September 2010 Archives

The Federal Aviation Administration is headed for its 16th temporary extension in three years. While the House and Senate have each passed a comprehensive reauthorization bill this year, getting a final package to the president's desk has been arduous. The process is currently held up over a number of issues, including a labor dispute involving FedEx, an increase in the passenger facility charge and the question of how many long-distance flights should be allowed at Reagan National Airport.

What are the most pressing needs in a comprehensive reauthorization bill? If prospects continue to look dim, would it be better for Congress to break out provisions dealing with airport infrastructure, a NextGen air traffic control system, or others?

5 responses: Ed Wytkind, James C. May, Bob Poole, Greg Principato, Paul Rinaldi

Distracted driving has been one of the Transportation Department's signature issues under Secretary Ray LaHood, and this week DOT is convening its second summit on the problem. A wide range of officials from government to industry to law enforcement are being brought together to discuss the past year's efforts, current outreach strategies and what happens next.

The public focus of distracted driving is typically handheld cell phones and texting. As laws have proliferated, that's where the emphasis has been: Forty states, plus the District of Columbia and two U.S. territories, will have some sort of ban in place by January. Are there reasonable limits on such laws' scope, such as allowances for gridlock? Is there a solution for the "traditional" distractions, such as talking with passengers? Should distracted driving be a primary offense or a secondary offense -- or neither? Are there promising prevention strategies that merit wider use?

12 responses: Tom Madigan, Nancy LeaMond, Robert L. Darbelnet, Andy Clarke, Robin Chase, Scott Belcher, Dave McCurdy, Greg Cohen, Dennis Christiansen, Leslie Blakey, Gabriel Roth, Ray LaHood

After President Obama unveiled a wide-ranging transportation and infrastructure plan last week, where do we go from here?

Obama touched on several major themes, including: significant rehabbing or construction of roads, rails and runways; long-term reauthorization of the surface transportation law; an infrastructure bank meant to replace the earmark system for federal transportation spending; general streamlining of surface transportation investments; putting high-speed rail "on an equal footing" as a federal priority; and "a robust investment" in the NextGen air traffic control system.

The White House didn't offer many funding specifics, but the initial $50 billion for the infrastructure bank would be offset by doing away with tax breaks for oil and gas companies.

What parts of this plan are you most excited about and most wary of? What will it do for the nation's unemployment problem? How should the bank's initial $50 billion be allocated among roads, rails and runways, and where should the money come from to pay for the rest of the plan? And when will Congress take up the proposal? Is bipartisan consensus possible on any part of it before or after the midterms?

15 responses: William Millar, Patrick J. Natale, P.E., Richard Mudge, Gabriel Roth, Emil H. Frankel, Mortimer L. Downey, Robert L. Darbelnet, Peter Gertler, Nathaniel P. Ford Sr., Laura Barrett, James C. May, Terry O’Sullivan, James Corless, Greg Principato, Ken Orski

New cars might be getting environmental letter grades under a plan by the Transportation Department and Environmental Protection Agency to redesign auto-lot window stickers. There are actually two designs up for public comment; one of them would resemble the current stickers but add emissions data in accordance with the 2007 Energy Independence and Security Act. But the other would be dominated by a new grade based on fuel efficiency and tailpipe emissions. The emergence of electric and hybrid autos plays a part; both new sticker designs show what fuel a vehicle uses. Another change: Where current stickers compare a vehicle to others in its class, the new ones will additionally use a more comprehensive scale including all labeled vehicles.

What do you think of the letter grade? Would this be an effective way to steer new-car buyers away from gas-guzzlers? Should the government use the grading system to reflect the available fuel economy options or to make a statement about desired standards? What are the pluses and minuses of rating compact cars and SUVs on the same scale? Is this grading approach applicable to other consumer data, like safety ratings?

2 responses: Greg Cohen, Gabriel Roth