Innovation NewsBriefs Vol. 22 No. 25 With Congress in session for only 11 days during the month of September, there is not enough time to act upon substantive transportation legislation which expires at the end of the month. Consequently, both the Senate and House transportation leaders have agreed to support a temporary extension of the […]
View this complete post...Archive for the ‘Accountability’ Category
The End of an ARRA
Friday, August 26th, 2011THE CENTER FOR AN URBAN FUTURE
In the winter of 2009, with more than 1.4 million job losses in the first two months of the year, the federal government passed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) into law as a way to quickly inject liquidity into a stalling economy and maintain critical services that would allow individuals and communities to survive through the recession. At first glance, New York City made out pretty well. More than $7 billion in Recovery Act funds went to programs benefitting New York City residents, which was more than many entire states received.
View this complete post...What’s Next for U.S. Cities?
Thursday, August 25th, 2011THE CENTER FOR AN URBAN FUTURE
On April 25, 2011, the Center for an Urban Future and the Rockefeller Foundation convened a small, private roundtable discussion with more than a dozen of the nation’s thought leaders to discuss the key trends, opportunities and challenges that U.S. cities face over the next two decades—with a particular focus on the critical issues expected to impact the most vulnerable urban residents. The purpose of the conversation was to help the Rockefeller Foundation, and the larger philanthropic community, identify the key megatrends, challenges and opportunities that will affect those living in U.S. cities over the next 20 years.
View this complete post...Legislative Prospects for the Transportation Bill: An Update
Monday, August 22nd, 2011The continuing stalemate over FAA funding offers a foretaste of what awaits us in September when Congress will get down to discussing the transportation bill. Only the stakes will be much higher and the consequences of a deadlock much more serious. That is the sober assessment offered by seasoned Washington observers on both sides of the political divide.
View this complete post...Connecting the Dots: Transmission and Rural Communities
Monday, August 15th, 2011CENTER FOR RURAL AFFAIRS
A robust electric grid is vital to the health of any economy. Successful improvement of the decades-old infrastructure already in place will enhance reliability, allow for the seamless integration of renewable resources and account for heightened electricity demand.
View this complete post...Building America’s Future: Falling Apart and Falling Behind
Monday, August 8th, 2011BUILDING AMERICA’S FUTURE
Rebuilding America’s economic foundation is one of the most important missions we face in the 21st century. Our parents and grandparents built America into the world’s leading economic superpower. We have a responsibility to our own children and grandchildren to strengthen—not squander —that inheritance, and to pass on to them a country whose best days are still ahead.
View this complete post...Kathleen Mulligan-Hansel on The Infra Blog
Friday, July 22nd, 2011Kathleen Mulligan-Hansel is the Deputy Director of The Partnership for Working Families. She has deep roots in accountable development work, having served as a founding co-chair and primary staff lead for the Good Jobs & Livable Neighborhoods coalition in Milwaukee while a coordinator of the Working Families Project at the Institute for Wisconsin’s Future. Under […]
View this complete post...RECOVERY ACT: Funding Used for Transportation Infrastructure Projects, but Some Requirements Proved Challenging
Monday, July 11th, 2011UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE
Recipients continue to report using Recovery Act funds to improve the nation’s transportation infrastructure. Highway funds have been primarily used for pavement improvement projects, and transit funds have been primarily used to upgrade transit facilities and purchase buses. Recovery Act funds have also been used to rehabilitate airport runways and improve Amtrak’s infrastructure. The Recovery Act helped fund transportation jobs, but long-term benefits are unclear
Adjusting to Fiscal and Political Realities
Monday, June 20th, 2011The practical implications of this policy for the federal-aid transportation program are unambiguous: federal budget authority in FY 2012 and beyond will be limited to tax receipts flowing into the Highway Trust Fund. Those revenues (plus interest) will amount to an estimated $36.9 billion in 2011 according to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO)— $31.8 billion will be credited to the Highway Account and $5.1 billion to the Transit Account. Over the next ten years, CBO estimates these revenues will grow at an average rate of a little more than one percent per year, largely reflecting expected growth in motor fuel consumption. (“The Highway Trust Fund and Paying for Highways,” testimony of Joseph Kile, Asst. Director of CBO, before the Senate Finance Committee, May 17, 2011).
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