Monday, February 8, 2010
Investing in modern, fast, comfortable and convenient higher-speed rail service is a smart move. Better rail service will improve mobility, reduce pollution, create new jobs and spur economic growth.
The new federal investment is about more than “just speed” to succeed. “Modern, comfortable and convenient” count as much as “fast” for transforming our transportation system for the 21st century.
First, modern trains can excite people and attract riders, as will train stations that are well-lit, clean and enjoyable central places. Wi-Fi or Wi-Max available all the way along the rail corridors can allow travel time to be productive work time for businesspeople, study time for students and reading time for others compared to air travel frustrations and new limits on cell phone and texting while driving.
Second, the top speed is less important than the average speed and overall trip time. For example, the 150 mph Acela high-speed rail service in the Northeast Corridor moves at that top speed for only few miles; its average speed between New York City and Washington D.C. is around 80 mph.
The best way to go fast is by not going slow. Synchronizing high-speed rail and freight rail improvement programs, such as the CREATE program in the Chicago area, can create double plays benefiting both passenger and freight service by alleviating congestion points and clearing out bottlenecks. Using skip stops as more high-speed train runs are added will avoid turning them into milk runs.
What really matters to passengers is how long the overall rail trip takes when compared to long car trips and door-to-door air travel for businesspeople, students and families traveling to see each other. This is a classic “compared to what” situation. It’s not just about bragging rights for top speed.
Third, let’s have comfortable trains. Nice seats, easily accessible plugs for laptops, good cell phone and computer access, and decent food.
Fourth, this is about convenience. Understandably, few people take the train from Chicago to Cleveland arriving at 1:45 am, or the return trains departing Cleveland at your choice of 2:59 am or 3:45 am. That’s why I can’t easily take the train with my three teenage sons over the weekend to visit the Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland. The key is increasing the frequency of train service with enough reasonably scheduled trip opportunities to work well for people.
When Amtrak improved service between Chicago and St. Louis a few years ago, ridership doubled. Better high-speed rail service is expected to triple ridership in the coming years.
All of this adds to the environmental benefits of displacing pollution from air and car travel, and the economic vitality from pulling jobs, people and business into our downtowns.
High-speed rail investment meets the public’s mobility needs and boosts the economy. For years, federal transportation funds almost exclusively supported auto and air travel. Today, Americans spend $1 billion a day on foreign oil and an average of 4 weeks each year stuck in gridlock. High-speed rail is 3X more efficient than cars and 6X more efficient than planes on a per passenger mile basis. Better performance, more national security, less pollution for the future.
Everyone is feeling the strain of the economic downturn, but investing wisely in a 21st century rail transportation system is important to keep our economy moving. According to an economic study conducted for nine state Departments of Transportation, the new Midwest high-speed rail network can create 57,000 permanent new jobs across the region, produce more than a $1 billion in additional household income, and spur almost $5 billion in private new development near Midwest rail stations.
“Rome wasn’t built in a day,” and the interstate highway system wasn’t built in a year. The recent federal funding announcement is the first step towards a modern high-speed rail system that will create jobs and boost our economy, better enable people to go from city-to-city, and protect our environment.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/howard-learner/modern-high-speed-rail-is_b_452964.html
Monday, February 8, 2010
On February 8, Iowa legislators approved statewide rules that will protect Iowa’s waters from pollution and stem the trend of declining water quality in Iowa’s lakes and streams.
“This is great news for Iowa,” said Brad Klein, Staff Attorney at ELPC. “After years of delay, the legislature made the choice today to protect Iowa’s environment and economy and make this a better place to live.”
A university of Iowa study found that an estimated 11,479 jobs, $242.9 million of income and $424.9 million of gross state product are associated with the spending by visitors to Iowa lakes. The rules provide additional protections for Iowa’s few remaining high-quality waters, for example West Lake Okoboji and several trout streams in Northeast Iowa.
After decades of meetings, letters, delays and, finally, a legal intervention, clean water advocates gathered at the statehouse in Des Moines this morning to witness the final meeting and decision needed to adopt clean water ―anti-degradation rules for Iowa.
Clean water advocates said today that the Iowa rules are long overdue and that they have worked for years to get antidegradation Rules written and passed in Iowa. With the passage of the federal Clean Water Act in 1972 states were required to enact antidegradation rules by 1985 to prevent the further pollution of lakes, rivers and streams. Iowa adopted rules but the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency informed Iowa that its rules violated federal law as early as 1997.
Repeated delays in rewriting the rules led a coalition of environmental organizations – the Environmental Law & Policy Center, Iowa Environmental Council, Hawkeye Fly Fishing Association and the Iowa Chapter of the Sierra Club – to file a Petition for Rulemaking with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources in 2007 requesting that the State act immediately to adopt antidegradation implementation rules.
This action initiated a rule-making process that included several opportunities for public comment and a hearing before the Iowa Environmental Protection Commission, which approved the revised rules in December of last year. Monday’s meeting of the legislative Administrative Rules and Review Committee marked the final step in a decades-long process.
Advocates stressed that the rules will allow Iowa to grow sensibly and sustainably. “These rules will stem the tide of declining water quality in Iowa, protect the outstanding jewels that remain, and serve as an economic engine for those communities with the foresight to protect and leverage the potential of these remarkable waters,” said Shannan Garretson, water program legal analyst for the non-profit Iowa Environmental Council.
Monday, February 8, 2010
In a recent editorial at the Argus Leader, ELPC President and Executive Director Howard Learner urged South Dakota’s public officials to take advantage of their state’s wind power resources with smart policies that will create new jobs and more clean energy.
“South Dakota should put more wind power into the sails of the state’s economy and job creation. South Dakota has the nation’s fourth-best wind power potential but only the 20th highest amount of wind power operating – 313 megawatts. By contrast, Iowa ranks 10th in wind power potential, but is second-highest in operating wind power capacity – 3,670 megawatts.
“That tenfold difference in wind power development amounts to about $7 billion of economic investment, thousands of jobs, and cleaner air. What accounts for this huge difference? Smart public policies and prioritization by leading public officials…Iowa Gov. Culver has written to his state’s congressional delegation urging their support, and Sens. Harkin and Grassley are indicating they’re on board. Here, however, Gov. Rounds and Sen. Thune have not yet expressed strong support for this key federal renewable energy legislation. It’s time to step up – for the good of South Dakota’s economy and job creation, as well as for everyone’s better health and the environment.”
Read the full op-ed here.
Friday, February 5, 2010
Howard Learner
ELPC convened a panel of experts at the National Press Club on February 4, 2010 to review the economic, environmental and regional ramifications of the Obama Administration’s high-speed rail stimulus awards. “The $8 billion awarded by the Obama Administration is the first step,” said ELPC President Howard Learner, who moderated the Press Club event. “It’s the beginning of a restructuring of the transportation system for the 21st Century.”
The panelists included:
Anne Canby, President, OneRail Coalition
Arthur Guzzetti, Vice President for Policy, American Public Transportation Association
John Horsley, Executive Director, American Assoc. of State Highway and Transportation Officials
Joseph McHugh, VP Government Affairs/Communications, Amtrak
John Risch, Alternate National Legislative Director, United Transportation Union
Listen to the Briefing
Click here to listen to audio of the press briefing, or the question-and-answer session.
Click here to view photos from the event
Friday, January 29, 2010
During his State of the Union address, President Obama spoke on climate action and clean energy:
We should put more Americans to work building clean energy facilities – and give rebates to Americans who make their homes more energy-efficient, which supports clean energy jobs … You see, Washington has been telling us to wait for decades, even as the problems have grown worse. Meanwhile, China is not waiting to revamp its economy. Germany is not waiting. India is not waiting. … These nations aren’t playing for second place. … They’re making serious investments in clean energy because they want those jobs. Well, I do not accept second place for the United States of America. … Yes, it means passing a comprehensive energy and climate bill with incentives that will finally make clean energy the profitable kind of energy in America. I am grateful to the House for passing such a bill last year. And this year I’m eager to help advance the bipartisan effort in the Senate. … [H]ere’s the thing – even if you doubt the evidence, providing incentives for energy-efficiency and clean energy are the right thing to do for our future – because the nation that leads the clean energy economy will be the nation that leads the global economy. And America must be that nation. –President Barack Obama, [State of the Union Address, 1/27/10]
ELPC’s Federal Legislative Director Karen Torrent, emphasizes the importance of the President’s message. “Despite this strong and positive statement by the President, our climate and economy remain at risk – - and Congress must act,” she said.
ELPC joins the president in urging the Congress to finalize bipartisan, comprehensive climate and energy legislation this year. Passing comprehensive legislation will not only benefit human health and protect our environment but will also decrease our dangerous dependence on oil and create much needed new American jobs, putting our economy on a path to long-term, sustained prosperity.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
The Environmental Law & Policy Center (ELPC) today commended the Obama Administration for the diverse selection of high speed-rail projects and national approach to awarding $8 billion in stimulus funding.
The 13 projects chosen represent critical first steps toward building a modern, national, passenger rail infrastructure and are the first significant passenger rail investments in nearly a century. These projects encompass 31 states. They enhance connectivity through a variety of technologies in the most environmentally responsible mode of regional transportation, noted Howard Learner, ELPC president.
“This is the beginning of transformative improvement to our nation’s transportation system, giving people a modern, fast, comfortable and convenient travel option,” stated Learner. This funding will put people to work while it improves our environment, strengthens key regions of our nation and enhances our ability to compete in the global economy.“
ELPC will host a National Press Club press briefing Monday, February 1, in Washington, D.C. to review the expected impact of the high speed rail investments. Panelists include Arthur Guzzetti, American Public Transportation Association, John Risch, United Transportation Union, and Thomas Simpson, Railway Supply Institute. The panel will be moderated by Howard Learner.
Currently, the Obama Administration’s total commitment to high-speed rail stands at $10.5 billion, with an additional $1 billion per year pledged to be included in the budget for the next five years. The House transportation committee has also recommended including $50 billion for high-speed rail development in the upcoming transportation reauthorization.
“Today’s awards are only the first step in a long-term process. Significant additional federal funding will be required if we are to truly realize the benefits of modern rail and compete in the global market,” Learner concluded.
To learn more about the Environmental Law & Policy Center’s high-speed rail advocacy, visit elpc.org/highspeedrail
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Tuesday, January 26, 2010
1,198 state legislators from 49 states and both sides of the aisle are calling on Congress to pass clean energy jobs and climate legislation. In a letter to Congress, the elected officials point out that similar state legislation has been proven to create jobs and economic development while protecting public health and the environment.
The letter also points out that:
- Our nation is spending $1 billion a day on energy from foreign countries, threatening our national security and our economy.
- Other nation’s are moving faster than the U.S. to profit from the clean energy economy.
- The clean energy and climate challenge is America’s new space race –and meeting that challenge can place our country at the forefront of innovation and prosperity.
Read the letter here
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
ELPC joined Illinois Governor Pat Quinn and Northwestern University’s Transportation Center to host “Beyond Transportation” a summit on rail policy and economic development in Illinois.
The January 15 event focused on how investments in rail transportation will help create jobs and economic development. Senator Dick Durbin, Governor Pat Quinn, Federal Railroad Administrator Joseph Szabo and other civic and industry leaders attended the event.
The summit convened discussions on how rail policy benefits local development, sustainability, manufacturing and connectivity in the global economy. The conversation covered the obvious benefits to Chicago and the other hubs of high-speed rail development, as well as the boost that improved rail service will bring to smaller cities that serve as stops on high-speed rail corridors.
“High-speed rail is an incredible boost in mobility that is not just for Chicago,” said ELPC Executive Director Howard Learner.
“It’s for the huge numbers of people — 2 million people within a 50-mile radius of Kalamazoo, 700,000 people in 15 counties within a 50-mile radius of Springfield, 1 million people within a 50-mile radius of Bloomington-Normal. This is beyond transportation. This is about communities,” he said.
Read coverage in The Chicago Tribune and The Daily Herald.
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Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Scientists from Michigan, Wisconsin and North Dakota have come together to emphasize the scientific consensus behind global warming and to urge Congress to pass strong legislation that will reduce global warming pollution and avoid the worst consequences of climate change. Read the scientists’ letters to Congress.
Monday, January 11, 2010
Indiana State Senator Sue Errington has authored a bill that would require Indiana utilities to increase the amount of renewable electricity they use. Indiana’s neighboring states, Ohio, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri and Iowa have all passed similar legislation, known as a renewable portfolio standard (RPS).
By creating a guaranteed market for renewable energy, RPS legislation has attracted large amounts of private investment in these states and created manufacturing, installation and maintenance jobs to supply the renewable energy industry.
ELPC Executive Director Howard Learner said that Indiana needs a renewable portfolio standard to take advantage of its wind power potential. As Learner said, “There is widespread agreement that if we want to have extensive wind power development across the Midwest, in order to seize job creation, economic development and environmental value, we need to have a smart shift in policy to help grow the green economy.”
Read coverage in the Muncie Star Press
