BAF IN THE NEWS:
Auto LaPresse: Alert traffic to elect: we need it here!App uses the phone's GPS to locate the bottling and constituency and send the email to the right elected.
To paraphrase Elvis Gratton: "The Zamaricains, they do." An American group has found a way to raise awareness in real-time politicians to traffic problems.
NATIONAL NEWS:
The Atlantic: Why Obama Is (Probably) Doomed to the Second-Term Blues
Back in 2007, John Fortier and I did a book called Second-Term Blues on how George W. Bush had governed after his reelection. John and I started with an essay on the usual characteristics of second-term presidencies, and measured Bush against them. This is a good time to do the same with Barack Obama.
The Hill: Amtrak touts one-month ridership record in July
More passengers rode Amtrak trains in July than during any other month in the 42-year history of the railway, the company announced on Wednesday.
Greater Greater Washington: Musk's Hyperloop math doesn't add up
http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/19848/musks-hyperloop-math-doesnt-add-up/
On Monday, entrepreneur Elon Musk announced plans to build a super-fast tube train connecting Los Angeles and San Francisco. He believes his plan will obviate the need for the California High-Speed Rail. Unfortunately, his math doesn't add up.
Mashable: For Bike Lanes, Design Makes All The Difference
http://mashable.com/2013/08/14/bike-lane-design/
When we think of design, we think of the products featured on Fab — functional and beautiful. "Art doesn’t just belong on your walls," boasts the product description of a simple but colorful rug. There's also the products on Kickstarter and Indiegogo that defy expectations — a bag is a bag is a bag, until it starts charging your electronics.
NRDC Switchboard: (Still) Searching for the sustainable city formula
http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/kbenfield/still_searching_for_the_sustai.html
I’m obsessed with trying to find just the right set of goals to define urban sustainability. Professionally, the world of smart growth has been my home base for two decades – since before we even called it smart growth – and, for a long time, the classic “ten principles” of smart growth framed by an EPA-led consortium seemed a great answer. But that list, which stressed many important values such as walkability, housing opportunities, mixed uses, preserved natural areas, and transportation choices, grew stale in its implementation.
Boston.com: Mayoral candidate goes car-free on campaign trail
Over the next three days, City Councilor Mike Ross will attempt the near-impossible: Navigate the Boston mayoral race campaign trail without his car.
Atlantic Cities: Public Transit Is Worth Way More to a City Than You Might Think
Planning scholar Daniel Chatman of the University of California at Berkeley has been thinking a lot lately about "agglomeration." Don't let the technical word throw you. All it really means is more people in the same place. As more people collect in a city center, more jobs cluster there too, boosting both wages and economic productivity over time. And the key to it all, he believes, may be public transportation.
HUFFINGTON POST CANADA: Thomas Mulcair Again Draws Link Between Lac-Megantic
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2013/08/14/mulcair-lac-megantic-deregulation_n_3756307.html
NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair has again drawn a link between the Lac-Megantic disaster that killed 47 people last month and government deregulation.
USA Today: Trade fuels efforts to build better border crossings
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/08/14/stateline-border-boom/2651835/
SANTA TERESA, N.M. — New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez, a Republican who won office three years ago calling for more secure borders, now focuses on the border region for another reason: boosting trade with Mexico.
UPI.com: EIA: Oil-by-rail up for West Coast
WASHINGTON, Aug. 15 (UPI) -- There's a growing supply of crude oil feeding U.S. refineries along the West Coast that is likely coming from rail shipments, the U.S. Energy Departmentsaid.
Progressive Railroading: STB sets October hearing to review issues surrounding NIT League's 'reciprocal switching' petition
The Surface Transportation Board (STB) has scheduled a public hearing on Oct. 22 to explore issues surrounding the National Industrial Transportation League's (NITL) petition to modify the board's standards for mandatory competitive switching.
Fuel Fix: Railway chief says Keystone XL pipeline would cut freight revenues
Allowing the Keystone XL pipeline to move forward would cut into the revenue of rail freight operators that transport oil and other liquids, but there would still be plenty of growth opportunities for cost-conscious operators, BNSF Railway CEO Matthew Rose said Wednesday.
Railway Age: STB adopts final PTC expenses and investments reporting rules
On Aug. 14, 2013, the SurfaceTransportation Board adopted final rules for the reporting of positive train control (PTC) expenses and investments for Class I railroads.
STATE NEWS:
Washington Post: AP: Transportation safety for school children to be highlighted
ROCKVILLE, Md. — Transportation safety for school children is being highlighted in Montgomery County.
New York Times: U.P.S. Cargo Plane Crashes in Alabama
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/15/us/ups-cargo-plane-crashes-in-alabama.html?_r=0
A United Parcel Service cargo plane crashed during its landing approach at the Birmingham, Ala., airport on Wednesday morning, killing the pilot and the co-pilot, the authorities said.
Progressive Railroading: MTA awards $200 million contract for East Side Access project
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) hasawarded the first of three contracts to fabricate and build permanent structural concrete lining, interior structures and fit-out caverns and tunnels excavated beneath Grand Central Terminal in New York City for the East SideAccess project.
Politico Morning Transportation
By Adam Snider | 8/15/13 5:23 AM EDT
Featuring Kathryn A. Wolfe
HAPPENING TODAY — Harbor tax bill: Washington Sens. Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell will hold a presser in Seattle to announce legislation to “overhaul” the harbor maintenance tax “to create a more equitable playing field for American ports,” Murray’s office tells MT. The shindig, which also includes officials from the state’s ports, businesses and labor groups, starts at 1 p.m. for us East Coasters.
LAWYERS DEFEND MERGER: Lawyers for American Airlines and US Airways are itching for their chance to take on the DOJ suit to block the two companies from merging. Antitrust attorney Rich Parker said the legal team wants “to get this to trial ASAP — certainly before the end of the year.” While the airlines “have great respect for the Department of Justice,” Parker said, they feel the department “got this one very wrong.” The merger of the nation’s fourth and fifth largest airlines would be “very pro-competitive,” he said, because it would create a new carrier to rival the larger Delta and United. Today’s hearing in front of bankruptcy judge will go on as planned. Kathryn has more for Pros: http://politico.pro/19jhZp3
Likely not a fan of novels: Joe Sims, a member of the legal team, hit the DOJ for taking 56 pages to make its case against the merger. “If it takes you 50 pages to tell your story, it’s probably not that compelling a story,” he said. And even though it’s that long, he said, there’s not much content. “If you look in those 56 pages, it’s hard to find much actual meat on those bones. … If they’re going to convince the court that the sky is falling, which is essentially what they’re trying to do here, they’re going to have more meat than they’ve shown us so far.”
White House staying out of it:“That was an independent enforcement action that was taken by the Department of Justice, and I don’t have anything to add to their conclusion,” principal deputy press secretary Josh Earnest said in a chat with reporters at Martha’s Vineyard, where the president is vacationing.
Cranky: The DOJ move has drawn both praise and scorn. One of the most scathing pieces of criticism comes from Brett Snyder — the Cranky Flier — who gives the department a “Crazy Jackass” award for its move to halt the merger. More: http://bit.ly/1a54psf
First Fitch: Credit agency Fitch says the stakes are higher for the bankrupt American: “In Fitch's opinion, absent the merger, American will remain at a competitive disadvantage to its larger rivals as a smaller standalone entity without the benefits of a combined route structure.”
THANK YOU, THURSDAY. Thanks for reading POLITICO’s Morning Transportation, your daily tipsheet on trains, planes and automobiles. Your regular MT host is back in the saddle after a condo-painting staycation — and a valuable lesson that century-old buildings don’t exactly have straight lines where two surfaces meet. Many thanks to Kathryn for ably filling in. Hit me up with news, tips, cheers and jeers: asnider@politico.com; follow me at @AdamKSnider or @POLITICOPro.
“Killing time on the blue highway …” http://bit.ly/12cxe3s
* A message from POWERJobs: New jobs on our radar this week: Network Designer at The Boeing Company, Optical Sensor Modeling Engineer at TASC and Business Analyst at Evolver. Interested? Apply to these jobs and more at POWERJobs.com; finally, a career site made for YOU! **
UPS CARGO PLANE ACCIDENT: A UPS cargo plane crashed on approach to Birmingham International Airport in Alabama early Wednesday morning, killing the two pilots. Nearly 12 hours after the crash, investigators still couldn’t get to the plane’s black boxes — a crucial element in determining what went wrong — because the tail section was still smoldering. NTSB board member Robert Sumwalt, part of the investigative team sent to the site soon after the crash, said that based on early info, the plane didn’t send a distress call.
From the Airbus statement: “The aircraft involved in the accident, registered under the number N155UP (and with ‘manufacturer serial number’ MSN841), was delivered to UPS from the production line in 2003. The aircraft had accumulated approximately 11,000 flight hours in some 6,800 flights. It was powered by Pratt & Whitney engines.”
Delivery delayed: Those with packages on the plane were greeted with a frank message from UPS when checking the status of their shipment: “Transportation accident occurred. / All merchandise discarded. UPS will notify the sender with details of the damage.” http://bit.ly/17pE2Z8
WIRED: All Nippon Airways has reported wiring problems with three of its Boeing 787 Dreamliners, a possible fresh headache for the flagship plane. ANA discovered a wiring problem with the fire suppression system on three planes that would trigger the wrong fire extinguisher in the event of an engine fire, according to the plane-maker. Kate Bergman at Boeing confirmed that the manufacturer knows about the issue and is “working with our customer.” Boeing will “thoroughly examine this issue and take the appropriate steps,” she said.
VIN-FORMATION: NHTSA has submitted a final rule calling for automobile- and motorcycle-makers to offer an online tool that lets customers search for safety recalls by VIN. The information, which must be updated weekly, would be available on the manufacturers’ sites as well as on www.safercar.gov. Some companies, like Ford and Honda, already offer the service. The rule, which also addresses thingslike recall reports auto-makers send to NHTSA and the labels on recall notices sent to owners, will appear in the Federal Register on Tuesday. The VIN portion kicks in a year later. Check it out: http://1.usa.gov/15EzZ8q
FAA’S ENGINE NOTICE DRAWS SCRUTINY: AOPA is taking a hard look at the FAA’s recent airworthiness directive (http://1.usa.gov/1eDada9) affecting around 6,000 planes that use engines with cylinder head issues. “AOPA is reviewing the FAA’s filing, and is exploring other roads to a solution, such as requesting that the FAA convene informational meetings with operators tolearn more about their histories using the cylinder assemblies,” the group said. Robert Hackman, AOPA vice president of regulatory affairs, said the directive “would result in an enormous financial burden for the industry, and could have the unintentional result of compromising safety.”
CARNIVAL LOBBIES UP: The cruise ship company — hounded by the PR nightmare of the “poop cruise” earlier this year and under fire from Senate Commerce Chairman Jay Rockefeller over how much taxes it pays, has hired another lobbying firm, our POLITICO Influencecolleague Byron Tau reports. Hannegan Landau will work on tax issues and “promote awareness of the economic impact and contribution of Carnival to the United States in terms of travel and tourism.” The cruise line has already spent over a half a million dollars lobbying in 2013, mostly in-house, but retains Van Ness Feldman as well.
METRO NEWS TRIO: Metro news comes in threes, it seems. A test train on the Silver Line derailed Tuesday, the Post reports (http://wapo.st/15FFT9g). WMATA officials will visit local colleges to encourage students to buy a SmarTrip card (http://bit.ly/16La3Ld). Finally, the agency is conducting a survey about when it should hold publicmeetings for service changes (http://bit.ly/13ZS6tz).
THE AUTOBAHN (SPEED READ)
- Greater Greater Washington on Elon Musk’s Hyperloop: “Unfortunately, his math doesn't add up.” http://bit.ly/1cE9Pwn
- The Hoboken Terminal’s bathrooms are back in service ten months after Hurricane Sandy. Transpo Nation: http://wny.cc/16laDCM
- Northrop Grumman is focused on the drone market. Pro’s Leigh Munsil: http://politico.pro/17qKzCE
- The M Street cycle track runs into delays. WAMU: http://bit.ly/140C4Qf
- FTA publishes guidance on how New Starts and Small Starts transit projects are evaluated and ranked. Federal Register: http://1.usa.gov/14LtOWS
THE DAY AHEAD: All day — Safe Routes to School conference. Sacramento, Calif. http://bit.ly/17J5mAt
9:30 a.m. — Transportation safety demo and car seat check includes items on school bus safety, pedestrian safety and the proper installation of child safety seats. NTSB Chairwoman Deborah Hersman and Rep. Chris Van Hollen attend. Rockville, Md.
5:35 p.m. — House T&I Railroads Chairman Jeff Denham holds a town hall meeting aboard the Altamont Corridor Express #08 train. San Jose, Calif.
THE COUNTDOWN: DOT funding and passenger rail policy both run out in 47 days. Surface transportation policy is up in 412 days and FAA policy in 777 days. The mid-term elections are in 456 days.
CABOOSE — A marriage made on Metro: The Cincinnati Metro celebrates its 40th anniversary today — complete with a renewing of the vows by a couple who met on a bus 38 years ago. They’ll get to the event on a bus and their bus driver will officiate the ceremony. http://bit.ly/15GHf3F
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BAF IN THE NEWS:
Auto LaPresse: Alert traffic to elect: we need it here!App uses the phone's GPS to locate the bottling and constituency and send the email to the right elected.
To paraphrase Elvis Gratton: "The Zamaricains, they do." An American group has found a way to raise awareness in real-time politicians to traffic problems.