REGIONAL
- San Jose Mercury News: Gas prices on rise in California and across nation
- San Jose Mercury News: Roadshow: Drivers ridicule $79 million fix for I-80
- Gizmodo: An Up-Close Look at the Monumental Task of Building a Bridge
- Citylab: Incredible Photos from the Construction Site of the New Bay Bridge
- CBS: Bay Area Relying Less On Public Transit, New Figures Show
- Sacramento Business Journal: Port slowdown creating ‘devastating’ impact on agriculture, logistics
OTHER: POLITICO Morning Transportation
‘Several meetings’ on repatriation: MT caught up with Missouri Sen. Roy Blunt, who had lots of good things to say about Rep. John Delaney’s bill that would use revenue from repatriation to keep the Highway Trust Fund in the black for six years. Mike Fitzpatrick and Sen. Michael Bennet sent a letter to President Barack Obama before the State of the Union urging him to support using repatriation to shore up the Highway Trust Fund (http://1.usa.gov/1sViRxF).
RECONCILIATION NOT RULED OUT – YET: Sen. John Thune, who first floated the possibility of using reconciliation to fix the Highway Trust Fund earlier this year, said the idea isn’t off the table, at least not yet.
The No. 3 Republican in the Senate had upset many conservatives who hoped to use the reconciliation process – where legislation would only face a 50-vote threshold – to undo Obamacare. Thune said he is still interested in using reconciliation to reform the tax code and fund infrastructure. Here’s background on Thune’s plan from last month: http://politi.co/1BjpNGz
TANK CAR RULES GO TO WHITE HOUSE: DOT’s much-anticipated tank car regulations are one step closer to being finalized after federal officials confirmed the rules have been sent to the White House for review. Full story: http://on.wsj.com/1v3xRpc
Under the hood – bill deets: The bill contains sections related to state-supported rail services, project streamlining, private-sector investment and more. Among other things, the legislation would restructure Amtrak’s accounts, separating funds for the Northeast Corridor away from the rest of the network. More details: http://1.usa.gov/1zUv6Om
THE AUTOBAHN (SPEED READ):
-Takata whistleblower says he’ll testify in front of Congress if asked. Bloomberg:http://bloom.bg/1BVsgDD
-Fire department blamed for poor training, bad response to Metro’s smoke incident. The Washington Post: http://wapo.st/16KsndC
-Uber’s response to China’s ban on ride-hailing apps: That doesn’t bother us. Bloomberg:http://bloom.bg/1FcVdyt
-Ethanol from derailed freight train leaking into the Mississippi River. The LaCrosse Tribune: http://bit.ly/16IZFK2
-Five shameless ways to score free airport lounge access. Hint, one of them includes the tip “bluff on by.” USA Today: http://bit.ly/1DJOZVH
-DOT Secretary Anthony Foxx talks long-term transportation planning with NPR:http://n.pr/1LRpyan
-Man trapped upside-down in parked rail car for 18 hours. AP: http://yhoo.it/1Ax6tXK
THE COUNTDOWN: Highway and transit policy expires in 114 days. DOT appropriations run out and the FAA reauthorization expires in 236 days. The 2016 presidential election is in 641 days.
Tags: Bay Area, transportation