- San Francisco Chronicle: Market Street’s no place to drive
- Marin Independent Journal: Larkspur rail extension imperiled by budget hack in U.S. Senate
- Sacramento Bee: No mileage tracking in California road tax plan
- Sacramento Bee: Walters: Road taxes must clear GOP’s bar
- Sacramento Business Journal: Business and union groups back higher taxes to fund $6 billion in road work
POLITICO Morning Transportation for 8/11/2015
By JENNIFER SCHOLTES, with Alex Guillén, Heather Caygle & Kathryn A. Wolfe
EPA DELIBERATES AIRCRAFT EMISSIONS RULES: During the EPA’s public hearing this morning on the agency’s proposed endangerment finding for aircraft, there probably won’t be much debate about the conclusion that plane emissions contribute to climate change. Instead, the focus will be on the second half of the EPA’s approach: Just how should the administration regulate emissions from aircraft given the global reach of the industry? Those in the aviation world hope the agency will stick to whatever goal ICAO lands on next year, while some environmentalists are pushing for the U.S. to take a more stringent glide path. A refresher on the proposed endangerment findings: http://politico.pro/1I7JUqW.
The hearing starts at 10 a.m. at EPA headquarters. For those grounded outside the Beltway, there’s a listen-only line: 866-299-3188, code 1433527160. Comments on the proposal are due Aug. 31.
IT’S TUESDAY: Good morning and thanks for reading POLITICO’s Morning Transportation, your daily tipsheet on trains, planes, automobiles and ports.
Reach out: jscholtes@politico.com or @jascholtes.
“We row and go on trips.” http://bit.ly/1WdkBhh
GOOGLE CARS WIN GRASSLEY’S HEART: Morning Tech reports that Sen. Chuck Grassley emerged a self-driving-car convert from his meeting Monday with Google execs out in Silicon Valley, saying on Instagram that he “was not a believer” in the technology, but went for a ride and “now I know it works!” His pic: http://bit.ly/1gYg9mM.
TAX TWEAKS FOR TRANSPO CASH? FAT CHANCE, CANTOR SAYS: Former Rep. Eric Cantor spent six years running the GOP agenda as a member of House leadership, and he says he just doesn’t think it’s realistic to bank on an overhaul of the tax code as a source of transportation funding. “Clearly the discussion on the Hill in Washington in both the House and Senate has been that perhaps in a bipartisan way, there is the desire to use tax reform to generate some growth on infrastructure projects,” the former House majority leader told reporters on Monday — the 10-year anniversary of the last time a long-term transportation funding plan was signed into law. “But I think that the bipartisan agreement sort of ends there.” Instead, Cantor and other members of the Bipartisan Policy Center’s Infrastructure Council suggest using private money to fill the funding gap. “I think that all of us recognize that the real option is to better the environment for private-sector investment,” Cantor said. http://politico.pro/1L2I2Xl
Also on the call: Suzanne Shank, president and CEO of Siebert Brandford Shank & Co. — an investment banking and financial services firm — said the private sector alone won’t be able to fill the transportation funding gap. “Of course not. But can the private sector play a greater role than we are today? And we think, on the council, absolutely. We can and we must,” Shank said.
TECHIES SUGGEST CONGRESS ADOPT ‘CEMENT AND CHIPS’ APPROACH: The Information Technology and Innovation Foundation is out with a new report this week with tech policy suggestions that are so wide-ranging that the group has even got some transpo recommendations. The think tank suggests Congress prioritize intelligent transportation systems by devoting no less than 5 percent of Highway Trust Fund money to digital and intelligent transportation systems. To encourage deployment, ITIF recommends Congress require DOT to give states incentives to do more tolling in order to drum up enough cash for all these high-tech projects. “Too many states do not want to support toll-funded projects because they fear public opposition, despite the fact that the public usually supports toll projects that are introduced,” the report says. “Lowering the share of federal funding for non-toll projects from the current 80 percent share to 60 percent, while funding the full 80 percent for toll projects, would provide a stronger incentive for states to establish more toll projects.” The report: http://bit.ly/1MYWjVt.
OUTCRY CONTINUES OVER EXPEDIA-ORBITZ MERGER: The Justice Department is getting bombarded this week with concerns about the merger of travel sites Expedia and Orbitz, fielding input from consumer advocates, the hotel industry and even from Capitol Hill. Pro’s Adam Sneed reports (http://politico.pro/1TnyhCe) that Rep. Hank Johnson wrote to the department on Monday “asking regulators to use a narrow definition of the online travel services market while considering whether the deal would harm competition. He urged DOJ to distinguish online travel agencies like Expedia, Orbitz and Priceline from sites like Kayak and TripAdvisor, which offer comparison shopping but not direct booking services. Under those guidelines, Johnson said, the Expedia-Orbitz deal would give Expedia up to 80 percent market share and create a duopoly with Priceline.” The letter: http://1.usa.gov/1IzQutq.
The congressman’s outreach comes as Consumer Watchdog urges the Obama administration to block the deal, arguing that it would allow the new conglomerate to dominate the online booking market: http://politico.pro/1HCvmPl. And the concerns follow a letter (http://politico.pro/1DIrtgI) last week from leaders in the hotel industry who warned DOJ that limited booking choices could lead to higher costs and force the demise of businesses in the travel industry.
IG PLANS TO AUDIT FAA’S OVERSIGHT OF UNAPPROVED PARTS: Upon the urging of two House lawmakers, DOT’s inspector general will start looking into the FAA’s oversight this month of aircraft parts suspected of being manufactured without agency approval. Assistant inspector general Charles A. Ward made the announcement on Monday, noting that Reps. Peter DeFazio and Rick Larsen requested the review in March, raising concern about how unapproved parts can endanger aviation security. The deets: http://1.usa.gov/1guTNby.
DRIVING DOWN THE PEDESTRIAN DEATH RATE: The Governors Highway Safety Association put out a report (http://bit.ly/1NmI6OV) this week detailing how pedestrian deaths have increased by 15 percent since 2009 and recommending ways to improve safety for walkers. To help officials better troubleshoot ways to drive down the fatality rate, the report looks at who is most likely to be killed on foot and how, noting that many pedestrian fatalities involve emergency responders struck on the side of the road or motorists who left their vehicles because of breakdowns.
Alcohol also plays a role. In 2013, a third of those 16 or older who were fatally struck while walking had a blood alcohol concentration of .08 or above. And 15 percent of drivers who fatally struck pedestrians were over the legal limit. About half of fatalities in 2013 were on roads with a speed limit of less than 40 mph.
TWEET OF THE DAY: @willsommer — The #wmata is for everyone, even fish. pic.twitter.com/wpWpphPCol. The tweet: http://bit.ly/1Kf8QxH.
THE AUTOBAHN (SPEED READ):
— D.C. lacks the crash data it needs to pursue ‘Vision Zero.’ WAMU: http://bit.ly/1J0kboM
— A new Senate plan to double America’s gas tax would still keep it low by global standards. CityLab: http://bit.ly/1EknoKB
— Air controller study shows chronic fatigue. AP: http://bit.ly/1gYVoaA
— The real reason American public transportation is such a disaster. Vox: http://bit.ly/1TeXXWX
— Help for delayed travelers loath to leave money on the runway. The New York Times: http://nyti.ms/1Kfb40e
— Here’s how Elon Musk gets Tesla to 500,000 cars a year by 2020. Bloomberg Business: http://bloom.bg/1HBIg03
THE COUNTDOWN: Highway and transit policy expires in 80 days. DOT appropriations run out and the FAA reauthorization expires in 52 days. The 2016 presidential election is in 458 days.
Tags: transportation