U.S. Fossil Energy Boom | ModeShift

With Richardson Promise on Transit, Mode Shift Idea Enters 2008 Presidential Race

by Keith SchneiderJune 14, 2007June 14, 20070

Â Democrat BillÂ Richardson, a member of President Bill Clinton’s cabinet and the current governor of New Mexico, this week became the first 2008 presidential candidate to formally introduce a Mode Shift idea into the national race. Richardson was in West Hollywood on Monday, and according to the Associated Press promised “to create a partnership to build a light rail network and help untangle the Los Angeles regionâ€™s notorious traffic. With gas prices rising and …

What Will Shrink Metro Areas? Household Size and Transportation Costs

by Keith SchneiderJune 13, 2007June 14, 20070

Â If you travel to Las Vegas, Knoxville, Chicago, and Salt Lake City one of the surprising trends you’ll see is the abrupt shift inÂ housing markets. Downtowns in these and other cities are outpacing the suburbs in new home construction and existing home sales.Â Two of the critical reasons for both are the shrinking size of American households — not a new trend — and the fact that transportation costs exceed housing expenses in household budgets.Â Though …

Hey! Energy Bill Debaters Look At New York

by Keith SchneiderJune 12, 2007June 17, 20073

Â NEW YORK — Early this morning, before the sun peaked over the roofs of the grand old apartment buildings of the Upper East Side, I followed the road bikers and dog walkers and joggers over to Central Park for a splendid four-mile run.Â New York is full of young people now, bright, educated, trim, and ambitious.Â A whole bunch of them are up just after dawn toÂ clear their minds and keep their bodies tunedÂ sufficiently to compete …

At $5 A Gallon, Gas Prices Will Be The Issue In 2008 Campaign

by Keith SchneiderMay 29, 2007May 30, 20076

Remember in the 2004 presidential campaign when George W. Bush and John Kerry briefly sparred over the price of gas?Â Democrats predictably blamed “Big Oil” and promised Congressional investigations.Â Republicans blamedÂ Democrats and environmentalists for blocking efforts to build more refineries and drill for more oil, especially in Alaska. The tussle failed to attract more than the attention of a couple of political reporters. Why? Gas prices nationally were $1.80 a gallon, and only in California did they …

Barack Steps Gingerly Into the Realm of A Weakened Beast

by Keith SchneiderMay 8, 2007June 18, 20140

Democratic presidential candidate and Illinois Senator Barack ObamaÂ skipped across the big pond on Tuesday and landed in Detroit, where he stirred a modest amount of interest by scolding American auto makers for letting the Japanese take command of the industry, and then offering a federal hand in contributing to the industry’sÂ health care costs in exchange forÂ convincing auto makers to increase fuel efficiency by about 1 mile a gallon per year.Â [youtube]GpYkCNohmf8[/youtube] Big deal. Both ideas …

California Governor Tracks Back, Says He Supports High Speed Rail

by Keith SchneiderMay 6, 2007May 6, 20071

Â The push back by the old and new media to Arnold Schwarzenegger’s proposal to cut state funds to the agency overseeing the development of a 700-mile high speed rail network in California appears to have influenced the Republican governor’s view. On Friday, Schwarzenegger (see pix) published an op-ed in the Fresno Bee extolling a high speed system. Thanks to Marcel Marchon’s Trainblog for keeping us current. “The promise of high-speed rail is incredible,” wrote …

High Speed Rail Cut Stirs Response in California

by Keith SchneiderMay 3, 2007May 5, 200711

Â Â Â PROPOSED CALIFORNIA HIGH SPEED RAIL ROUTE Â California Democrats have elevated building their state’s proposed high speed rail network to the top of their legislative priorities, according to the San Francisco Bay Guardian. The Daily Kos, one of the most read blogs in the country, noted the swirl of attention that Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger stirred with his proposal to cut $2.5 million in state funding to the California High Speed Rail Authority, the agency overseeing …

Fast Trains There; Dreams of Fast Trains Here

by Keith SchneiderMay 2, 2007May 10, 20075

Almost three years after Republican California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed legislation that put $2.5 million in the kitty of the California High Speed Rail Authority, which is charged with overseeing the planning of a 700-mile network of fast trains in the nation’s largest state, Schwarzenegger has had a change of heart. The governor’s 2007 budget proposal calls for cutting state appropriations for the Authority, according to an article in the April 29, 2007 edition of …

As Gas Heads to $4, Teachable Moment For Presidential Candidates

by Keith SchneiderApril 27, 2007April 27, 20073

Â We’re one-tenth of a penny short ofÂ $3-a-gallon gas today here in Michigan.Â Energy analysts predict that the price will approach or exceed $4 by mid-summer.Â Welcome to the new world of gas price politics and the emerging new culture of energy efficiency in America.Â Â It’s a whole lot easier to make the case for land and energy-conserving development patterns,Â energy efficiency, and a new economic development strategyÂ in the United States whenÂ consumers’ ire is stoked by the price at …

Email the Sun

by Keith SchneiderApril 25, 2007April 25, 20075

Â New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, one of a select number of Republican leaders in the United States who makes any sense, turned up at the American Museum of Natural History on Sunday to deliver an Earth Day plan for his city that should be the basic text for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness in the United States. A full account of the 127 steps the mayor proposed is here. The big pieces …