Environmental Economics
The cromulent economics blog
recent posts
Category: Transportation
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I can't really tell if they are seriously wondering how to make money from this thing: In 2005, the town of Boone committed funding so that AppalCART could provide free service for in-town routes. At that time, annual recorded trips were at 652,000, Hughes said. Fare-free service was wonderful, he said, because it “keeps things…
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The learning curve for policy makers is steep (ignore market forces at your own risk): Automakers are unlikely to hit the 54.5 mile per gallon average fuel efficiency level that President Obama trumpeted for years, federal officials said Monday. Blaming it on higher-than-expected sales of large vehicles like SUVs, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Department…
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Again, if you haven't realized it yet, this little bit of deception by VW was not a very smart thing to do: Volkswagen has agreed to pay up to $14.7 billion to settle claims stemming from its diesel emissions cheating scandal, in what would be one of the largest consumer class-action settlements ever in the…
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From the inbox: The Volkswagen emissions scandal is putting pressure on many countries to take a closer look at their vehicle emissions testing for cars that run on diesel fuel. It seems that such engines are actually worse for the environment than previously thought, and this issue is particularly important in Europe, where about half of…
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The Hill: A majority of voters would support a 10-cent increase in the federal gas tax if the money is used for specific transportation improvements, according to a new poll released on Wednesday. The poll, which was conducted by the San Jose, Calif. Mineta Transportation Institute, found that 71 percent of voters would be willing…
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From CBO Working Paper 2015-03 (by David Austin): Although freight transport contributes significantly to the productivity of the U.S. economy, it also involves sizable costs to society. Those costs include wear and tear on roads and bridges; delays caused by traffic congestion; injuries, fatalities, and property damage from accidents; and harmful effects from exhaust emissions.…
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Maybe it would mean that I wouldn't eat so dang much: Locks are intended to make it easy for … barges, with their cargoes of grain, coal and oil, to navigate the uneven waters of the Mississippi, Kentucky [1] and Ohio Rivers. But largely out of sight of most Americans, the locks are crumbling. There…
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Because transportation infrastructure is a gift from god? A trio of state polls released this week show voters in states such as Georgia, New Jersey and Utah do not support an increase in their gas taxes to pay for new transportation projects. The surveys come as lawmakers in Washington are indicating a willingness to raise…
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Just a few millions: The Justice Department and the Environmental Protection Agency announced today that the Hyundai Motor Company and the Kia Motors Corporation would pay a combined $100 million penalty as part of a settlement for overstating vehicle fuel economy standards on 1.2 million vehicles, a violation of the Clean Air Act. The penalty…
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