By Bill Pugh (Guest Contributor) • December 15, 2020
In November, the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (MWCOG) Board of Directors, comprising local elected official representatives, adopted a 2030 Climate and Energy Action Plan (CEAP), which lays out the strategies needed for the region to achieve a 50% reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2030. But how does the plan address the transportation-land use-climate connection? And how can the region strengthen its climate action in this sector as it makes important decisions on transportation plans and projects over the coming year?
A 1970s referendum limiting county taxes brought the growth of Prince George County’s library system to a grinding halt, marking an era of austerity that lasted a generation.
A new Congressional relief proposal would give $15 billion to transit agencies, capping large urban areas at $4 billion total between this and the CARES act. Metro would get an estimated $530 million. (Kea Wilson / Streetsblog)
Car dealerships in the region have gotten a disproportionate share of Paycheck Protection Program loans, proportionately more than restaurants. Dealerships make up .02% of approved loans but got 2% of funding. (Andy Medici / Business Journal)
Buttigeig would be the first openly gay Cabinet secretary. Though his experience with transportation is limited to South Bend’s bus and rail connections, he had a detailed transportation and infrstructure proposal while running for president, including a nationwide Vison Zero goal and replacing the gas tax with a VMT tax. (Tyler Pager and Sam Mintz / Politico)
A person was hit by a Yellow Line train at L’Enfant Plaza station on Tuesday morning. They were rescued from beneath the train and taken to the hospital with critical injuries. (Jack Moore / WTOP)
DC Council approved a bill that would create a civilian board to review complaints against Metro police. The board would be multi-jurisdictional, so the proposal cannot go into effect until Maryland and Virginia also pass the measure. (Elliot Williams / DCist)
In a Metro Safety and Operations Committee meeting last week officials said that Phase II of the Silver Line will likely open fall 2021 or later. There are still ten unresolved issues with component failures and yard building, but Metro plans to have them fixed by April to begin testing the rail segment. (Scott Fields / Reston Now)
On Tuesday morning Metro reported a shooting on a Red Line train at Medical Center in Maryland that involved an FBI agent. (NBC Washington. Tip: Chester B.)
The number one priority for the city’s Transportation Committee in the next two years is the Landmark Transit Hub in West End, which will serve DASH, Metro bus, and bus rapid transit lines. Priority number two is bike trail expansion. (Vernon Miles / ALX Now)
The DC Council passed a bill to have businesses rehire workers laid off during the pandemic with some tweaks including exempting certain smaller establishments. They also passed a bill, in defiance of the mayor, allowing inmates who committed crimes before the age of 25 to apply for sentence reductions. (Julie Zauzmer / Post)
DC only got 6,800 vaccine doses from the federal government, but Virginia will share 8,000 of its vaccines with DC in order to immunize healthcare workers who live in Northern Virginia but work in DC. (Will Vitka / WTOP)
