Rep. Peter Defazio: “Too little is spent on transportation”
At mCapitol, one of the key areas we work in is transportation and infrastructure, so we wanted to make sure you saw this recent Politico opinion piece by U.S. Rep. Peter Defazio about the shortage of transportation funding and the need to make sure our nation has the infrastructure resources it needs: According to two bipartisan commission reports initiated under the George W. Bush administration, our nation needs to double its current investment in our transportation system just to bring it up to a state of good repair. The National Surface Transportation Infrastructure Financing Commission said our transportation system has deteriorated so much, “our safety, economic competitiveness...
Read MorePolitico: “Panama Canal expansion turns into ‘money grab’”
Don’t miss this Politico story on the Panama Canal expansion, an important opportunity to help reduce surface transportation that’s generating bipartisan support in Congress: Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), a member of the Appropriations Committee, has called deeper ports “the economic gateway to the world.” The committee just approved $3.5 million for a Charleston Harbor deepening study. “We’ve got to have a vision to meet this new reality,” he said. “The Panama Canal is going to expand. Giant ships are going to come through the canal to service the East Coast.” New Jersey Democratic Sens. Frank Lautenberg , also a member of the Appropriations Committee, and Robert...
Read MoreNY Times: “In Post-Earmark Era, Small Cities Step Up Lobbying to Fight for Federal Grants”
If you’re a small city or town, you won’t want to miss this recent New York Times story about securing federal grants in a post-earmark world: More than a year after Congress forswore earmarks, the oft-criticized legislative gimmick that financed pet projects, communities that relied on federal money for legitimate needs say they are facing a harsh budget reality. Across the country, dozens of small local governments say they are using the few dollars they have to increase their Washington lobbying efforts to try to compete against bigger and better financed localities for federal grants. While most of the criticism has cast a spotlight on questionable projects like studies on...
Read MoreBREAKING: “Keystone XL pipeline to be rejected by Obama administration”
Politico has the scoop on big news today out of Washington with respect to the Keystone XL pipeline: The State Department on Wednesday will reject the Keystone XL pipeline, multiple sources following the project told POLITICO. The formal announcement is expected at 3 p.m. from Deputy Secretary of State William Burns. Although the permit would be rejected, TransCanada would still be allowed to continue to work on and pitch an alternative route through Nebraska. Republicans in Congress and on the campaign trail have endlessly attacked President Barack Obama for putting environmental interests and the green lobby ahead of a project that they say would create thousands of jobs. Republicans...
Read MoreGlobal Gaming Business profiles mCapitol Senior VP Larry Werner
mCapitol Senior Vice President Larry Werner, a veteran lobbyist who represents tribal interests in government, was recently profiled in Global Gaming Business Magazine. Larry discussed his background working with U.S. Sen. Harry Reid and how he delivers for his clients by effectively communicating on Capitol Hill. Here are a few excerpts from the piece, which you read in its entirety here: Werner’s 2012 focus concerns tribes seeking to offer online poker. “It will be important for them to have a level playing field for entrance into the marketplace,” he says. “Tribes will also have to protect their sovereign status in relation to gaming states like Nevada and New Jersey, not to...
Read MoreThe Hill: “CDC official: More study of gas drilling’s health effects needed”
The Hill reports on a hot environmental topic right now that mCapitol professionals are closely monitoring: A top Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) official is calling for wider study of the potential public health effects of natural-gas development, comments that will likely embolden opponents of the widespread drilling method called hydraulic fracturing. “Studies should include all the ways people can be exposed, such as through air, water, soil, plants and animals,” said Christopher Portier, director of the CDC’s National Center for Environmental Health, in an email to The Associated Press. “We do not have enough information to say with certainty whether shale gas...
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