NATIONAL NEWS

Politico: Expand investment in infrastructure
By: Gov. Ed Rendell and Sen. Jim Inhofe
http://dyn.politico.com/printstory.cfm?uuid=E776CE52-18FE-70B2-A8B11AA6CB5B4D97
Infrastructure is the least sexy word in the English language. Yet it’s one of the most important. Finding common ground between Republicans and Democrats is increasingly difficult. But one thing that most Americans — and politicians of all persuasions — can agree on is that infrastructure is vital to our economy and quality of life.

DC Streetsblog: Senators Aim to Reintroduce Transportation Into Climate Bill Debate http://dc.streetsblog.org/2010/07/16/senators-aim-to-reintroduce-transportation-into-climate-bill-debate/
As the threat of a Republican filibuster continues to prevent the Senate from passing climate legislation, leading Democrats have tried to scale back their proposal in an attempt to peel off a few votes. In the process, serious attempts to put a price on carbon have fallen by the wayside, taking with them the best hope of reducing transportation emissions. A new bill introduced yesterday by Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley, however, aims to reintroduce transportation into the energy debate, if in a more limited form.

DOT Fast Lane: Transportation is a public health issue; DOT doing its part to keep kids moving http://fastlane.dot.gov/2010/07/dot-doing-its-part-to-keep-kids-moving.html Earlier this year, First Lady Michelle Obama established Let's Move, a program with the ambitious and important goal of ending childhood obesity within a generation. And yesterday, a conference called "Keeping Kids Moving" examined the ways transportation policy can help America achieve that goal. The sad truth is this: today, 32% of children in the US are overweight or obese. That means one in every three of our nation's children are at risk for serious health conditions like diabetes, asthma, heart disease, and stroke.

STATE NEWS

National League of Cities: Partnerships Reframe the Case for Infrastructure http://www.nlc.org/articles/articleItems/NCW071910/infrastructure.aspx
This article is the first of two that focus on infrastructure investment through public-private partnerships. Cities are increasingly recognizing that infrastructure projects can be a critical tool for economic development. Historically, most investment in infrastructure was undertaken by the private sector. Government is now the largest investor in national infrastructure, but severe budget shortfalls and spending cuts are suspending such projects nationwide.

NY Times: Getting Slim Just by Riding the Subway http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/17/nyregion/17bigcity.html?_r=1&ref=susan_dominus
The subway is the ultimate multitasker’s delight, a fast-moving all-purpose room that allows New Yorkers to speed toward their destination while simultaneously escaping the city altogether, through their phones’ movie downloads or that handy-dandy throwback, the paperback. A commuter might look up from the spreadsheet on her lap to absorb an unspoken fashion tip from the fellow rider who found a wearable version of the high-waisted pouf skirt. Another might glance up from his legal brief to find the scene before him: a simmering negotiation over space, an angling for a date — a strategy breakthrough. Or free live theater.