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Application Period Open for TIGER IV
The U.S. Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT) issued a Notice of Funding Availability for the fourth round of the TIGER program on January 31, 2012. The 2012 program will make available $500 million, including set-asides for rural areas and the Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) credit assistance program. U.S. DOT’s pre-application system opened February 13, and...
House to Move on Transportation Reauthorization Bills, Senate Bill Passes Key Hurdle
The U.S. House of Representatives Rule Committee will hold a hearing on the American Energy and Infrastructure Jobs Act (AEIJA) at 4:00 p.m. CST on February 14, 2012. Several dozen amendments were submitted by the 10:00 a.m. CST deadline on February 13, including a bipartisan amendment to restore dedicated funding for the Mass Transit Account from highway user fees. After passing the Rules...
White House Releases FY2013 Budget Proposal
On Monday, February 13, 2012, President Obama sent his budget proposal for FY 2013 to Congress. Notably, the $3.8 trillion spending plan would use savings from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq to nearly double federal spending on transportation projects. The Obama administration proposes to spend $476 billion over six years on surface transportation projects, including $50 billion this year. ...
Governor Quinn Delivers State of the State Address
On February 1, Governor Quinn delivered his 2012 State of the State address, outlining his administration's efforts to spur economic growth and improve infrastructure.
The governor applauded the growth of automotive manufacturing jobs at Ford and Chrysler plants in Chicago and Belvidere, respectively. He stated that Illinois exports are on the rise, having jumped 30 percent in 2011. Building...
Senate Releases Details on Transit Legislation
On January 30, 2012, the U.S. Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs committee released details on its transit legislation, the Federal Public Transportation Act of 2012. The Act will be combined with highway, safety, freight, and finance titles from other Senate committees into a full federal transportation reauthorization bill. As reported in previous Policy Updates, the Senate Environment...
Proposed Regional Infrastructure Improvement Zones Act
On January 18, 2012, the Regional Infrastructure Improvement Zones (RIIZs) Act was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives. The bill would allow private businesses or individuals to contribute tax-deductible funds to support the construction or maintenance of public infrastructure, including transportation and water projects. Eligible infrastructure projects, which include highways, public...
Public-Private Partnerships, Part 3: Transit
This is the third in a series of Policy Updates on the topic of public-private partnerships (PPPs) and transportation. The first Policy Update introduced the topic of using PPPs for transportation projects, presenting the advantages and disadvantages of this approach, as well as CMAP’s position on the topic. The second reviewed the status of PPPs in the ongoing federal reauthorization process. This...
American Community Survey Helps Chart Success and Challenges of GO TO 2040 Implementation
On December 8, 2011, the U.S. Census Bureau published the 2006-2010 American Community Survey (ACS) five-year estimates, which provide a rolling sample of detailed population characteristics over the past several years.
The ACS data is available to the public. A more detailed analysis and instructions for accessing the data can be found on CMAP’s Census page.
In summary:
- The CMAP region shows an increase in overall...
Northeastern Illinois Air-Quality Attainment Status Change Could Result in Lost Federal Funds and Weakened Environmental Standards
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is in the process of designating areas that do not meet the eight-hour ozone standard that was established in 2008. A preliminary designation by U.S. EPA has tentatively given the region of northeastern Illinois the status of "in attainment" based on 2008 to 2010 data. In so doing, U.S. EPA has thus far disregarded the Illinois Environmental Protection...
