transportation posts, articles, and infographics

Where Do All The Presidential Candidates Stand on Transportation?

December 27, 2011 by Deron Lovaas
with 248 views

Last week in New Hampshire, and this week in South Carolina, Mitt Romney fielded questions about our deteriorating infrastructure. This is an important environmental issue, since potholes and traffic don’t mix well. Consequently, you get more congestion on our roads. And congestion means idling engines and more pollution. It’s also... [read more]

Toward 2 Way Powerflow on the Smartgrid

December 6, 2011 by Dick DeBlasio
with 295 views

Through Smart Grid rollout over decades, the world could bring reliable electricity delivery to more regions, create new economic opportunities, reduce carbon footprint andcreate a more cost-efficient facility for power delivery. But all of those potential benefits,to varying degree, are predicated on enabling an end-to-end system of two-way powerflow in which consumers would not only draw from the grid but also store and feed energy back to it. [read more]

Learn to Love the Gas Tax

December 4, 2011 by Rob Perks
with 342 views

The North Carolina legislature just narrowly derailed a bill that would have prevented any possible increase in the state's gasoline tax. That's a good thing. By that I mean it's good that the state Senate declined to act on the bill after it passed in the House. You see, if enacted, the state's 35 cent per gallon... [read more]

New Fuel Economy Proposal Would Bring Major Oil Savings

November 21, 2011 by Therese Langer
with 336 views

Federal agencies have formally proposed standards that would raise average car and light truck fuel economy to nearly 50 miles per gallon by 2025, up from the current average new auto fuel economy of about 28 miles per gallon. The National Highway Safety Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency acted jointly to propose... [read more]

Politicians Agree To Invest in Transportation for Economy

September 9, 2011 by Deron Lovaas
with 405 views

In his long-awaited speech on jobs today, President Obama reinforced his support for investing in America’s transportation infrastructure. The President calls for Congress to pass an American Jobs Act “right away.” Impressively, the bill includes about $60 billion to fund projects such as new transit lines in Denver and Houston, which... [read more]

What Could We Substitute For Canadian Tar Sands Oil?

September 1, 2011 by A Siegel
with 959 views

This is a guest post from the thoughtful BruceMcF. There has recently been a flurry of activism regarding regulatory approval of the “XL Pipeline” in support of bitumen production from Canadian Tar Sands. Along with hundreds arrested in front of the White House, this is an issue that has attracted substantial attention from a variety... [read more]

German Rail: 1 Billion For Electricity From Hydropower

August 8, 2011 by Helmuth Ziegler
with 485 views

Germany’s rail operator Deutsche Bahn is under pressure: With the imminent abolition of nuclear energy in Germany new concepts for railway power are needed. This is why Dr. Rüdiger Grube, Chief Executive of Deutsche Bahn, and Dr. Jürgen Großmann, CEO of the important German energy provider RWE, signed a contract for the supply of... [read more]

Feebates - The Most Effective Way to Accomplish Desired Shifts

July 14, 2011 by Sam Carana
with 282 views

Feebates can be implemented locally in budget-neutral ways, and can be tailored to avoid leakage by combining a number of incentives and disincentives into a comprehensive framework of policies, to most effectively accomplish desired shifts. [read more]

Think Transportation, Not Cars

July 11, 2011 by Gernot Wagner
with 231 views

The Sunday New York Times comes with its own Automobiles section. Nothing unusual about that. Many papers have one as a convenient way to cash in on whatever is left of the classifieds. Certified pre-owned BMWs anyone? The section also comes with a couple of articles, none worthy of a Pulitzer but many illuminating nonetheless. As... [read more]

Small Businesses Can Profit From Standard Mileage Rate

July 5, 2011 by Craig Severance
with 1,693 views

Who wouldn't like to get a tax break for expenses you don't even have to pay? Drivers of fuel efficient vehicles can use "Everyone's Oil Depletion Allowance" and claim a higher rate than it costs for them to drive their cars. As of July 1st, 2011, 55.5 cents per mile spells tax-free profits for going green. [read more]

Using Strategic Petroleum Reserves No Solution To Oil Addiction

June 24, 2011 by Deron Lovaas
with 164 views

As you've probably read or heard by now, the President and his staff have arranged through the International Energy Agency to release 60 million barrels of oil supply into the marketplace over the next month. While that sounds like a lot of oil -- and it is -- it's useful to keep in mind that the world consumes that much in... [read more]

7 Bipartisan Fixes For The US Oil Problem

May 20, 2011 by Deron Lovaas
with 186 views

Here in D.C. we often bemoan the fact that we can’t all just get along. But when it comes to transportation, we actually CAN get along. And now we’ve got it in writing. A new joint report by three organizations from all points in the political spectrum -- the left-leaning Transportation for America, the centrist Taxpayers for Common... [read more]

Shifting Our Taxpayer $$$ from Oil to Efficient Transportation and Technology

April 27, 2011 by Deron Lovaas
with 116 views

By now you have probably seen the interview with House Speaker Boehner on ABC about the need to look at tax policy towards oil companies at a time when "we need to have revenues to keep the government moving." If you haven't, check out this article from The Hill, which includes a link to it at the end. It's worth a look,... [read more]

Good News From the Regulatory Front: EPA's Transport Rule

April 25, 2011 by Robert Stavins
with 235 views

As each day passes, the upcoming November 2012 general elections produce new stories about potential Republican candidates for President, as well as stories about President Obama’s anticipated re-election campaign. At the same time, the 2012 elections are already affecting Congressional debates, where each side seems increasingly... [read more]

energyNOW! Video: The Future of Flight

April 25, 2011 by Silvio Marcacci
with 204 views

Engineers are constantly trying to make airplanes more efficient, and there's finally a big push to do so. In “The Future of Flight,” Special Correspondent Josh Zepps takes a look at how the aviation industry is evolving to meet new needs and pressures, with new aircraft designs and advanced fuels. [read more]