National Journal Topics | NationalJournal.com

Inside the Cover: Why You Won’t Own Your Road

May 16, 2013

In this week's National Journal cover story, a look at how private companies are stepping in to fill the gaps in public projects, like highways, ports — even space-flight facilities.

Why You Won’t Own Your Road

Fawn Johnson | May 16, 2013

Cash-strapped states such as Virginia are turning to the private sector to help finance large infrastructure projects.

1 Boston Marathon Bombing Suspect Is Dead, 1 On the Loose in Watertown

Dashiell Bennett and Philip Bump - The Atlantic Wire | April 19, 2013

Following a chaotic night of mayhem and a police shootout, one of the two suspects in the Boston Marathon bombings was shot and killed by police. The second suspect is on the loose and police are actively searching the area of Watertown, Mass.

LIVE UPDATES: What's Happening at the Senate Vote-A-Rama

Nancy Cook and Shane Goldmacher and Kristin Roberts | March 22, 2013

The Senate's hours-long marathon of votes on amendments to the budget has begun. Here's what's worth knowing.

What a Real Standard on Fuel Economy Looks Like

Brian Fung | March 20, 2013

By 2050, improvements to cars and light trucks could reduce the country’s auto emissions by 80 percent. That’s a lofty goal. Can we hit it?

Tiny Think Tank a Major Player on Energy Policy

Coral Davenport | March 19, 2013

Robbie Diamond has the name of a used-car salesman—and with his slick, shiny coif, ever-present white-toothed smile, and knack for self-promotion—he might even pass for one.

At CPAC, Ken Cuccinelli Moves to the Center

Beth Reinhard | March 14, 2013

Virginia's Republican candidate for governor tacks to the middle in speech to conservative activists.

How Fracking Could Transform Transportation

Todd Woody and Quartz | March 14, 2013

What to do with the natural gas glut produced by the U.S. fracking boom? One answer: Planes, trains and automobiles.

Steven Tyler and Snooki Have Something In Common: Pieces of State Legislation Named After Them

Brian Resnick | March 8, 2013

The commotion that surrounds celebrities can provoke governing bodies to action.

McAuliffe, Bolling Trading Calls in Run-Up to Bolling's Decision

Dan Roem | February 26, 2013

ARLINGTON, Va. -- As Virginia Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling approaches his own March 14th deadline for making a decision about whether to enter the 2013 gubernatorial race as an independent, former Democratic National Committee Chairman Terry McAuliffe is doing everything he can to stay on Bolling's good si...

Liberals in House Hatch Plans to ‘Bust the Chops’ of GOP

Billy House | February 14, 2013

Privately, the liberal Democrats behind an aggressive new legislative strategy targeting House Republicans are calling it “Operation Bust Their Chops.”

Spotlight on the Rush to Cross the Border

Jody Brannon | February 14, 2013

With immigration reform a topic of conversation nationwide The Washington Post produced a photo gallery, rich with powerful images, of Mexicans who repeatedly try to return to the U.S. using the “Whisper Trail.”

Stuck in Traffic? Welcome to the Club

Fawn Johnson | February 11, 2013

Washington D.C., Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York City, and Boston rank at the top of the country's worst cities for traffic congestion, according to the most recent urban mobility report from the Texas A&M Transportation Institute.

The Scary Truth About How Much Climate Change is Costing You

Coral Davenport | February 7, 2013

While policymakers fiddle, the threat of economic harm posed by rising sea levels, devastating storms, and drought is growing every day.

Future Travelers

Fawn Johnson | February 4, 2013

Who knows what the kids are going to come up with next? Some of them think owning a car is a big bother and would rather rent or borrow one. Others don't even have a driver's license! Their smart phones are an extension of their brains, which makes grown-ups cringe when they get behind the wheel. Still, all that connectivity has tantalizing possibilities for modernizing how people get from place to place.

Five Energy/Environment Hill Staffers to Watch

Amy Harder | February 3, 2013

Congress is unlikely to tackle any major energy and environment legislation through regular order. So if any sliver of policy does get through either or both chambers, it will be thanks to the small cadre of energy and environment aides in congressional leadership offices. Here’s who you need to know.

Chastened by His Times, Obama Falls Short of History in Inaugural Address

Ron Fournier | January 21, 2013

“We cannot mistake absolutism for principle," Obama tells both allies and rivals.

Obama's Inaugural: With Malice or None?

Ron Fournier | January 18, 2013

Understandable as it may be for Obama to govern with a chip on his shoulder, it's not his path to greatness.

D.C. Prepares for Barack Obama's Second Inaugural (Photos)

National Journal Staff | January 17, 2013

Crapo Voted for Federal Law Mandating .08 BAC Limit

Dan Roem | December 24, 2012

Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, who was arrested on December 23 for driving under the influence, voted for a federal law that requires states to set a .08 blood alcohol content level for over-the-limit driving laws. Non-compliant states would forfeit some of their federal transportation money otherwise....

Cliff Dwellers, Is This a Big Deal?

Fawn Johnson | December 17, 2012

Cliff metaphors abound these days, thanks to our members of Congress. In my travels, I've run across the deportation cliff, the human cliff, and yes, the transportation cliff. (Thank you, Rep. John Mica, R-Fla.). To be clear, there are two cliffs in the transportation world. There is the "fiscal cliff," which would result in an overall cut of about 8 percent in federal funds. That impact on transportation isn't clear, although it would certainly be a blow. The National Air Traffic Controllers Association says that could result in a furlough of 2,000 to 2,200 air traffic controllers, which could ultimately result in fewer flights.

Transit to Jobs Equals Economy

Fawn Johnson | December 10, 2012

"Trying to market a city without transit is like trying to sell a cell phone without a camera." That was one of the take-home messages from a speaker at an urban planning conference earlier this year, according to my friend who was there. The room was full of city planners who are trying to convince businesses to settle in their areas. Transit is considered key not just because it gives people an easy way to get to work, but it also signals to the private sector that a city is healthy enough to invest in itself.

A Difficult Lift for Shuster

Fawn Johnson | December 3, 2012

Rep. Bill Shuster, R-Pa., will be the next chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, and he is a good choice for House Republicans. He is firmly in the conservative fiscal camp and unafraid to say so. He was among the few House members who lingered in the lobby outside the House floor Friday trashing President Obama's recent proposal to avert the "fiscal cliff." He said it would do nothing to solve budget problems. Obama included a $50 infrastructure bank in the proposal. Shuster rejected it with a wave of a hand. There will be no "stimulus," even for infrastructure, in the final budget package, he said.

Tolling on Federal Highways

Fawn Johnson | November 19, 2012

As long as we're touching sacred cows--I refer to the previous post on the gas tax--let's talk about tolling on interstate highways. Is it time to revisit this question?

Moving the Dial on the Gas Tax

Fawn Johnson | November 12, 2012

On transportation, President Obama can plan on starting his second term the same way he began his first. Then, as now, the funding crisis for the nation's highways was a few years off but approaching fast. When the highway authority expiration date looms in 2014, no one will be prepared for it.

Meet the Guy Who Stopped Santa

Alex Brown | November 8, 2012

Santa Claus is coming to Congress, but he won't make it in time for Christmas. That's thanks to David Curson, who defeated reindeer-ranching Republican Kerry Bentivolio, a Santa impersonator, in a special election to fill Michigan's 11th District seat from next week through the start of the new term. Bentivolio defeated physician Syed Taj in the full-term race and will be sworn in as the district's representative January 3. Former Rep. Thad McCotter resigned from the seat in July after his election petitions were found to be fraudulent.

Transforming the Highway Trust Fund

Fawn Johnson | February 22, 2011

A single paragraph in the Transportation Department's fiscal 2012 budget could fundamentally alter the funding mechanism for highways and other transit. The administration is calling for replacing the current highway trust fund with a "transportation trust fund" that will have separate accounts for highways, transit, high-speed rail, and a national infrastructure bank. In the near term, this means that highways would see only a slightly smaller share of the overall national transportation funds that also go to inter-city transit and passenger rail. But over a longer period of time, the move away from a dedicated highway trust fund signals the administration's desire to wean the country away from the automobile.

FOREIGN AFFAIRS - The Army's Gamble

March 29, 2003

V CORPS FORWARD TACTICAL COMMAND, Central Iraq-The sound came with such suddenness and ferocity that all heads craned skyward as if in supplication: An Iraqi Scud missile was boring back through the atmosphere at terminal velocity. Just to the right of the 110-vehicle convoy, a Patriot anti-missile battery answered, with the sparkling contrails of two missiles clearly visible as they soared toward an impact point nearly six miles overhead. Along the shoulder of the road, hundreds of soldiers scrambled to don chemical protection suits as a multiwheeled Fox detection vehicle ran down the column "sniffing" for lethal chemical agents. Within minutes, the Patriot battery reported a successful intercept and confirmed that the Scud would have hit the ground less than a third of a mile in front of the convoy.

NJ Topics Surface Transportation