The legislative session in Texas ends in less than two weeks, so the legislature has little time left to address the legal ambiguity surrounding the claim by the private company Texas Central Partners, LLC that it has the authority to use imminent domain to seize the land it needs to build a planned high-speed rail project […]
Benefits of 5G
With all the focus on creating a nationwide fifth generation (5G) network, questions often arise about why it is important for the U.S. to lead in 5G development, the benefits of moving to 5G, and why is there a continual push for more spectrum to be made available for 5G. The first benefit of developing […]
The Safe Freight Act would slow innovation and put railroads at a competitive disadvantage
Are lawmakers in the 116th Congress again preparing to pick winners and losers in the commercial transportation industry? Under former President Barack Obama, the Department of Transportation capitulated to the demands on union workers and issued a notice of proposed rulemaking to require all freight rail operations to have at least two members aboard. Fortunately, this […]
De Blasio’s Trolley Goes Off The Rails
A trickle of negative stories about New York Mayor Bill De Blasio’s (D) proposed Brooklyn-Queens waterfront trolley, known as the BQX, has turned into a deluge.
President Trump is Right to Stop the Gateway Boondoggle
As Congress stares down yet another funding deadline on March 23, 2018, discussion over the $900 million earmark has resurfaced.
Failing DC Metrorail Opens Absurd Swag Shop
The Metrorail system in the nation’s capital has been in crisis for almost a decade. It has been labeled, “the worst in the world,” and its financial situation has been characterized as a “death spiral.” But the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) has now unveiled a new plan to fix all of that: A swag store.
The Can-Kicking Congress: Business as Usual
In political patois, “kicking the can down the road” connotes procrastination. As long as the proverbial can is kicked “down the road,” rather than picked up, then the proper disposition of the derelict container is put off until some future point in time. And much like the (equally proverbial) kicker’s aversion to taking definitive action on a relatively straightforward task, the U.S. Congress is composed of 535 “can kickers,” given their predilection to avoid taking action until the last possible minute. On Tuesday, September 5, 2017, when the current Congress reconvenes after its annual August recess, it will have less than a month to complete several “must pass” items.
The 21st AIRR Act Takes Off
On June 22, 2017, House of Representatives Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman Bill Shuster (R-Pa.) introduced H.R. 2997, the 21st Century Aviation Innovation, Reform, and Reauthorization (AIRR) Act. The legislation will provide for a six-year reauthorization and significant reforms to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
ATC Privatization Would Bring U.S. Airport Industry to New Heights
On June 5, 2017 President Donald Trump announced his proposal to privatize the Air Traffic Control (ATC) system as part of a broader plan to drastically improve American infrastructure. Approximately 932 million Americans took to the sky in 2016, more than the air traffic of China, Germany, Japan, and the United Kingdom combined. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is already charged with overseeing the world’s busiest airport, Atlanta’s Hartfield-Jackson International Airport, and the fourth-busiest, Los Angeles International Airport.
Safeguarding Infrastructure Investment
As a candidate, President Trump pledged to invest in upgrading the country’s infrastructure. While there is no formal plan to date from the White House, President Trump stated on May 1, 2017, that “If you have a job that you can’t start within 90 days, we’re not going to give you the money for it because it doesn’t help. … We’re going to be very strong on that. They have to be able to start within 90 days.”