http://politico.pro/1aTtYLd
**A message from POWERJobs: Jobs on our radar this week: Program Manager at SAIC, Military Police at METRO and Director, Business Development at Evolver. Interested? Apply to these jobs and more at www.POWERJobs.com; finally, a career site made for YOU!**
TAKING A TOLL: Real estate economist Kyle Merville wrote in to MT after yesterday’s write-up of the Texas DOT continuing to shame toll scofflaws with an interesting tidbit: “Going into the TXDOT’s website means the current top family owes $217,619 in unpaid bills. Currently the county values their home at $141,195. Rough.”
TRANSPORT CONSTRUCTION FORECAST: The transportation infrastructure construction market should grow 5 percent next year, from $129 billion to nearly $136 billion, ARTBA is predicting in its 2014 forecast. Airport runway and terminal work should skyrocket 17 percent, with big gains in bridge and tunnel, waterway and port and rail projects as well. But pavement — a staple of the transportation construction market — should only see a modest 2.6 percent boost next year. ARTBA’s chief economist Allison Premo Black has the warning: “Absent congressional action to improve the revenue stream into the federal Highway Trust Fund before next October, federal support for state programs faces a potential $40 billion cut in fiscal year 2015. That uncertainty is already putting a damper on state project lettings. Congress needs to act.”
MAILBAG — Bay State towers: It might not have been the sexiest sequester storyline — and it wasn’t even the most expensive in the transportation world. But the issue of contract air traffic control towers is still getting attention. The latest warning comes from the entire Massachusetts delegation, led by Sen. Ed Markey and Rep. Stephen Lynch. Read the letters to the FAA (http://1.usa.gov/1cLGs6Q) and the leaders of the House and Senate Appropriations panels (http://1.usa.gov/1bPRN4m).
A MAN, A PLAN, A REPORT...PANAMA: The Maritime Administration is out with the first part of a report on the upcoming Panama Canal expansion that will double the capacity at the major shipping thoroughfare. The lengthy first phase of the “Panama Canal Expansion Study” clocks in at 202 pages outlining just how much world trade and shipping will change when the new locks open, scheduled for 2015. Give it a read: http://1.usa.gov/1b0Xewi
IN TODAY’S FEDERAL REGISTER — Honk honk: The FRA is updating the “Nationwide Significant Risk Threshold,” an index used in calculating train horn “quiet zones” at road-rail crossings. Read the Fed Reg entry: http://1.usa.gov/17UnQnK
HIPSTER HOODS: Love it or hate it, “hipster” is a term that’s here to stay, apparently. And by one measure that includes access to transit, Arlington is swarming with them. The 22203 ZIP code that includes Ballston and Virginia Square is the 7th-most “hipster-friendly” area in the U.S., according to real estate info firm RealtyTrac. There were no D.C. areas on the list — something your MT host, who resides right next door to Columbia Heights, would like to dispute. Perhaps the simple definition of “hipster” is the culprit — the firm defines one as a young person who rents and takes transit. If only it were that easy — Metro is too mainstream for true hipsters. ARLnow: http://bit.ly/1aTGXfP
THE AUTOBAHN (SPEED READ)
- The deal with Iran could lead to cheaper gas prices...but it’s complicated. Pro’s Darren Goode: http://politico.pro/1b16Uqz
- Residents come out in strong opposition to double-stacking freight rail on the Virginia Avenue Tunnel. Washington City Paper: http://bit.ly/1bQ4gVB
- New Orleans taxicab head sends cease and desist to Uber. WDSU: http://bit.ly/1ev8MMV (h/t Kevin Robillard)
- Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett signs new $2.3 billion transportation law. Philadelphia Inquirer: http://bit.ly/18DjPmb
- Chrysler IPO delayed until 2014 because it couldn’t resolve a tax issue in time. Statement: http://bit.ly/IdPm3U
- Metro running extra buses to and from IAD and BWI for the busy Thanksgiving week. WMATA: http://bit.ly/17OjwV5
- More proof that the United States might have reached “peak car.” The Energy Collective: http://bit.ly/193nNkE (h/t Bob King)
- British politician says bikers are “longing” to be hit by cars. Grist: http://bit.ly/1aPAKSY
THE DAY AHEAD: 10 a.m. — The Sikh Coalition and civil rights groups hold a news conference to unveil version 2.0 of FlyRights, a mobile application that allows users to report airport profiling and screening discrimination directly to the TSA. Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, 1629 K Street NW, 10th Floor.
THE COUNTDOWN: Surface transportation policy is up in 309 days and FAA policy in 674 days. The mid-term elections are in 343 days. DOT appropriations run out in 51 days.
CABOOSE — Don’t drop it: “Lifting an engine to be carried to another part of the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe shops for wheeling,” a great black-and-white shot from 1943. Shorpy: http://bit.ly/I0sipR
**A message from POWERJobs: Tap into the power of POWERJobs for the newest job opportunities in the Washington area from the area’s top employers, including METRO, Evolver, Boeing and AIPAC. Powered by names you trust — POLITICO, WTOP, WJLA/ABC-TV, NewsChannel 8 and Federal News Radio- POWERJOBS is the ultimate career site with more than 2 million job searches and nearly 17,000 applications submitted this year so far. Connect through Facebook or LinkedIn, search jobs by industry and set up job-specific email alerts using www.POWERJobs.com, the site for Washington’s top talent.**
Stories from POLITICO Pro
NTSB says FAA directive may not be justified
Shuster opponent lists wealth in millions
Will Iran deal fuel savings for U.S. drivers?
NTSB says FAA directive may not be justified
By Kathryn A. Wolfe | 11/25/13 4:57 PM EST
The NTSB says the FAA may be going too far with a directive to inspect and replace engine parts in thousands of general aviation planes.
In August, the FAA proposed a new airworthiness directive to inspect and replace cylinders that could be subject to cracking on some aircraft engines manufactured by Continental Motors Inc. According to the FAA, the cost to the industry to the fix the estimated 6,000 planes affected nationwide would be about $82 million.
In its filing, the FAA said it was “prompted by failure reports of multiple cylinder heads,” and that the changes are being proposed to “prevent cylinder head cracks, engine failure, and loss of the airplane.”
But in a letter to the FAA dated Nov. 5, the NTSB — which doesn’t flinch from aggressive safety recommendations — said the FAA’s AD goes much further than it can support with its own data, and it suggests that the FAA scale back the AD’s scope so that it's in line with a less ambitious safety recommendation the NTSB made last year.
“The proposed rule would affect many more cylinder assemblies than the NTSB included in our recommendation letter. Because we are not aware of information to support the expanded scope and decrease in compliance time contained in the FAA’s proposed AD, we support FAA action more consistent with” NTSB’s safety recommendation, NTSB said in the letter.
“If there is additional data to warrant expanding the scope, we encourage the FAA to provide that data and information supporting an expanded scope and compliance time changes in this proposed action,” the letter concluded.
In a statement, the FAA said it agreed with the NTSB’s safety recommendation but said the scope of its directive was broader “because FAA research determined that a manufacturing process change supports addressing parts with a serial number higher than what the board identified.”
The agency said it will “fully address the NTSB’s comments, as well as all others from the aviation community,” when it issues its final rule.
In any case, the NTSB’s concerns may bolster the opposition from the general aviation groups, such as the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association and the Experimental Aircraft Association, that are pushing against the proposed rule and are asking the FAA to show its work with additional data backing up the AD.
In a statement, EAA said the “bottom line is that the FAA’s proposed AD would affect many more cylinders than NTSB testing and data collection indicates is necessary,” and it observed that it’s “very unusual for the FAA to be calling for more expansive action than the NTSB.”
“The FAA has yet to provide data to support these proposed actions. And the NTSB comments on the AD fall largely in line with the general aviation industry that has been unable to find sufficient data and safety reasons to retire thousands of cylinders early at a cost of millions of dollars to airplane owners,” EAA said.
Shuster opponent lists wealth in millions
By Scott Wong | 11/25/13 2:35 PM EST
Public documents posted Monday offer a look at the personal wealth amassed by the tea-party insurgent challenging House Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman Bill Shuster (R-Pa.).
Art Halvorson, a real-estate investor and retired Coast Guard captain, disclosed he has assets totaling between $6.6 million and $26.3 million, mostly from the 13 rental properties he owns in Virginia, Maryland, Iowa and the Carolinas, new House financial disclosure statements show.
The law did not require Halvorson to report the value of his primary residence, a 250-acre farm in Manns Choice in Pennsylvania’s 9th Congressional District. This year, Halvorson earned between $390,000 and $2.5 million in income from his rentals.
He owed between $4.6 million and $15.4 million in loans on his 13 properties.
Halvorson previously said he would pay a $200 penalty for missing the deadline to file his financial disclosure report with the House Office of the Clerk. But he also planned to ask for a waiver because he is a first-time candidate.
By contrast, Shuster listed between $663,000 and $1.6 million in assets, and owed between $50,000 and $100,000 on his home mortgage and another $15,000 to $50,000 on a Visa credit card.
The powerful T&I chairman and seven-term incumbent was easily leading Halvorson 53 percent to 18 percent, according to a new DFM Research poll. But if the political newcomer begins to narrow the gap, Halvorson’s personal wealth — much of it located outside of Pennsylvania — could feature more prominently in the GOP primary race.
Halvorson has already loaned his campaign $100,000 of his own money in a bid to show voters and outside conservative groups he’s running a serious campaign against Shuster.
POLITICO recently reported that one of Halvorson’s properties — a beachfront rental in North Topsail Beach, N.C. — would directly benefit from the enormous water-projects bill that his chief opponent, Shuster, shepherded through the House. For the record, Halvorson has said he’s opposed to the hurricane-protection project and derided the $8 billion water bill as a waste of taxpayer dollars.
In addition to Halvorson’s beach home and 250-acre Pennsylvania farm, his financial disclosure report showed he owned a rental properties in Riva and Baltimore, Md.; Williamsburg, and Portsmouth, Va.; a 40-acre farm in Rake, Iowa; three properties in Temple Hills, Md.; and four properties in Charleston, S.C.
The primary in the overwhelmingly red congressional district will be held in May.
Will Iran deal fuel savings for U.S. drivers?
By Darren Goode | 11/25/13 5:36 PM EST
This weekend’s nuclear deal with Iran could eventually prove a big win for American motorists at the gas pump.
But how big, and how soon? That’s complicated.
Any number of factors could unravel the potential for eased tensions with Iran to yield sizable reductions in oil and gasoline prices: Congress could impose tougher sanctions on the Iranians despite President Barack Obama’s pleas for lawmakers to wait. Saudi Arabia could curtail its own oil production to keep the price high. Growing demand for energy in China and India could outpace the surge in Iran’s exports. Snags in U.S. refining operations could throw a kink in the gasoline supply.
On the other hand, a sustained price drop could dampen the U.S. boom in oil production from shale, which would become increasingly uneconomical if the price drops below around $80 a barrel. But that’s a ways off — the price of domestic crude as of Monday was around $94 a barrel, though it recently spent 15 weeks above $100.
What happens at the pump could have consequences at the polls in 2014, giving Democrats some good news to counter the troubled rollout of Obamacare.
Global oil prices, which are higher than the U.S. price, initially dropped early Monday in response to the deal, although by mid-afternoon they had recovered to finish down a few cents at around $111 a barrel. The Wall Street Journal quoted Morgan Stanley as calling any substantial price drop because of this weekend’s news a “potential overreaction.”
“This is a very bearish result over the weekend; it’s about as bearish as could have plausibly been expected,” Seth Kleinman, head of energy strategy at Citigroup, told POLITICO. “But if this proceeds to a final deal, it’s extremely bearish for oil prices.”
“This is a potentially positive development for motorists … but the story really is only just beginning to be written,” said Avery Ash, manager of regulatory affairs at AAA.
A sustained agreement on Tehran’s nuclear activities could eventually allow Iran to boost its oil exports back up to 2.5 million barrels a day, where they were before U.S. and European sanctions took effect. That could more than make up for the loss of about 1 million barrels per day from Libya that is offline now because of instability there.
Eased tensions can also reduce the so-called fear premium in the oil markets, which have been roiled since the Libyan uprising began in early 2011.
Iran is now allowed to export around 1 million barrels a day, and the U.S. insists that the cap can’t rise for the next six months under the short-term nuclear agreement. Iran holds the world’s fourth-largest proven oil reserves and second-largest natural gas reserves, though the latter is largely untapped.
Any long-term jump in Iranian exports would add to an oil market that’s already expected to see higher crude production next year from non-OPEC countries, especially the U.S. and Canada.
The U.S. was producing 6.2 million barrels a day in July 2012, when the latest Iranian sanctions went into effect. “In a couple of weeks, it’s going to be 8 [million],” said Tom Kloza, chief oil analyst at the Oil Price Information Service and GasBuddy.com.
If the sanctions were lifted, Kleinman estimates, half the impacted oil could return to the markets within a month or two, while the other half could take six months to a year.
Kloza is hesitant to predict exactly how that would affect prices. “The best you can say is the prices in 2014 are going to be more temperate and less prone to violent upswings than in 2013, which was better than 2012 and even 2011,” he said.
And that undoubtedly helped U.S. motorists, who Kloza estimates will spend $15 billion less on gasoline in 2013 compared with last year.
The basic calculation is that a $10 drop in the per-barrel price of U.S. crude oil equals a drop of 23 cents per gallon at the pump for gasoline.
“The long-run outcome of a million barrels coming back because sanctions on Iranian crude are lifted entirely, that’s sort of the big sea change [that could happen] in the market,” said Kevin Book, an analyst for Clearview Energy Partners. Theoretically, that could lower U.S. gasoline prices 30 cents a gallon.
The reality, though, is that nothing happens in isolation on the global market. “The market starts to correct at some point,” Book said.
Saudi Arabia, for one, could decide the global market is oversupplied and curtail its own production.
Another possibility: If prices drop sharply enough, the fallout could include a decline in expensive “frontier” oil production in the U.S. That includes drilling in shale and in ultra-deepwater regions.
“We’d rather have a good day at the pump than a bad day at the oil field,” Book said. “But a good day at the pump is a bad day at the oil field.”
It would take a lot to bring the U.S. price down to $80 a barrel, let alone have it stay below that threshold, however.
Resumption of full Iranian oil exports would probably have a bigger effect on the global price than on the U.S. price. For one thing, there is already a sizable gap between the world and U.S. prices, which can be narrowed by bringing the global price down. Second, the global price is far more susceptible to geopolitical tensions.
Meanwhile, other factors can affect U.S. gasoline prices, such as unexpected refinery outages.
”Once we get to the beginning of next year, there are domestic factors that obviously can impact pump prices regardless of what happens to global crude oil prices,” Ash said.
In recent days, a loss of some Gulf Coast refinery production has led to an increase in the nationwide average of regular gasoline, which rose 7 cents in the past week to reach $3.28 a gallon Monday, Ash said.
The U.S. average is still 2 cents a gallon cheaper than a month ago and 15 cents cheaper than a year ago, after falling faster than expected this fall. It reached as low as just under $3.18 a gallon two weeks ago.
Ash is still staying with his projection from several weeks ago that the price of regular gasoline will average somewhere between $3.10 and $3.20 a gallon by Christmas. The fallout of the Iran deal may mean it hits toward the lower end of that range, he said.
NATIONAL NEWS:
The Atlantic Cities: Why U.S. Immigrants Drive Less Than Natives
http://www.theatlanticcities.com/commute/2013/11/why-us-immigrants-drive-less-natives/7689/
U.S. immigrants drive a lot less than native-born Americans. They're twice as likely to commute by transit and one-and-a-half times as likely to carpool when they arrive in the country — and they remain more likely to use those modes 15 years later. This big driving gap declines once an immigrant has lived in the United States for a couple decades. But even then some difference lingers.