transportation
Less driving but more deaths: Spike in traffic fatalities puzzles lawmakers
Traffic deaths are lingering near historic highs in most states despite less driving overall, prompting policymakers to consider deploying more police or installing automated monitoring such as speed cameras to curb speeding and reckless driving. People are driving fewer miles than they were in 2019, but more are dying on roadways. Traffic deaths spiked 18% […]
Biden to nominate former FAA deputy to lead aviation agency
President Joe Biden chose a new nominee to lead the Federal Aviation Administration on Thursday, months after the U.S. Senate blocked his first choice. Biden intends to nominate Michael G. Whitaker, an executive at Supernal, a company working on an electric air vehicle, and a former deputy FAA administrator during President Barack Obama’s administration, according […]
Gov. Roy Cooper to release federal dollars to help speed bus driver training
Gov. Roy Cooper is releasing $1 million in federal funds to the N.C. Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to help train more bus drivers. The release of the Governor’s Emergency Education Relief (GEER) funds comes as more than a million students who attend schools on a traditional school calendar return to classes this week amid […]
Roads, bridges, trails, ports: White House awards $2.2B in transportation grants
The U.S. Department of Transportation will send more than $2.2 billion in grants to state, tribal and local governments under a grant program that was expanded under the 2021 bipartisan infrastructure law. The $2.26 billion for 162 projects provides funds for each of the 50 states, two territories and the District of Columbia. It is […]
Senate Bill 171 carves out exemption for wood pellet industry, up for a vote today
The bill would redefine the term "wood residuals" to to include "wood pellets." That's important because the wood pellet industry has falsely claimed they use only wood residuals, such as branches and tree tops, not whole trees.
Weekend humor from Celia Rivenbark: Our Italian adventure — Part Due
It was Mother’s Day, and I was in Italy, fairly bursting with gratitude for this trip, a long-planned bucket list goal. I had merrily envisioned a late breakfast, maybe some bottomless mimosas, followed by leisurely window shopping along Rome’s fancy shopping district, Via Veneto. Instead, I was listening to a local guide who was showing […]
Efforts underway to sharply reduce NC’s legal threshold for intoxicated driving.
“This is not to tell individuals they don’t have a right to drink alcohol.” Rep. Mike Clampitt (R-Swain Co.) told reporters Thursday that House Bill 148 (Driving/Reduce Legal BAC Level) would lower the legal limit for driving from a blood alcohol content of .08 to .05 and was intended to prevent people from thinking they […]
U.S. Senate Democrats back FAA nominee, despite GOP attacks at confirmation hearing
Republicans on a U.S. Senate panel raised several objections Wednesday to President Joe Biden’s pick to lead the Federal Aviation Administration, while Democrats indicated their support and called the objections “fake scandals” meant only to create a political controversy. The Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee’s confirmation hearing for Phil Washington, CEO of Denver International Airport, […]
Biden signs bill that staves off railroad workers strike
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Friday signed into law a resolution intended to avert a freight rail strike, based on an agreement reached between some rail unions and freight rail companies. Several unions did not agree with the deal passed by Congress because it lacked paid sick leave, but Democrats have said the alternative […]
U.S. House to intervene in rail workers strike, heeding Biden call
WASHINGTON — U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Monday said the House will take up legislation to ratify an agreement between rail workers and operators in order to avert a nationwide rail strike. “This week, the House will take up a bill adopting the Tentative Agreement — with no poison pills or changes to the […]
Your plane landed safely — thank the bureaucrats at the FAA
A faddish phrase on the right is something called “the administrative state,” which refers to the federal workforce deputized by Congress to craft and enforce rules over the environment, banking, health care, product safety, mass communications, the power grid, etc. A recent profile of the Claremont Institute — which has the unenviable task of stitching together an intellectual fig leaf for Trumpism — noted that scholars there view our nation’s bureaucrats as a “fourth branch,” effectively overturning the Constitution.
Passenger and freight rail projects in 32 states get millions from U.S. DOT
New passenger service from Raleigh to Richmond is on the list of priorities WASHINGTON — The U.S. government is doling out millions of dollars to railroad projects throughout the country in hopes of improving supply chains and passenger rail service. The announcement by the Biden administration of $368 million in Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety […]