FTA New Starts Notice Of Proposed Rulemaking
March 12, 2012
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Reconnecting America's policy team has prepared a table summarizing the major changes to the evaluation criteria that the Federal Transit Administration is proposing for its project justification criteria for New Starts and Small Starts projects.
Response To Federal Continuing Resolution
April 12, 2011
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The recently announced compromise to fund the federal government through the remainder of FY2011 preserves several critical programs, but also raises cause for concern. Reconnecting America is pleased to see that the compromise continues to support the Partnership for Sustainable Communities, which is effectively coordinating federal housing and transportation programs to provide the greatest benefits at the regional and local levels. Programs such as DOT's TIGER grants and HUD's Sustainable Communities grants will save taxpayer dollars over the long-term by helping communities make better investments today.
However, the reduction in the Federal Transit Administration's New Starts/Small Starts program (see analysis of cuts here) and the complete elimination of the High-Speed and Intercity Passenger Rail program in FY 2011 is a step in the wrong direction. In this era of $4-a-gallon gas, Americans need more transportation options, not fewer. In…
Questions and Answers about New Starts/Small Starts Program Cuts in the Final FY11 Continuing Resolution
April 12, 2011
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Q. How much funding is cut from the New Starts/Small Starts program?
A. The final Continuing Resolution, which would fund the government through the end of FY2011, made two cuts to the federal New Starts/Small Starts program, which provides funding for fixed guideway (e.g., subway, light rail, commuter rail, bus rapid transit) projects. The amount of funding cut from FY11 depends on what the baseline for comparison is. The CR would fund the New Starts/Small Starts program in FY11 at $1.6 billion, which is $400 million less than the FY10 level – but only about $220 million less than what the President requested for FY11. (The President’s request for FY11 was $1.822 billion, while the FY10 actual appropriation was $2 billion). The CR also rescinds $280 million from unobligated funds that were appropriated to FTA prior to FY11. Q. Is it true that all of the funding that is cut is attributable to New Jersey’s ARC project?
A. No. …
A. The final Continuing Resolution, which would fund the government through the end of FY2011, made two cuts to the federal New Starts/Small Starts program, which provides funding for fixed guideway (e.g., subway, light rail, commuter rail, bus rapid transit) projects. The amount of funding cut from FY11 depends on what the baseline for comparison is. The CR would fund the New Starts/Small Starts program in FY11 at $1.6 billion, which is $400 million less than the FY10 level – but only about $220 million less than what the President requested for FY11. (The President’s request for FY11 was $1.822 billion, while the FY10 actual appropriation was $2 billion). The CR also rescinds $280 million from unobligated funds that were appropriated to FTA prior to FY11. Q. Is it true that all of the funding that is cut is attributable to New Jersey’s ARC project?
A. No. …
Reconnecting America Analysis of FY 12 New Starts Report
March 2, 2011
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On February 15, 2011, the Federal Transit Administration issued its Annual Report on Funding Recommendations for the New Starts and Small Starts program for fiscal year 2012 (FY 2012). The report lists the New Starts and Small Starts projects that make up the program budget included in the President’s FY 2012 Federal Budget, which was released on February 14, 2011. The total budget for the New Starts and Small Starts programs in the President’s FY 2012 budget is $3,225,556,000.
Reconnecting America Commends Obama Administration High-Speed And Inter-City Passenger Rail Grants
October 28, 2010
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Reconnecting America President and CEO John Robert Smith commended the Obama administration for the $2.4 billion in grants announced today for the development of high-speed and inter-city passenger rail corridors in the United States.
Reconnecting America Applauds TIGERII Grants
October 20, 2010
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Reconnecting America President and CEO John Robert Smith applauded today's award of nearly $600 million in Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) II construction and planning grants.
Reconnecting America Analyzes New Starts/Small Starts Program
February 4, 2010
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President Obama has proposed $1.82 billion for 27 New Starts/Small Starts transit projects in his FY 2011 budget, including 10 new projects, nine that had previously been recommended for funding and eight projects already under construction. Winners of new Full Funding Grant Agreements include two bus rapid transit projects in Oakland and Connecticut, San Francisco’s Central Subway, rail projects in Honolulu and the Twin Cities and two lines in Denver.
Changed Federal Funding Policy Expected To Shift Money To Projects Promoting 'Livability'
January 19, 2010
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WASHINGTON DC – U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has announced a change in the criteria on which federal transportation funding decisions are based that moves away from “very narrow cost and performance criteria” to a consideration of “all the factors that help communities reduce their carbon footprint, spur economic activity, and relieve congestion.” These considerations would include economic development, mobility improvements, environmental benefits, operating efficiencies and land use – in addition to cost effectiveness. LaHood promised that the Federal Transit Administration would initiate a rulemaking process to accomplish this change shortly. The new rules will be used to award some $2 billion a year in funding through the New Starts and Small Starts transit funding programs.
Paul Weyrich: Pro-Transit Conservative
September 10, 2009
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Alan Ehrenhalt, the editor of Governing magazine, has a long commentary discussing "Paul Weyrich's Soft Spot for Public Transit." The column is prompted by "Moving Minds: Conservatives And Public Transportation," a collection of writings by Weyrich and William Lind published jointly by Reconnecting America and the Free Congress Foundation. (Order the book here.)
"The libertarian noise machine against public transportation has been so loud in recent years that it would be easy to conclude all conservatives must agree with it," writes Ehrenhalt. "That is why it is so interesting to come across the new book Moving Minds, the contrarian work that Paul M. Weyrich wrote before his untimely death last year."
As Ehrenhalt points out, Weyrich spent 20…
"The libertarian noise machine against public transportation has been so loud in recent years that it would be easy to conclude all conservatives must agree with it," writes Ehrenhalt. "That is why it is so interesting to come across the new book Moving Minds, the contrarian work that Paul M. Weyrich wrote before his untimely death last year."
As Ehrenhalt points out, Weyrich spent 20…
New Urbanist Salon To Roll Out Of Bay Area
May 6, 2009
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The Congress for the New Urbanism's 17th annual gathering is in Denver this year, June 10-14, and the Denver-bound California Zephyr will roll out of San Francisco with special cars for New Urbanists. Reconnecting America is helping sponsor this 1,400-mile salon-in-motion, which will follow the original transcontinental rail route, widely regarded as one of the most beautiful journeys in the world.
Among those hosting the salon’s conversation is Robert Davis, visionary founder and developer of Seaside, Florida, considered the birthplace of the New Urbanist movement. Davis is a principal of Arcadia Land Company, and a CNU board member.
The topic of this year’s CNU conference is urban recovery and the re-urbanization of America, the quest for energy efficiency, the dramatic growth in smaller households, and the yearning for neighborhood connections and freedom from the automobile. Featured speakers include CEOs for Cities’ Carol Coletta, Charlotte Mayor Patrick McCrory and Denver…
