Blog
New Federal Railroad Administration Rule Can Help Reduce Passenger Train Costs
Today, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) published its long-awaited final rule to modernize passenger railcar crashworthiness standards. When it takes effect on January 22,…
Washington Examiner
Self-Driving Car Bill’s Backers Seek Senate Vote Before It’s Too Late
Washington Examiner cited CEI’s Senior Fellow Marc Scribner on self-driving vehicle regulatory framework. Lawmakers and American car manufacturers are mounting a last-ditch effort…
The Daily Caller
ACLU Criticized For Suggesting Title IX Proposal ‘Inappropriately’ Favors The Accused
The Daily Caller cited CEI’s Senior Fellow Marc Scribdner on ACLU stance towards DOE’s Title IX reform. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is…
Blog
Dockless Bikes, E-Scooters, and Urban Transportation Policy Hypocrisy
In August 2017, I wrote about the municipal government cronyism and monopoly franchise agreements driving the controversy over unsubsidized dockless bikesharing companies. In the rapidly…
Blog
Will New Congress Seek Reforms to Highway Taxation?
Could the 116th Congress be the perfect storm for mileage-based user fees? With a divided Congress and with the current surface transportation law expiring at…
Autobody News
Trump’s EPA Rattles Self-Driving Car Industry By Picking ‘Winners And Losers,’ Critics Claim
Autobody News cited CEI’s Senior Fellow Marc Scribner on EPA self-driving car Other manufacturers such as Tesla and Mercedes-Benz raised concerns over the…
The Patriot Post
Airline Deregulation At 40: Flying The Friendly Skies
The Patriot Post cited CEI’s Senior Fellow Marc Scribner on airline deregulation. Despite those fears about safety and loss of service to some…
Comment
CEI Comments in Response to OST Regarding Impact of Automated Vehicle Technologies on Workforce
On behalf of the Competitive Enterprise Institute (“CEI”), I respectfully submit these comments in response to the Office of the Secretary of Transportation’s (“OST”) Request…
Blog
Can Self-Driving Taxis Reduce Urban Poverty?
In last year’s omnibus spending package, Congress allocated up to $1.5 million to the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) to conduct a study on the…
Products
CEI Comments on Incentives for Connected or Autonomous Vehicles
On behalf of the Competitive Enterprise Institute (“CEI”), I respectfully submit these comments in response to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (“NHTSA”) and Environmental…
Blog
David Friedman Swings and Misses at AV START Act
Axios recently launched a newsletter dedicated to automated vehicles. In the most recent issue, David Friedman attacks bipartisan legislation in Congress aimed at speeding…
Investor's Business Daily
Happy 40th Birthday, Airline Deregulation — Despite Complaints, You’re A Huge Success
Investor’s Business Daily cited CEI’s Senior Fellow Marc Scribner airline deregulation. Americans often express mixed feelings about today’s airlines, with their missed schedules,…
Blog
Celebrating the 40th Anniversary of Airline Deregulation
Forty years ago today on October 24, 1978, President Jimmy Carter signed the Airline Deregulation Act into law. This bipartisan legislation led to the elimination…
Washington Examiner
Safety Advocates Try To Hit The Brakes On Driverless Cars
Washington Examiner cited CEI’s Senior Fellow Marc Scribner on Congressional action for driverless vehicles. “I understand there are important things that need to…
Washington Examiner
Trump’s EPA Rattles Self-Driving Car Industry By Picking ‘Winners And Losers,’ Critics Claim
Washington Examiner cited CEI’s Senior Fellow Marc Scribner on technology neutrality pledge of USDOT Other manufacturers such Tesla and Mercedes-Benz raised concerns over…
Blog
Environmental Protection Agency Considering Backdoor Subsidies for ‘Talking Car’ Tech
During the final days of the Obama administration, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) proposed its “talking car” mandate. This would have required new…
Blog
Automated Vehicles 3.0 Guidance Continues Green-Lighting Innovation
Last week, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) released the third iteration of its guidance for automated vehicles, Preparing for the Future of Transportation:…
News Release
Transportation Dept. Helps Automated Vehicle Future with New, Modernized “AV 3.0” Plan
Today, the U.S. Department of Transportation put out its long-anticipated plan to pave the way for automated vehicles. The DOT guidance document is called Preparing…
Reason
New FAA Reauthorization Bill Tackles Seat Size, Supersonic Jets
Reason cited CEI’s Senior Fellow Marc Scribner on Congress aviation reform. “From our perspective, this is the most forward-leaning language from Congress on…
News Release
Congress Must End Limbo for Federal Aviation Administration Funding, Though Modernization Still Urgently Needed
Congress is running out of time to pass legislation authorizing spending for the Federal Aviation Administration, with a September 30 deadline looming. CEI transportation policy…
Blog
To Promote Highway Safety and Innovation, Senate Must Pass AV START Act
It has now been over a year since the U.S. House of Representatives passed the bipartisan SELF DRIVE Act by voice vote. Its companion bill,…
Inside Sources
Ban on Texting While Driving? No
Should there be a nationwide ban on texting while driving? To many, the obvious answer is a resounding yes. After all, texting while driving, along…
Blog
Senate Should Pass on Joan Claybrook’s Advice and Pass AV START Act
Why are self-styled safety advocates opposing the first legislative step that could help usher in the greatest automotive safety improvements in history? This is a…
Trucks.com
Most States Ban Truck Platooning, but Report Shows Momentum Shift
Trucks.com cited Senior Fellow Marc Scribner on automated vehicle platooning. In a report released Wednesday, the privately funded Competitive Enterprise…
Politico
Politico Morning Transportation: Scribner Platooning Report
Politico cited Senior Fellow Marc Scribner on automated vehicle platooning. The Competitive Enterprise Institute is out with a new report today…
Illinois News Network
Illinois Could be Next State to Allow Freight Trucks to Utilize Emerging Technology
Illinois News Network cited Senior Fellow Marc Scribner on automated vehicle platooning. “Something like adaptive cruise control, a common driver assistance system,” Competitive Enterprise…
Fleet Owner
Platooning Still Held Back by Outdated State Laws, Report Says
Fleet Owner cited Senior Fellow Marc Scribner on Authorizing Automated Vehicle Platooning: A Guide for State Legislators. A …
Blog
New York City Continues War on Affordable Consumer Travel
Yesterday, the New York City Council voted to impose a one-year cap on the number of ride-hailing vehicles able to operate in the city.
Blog
House Transportation Chairman Proposes Examining Shift to User Fees for Highway Funding
Rep. Bill Shuster (R-PA), the outgoing chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, this week released a legislative discussion draft of a new infrastructure bill,…
Blog
CEI Releases ‘Authorizing Automated Vehicle Platooning, 2018 Edition’
CEI has released my third annual report on state barriers to vehicle platooning, Authorizing Automated Vehicle Platooning: A Guide for State Legislators, 2018 Edition.
News Release
Report: Automated Truck Technology Would Mean Cost Savings and Safety Gains – If Legislators Update Decades-Old Laws
Automated vehicle technology promises big cost savings in transporting goods nationwide and increased highway safety, but outdated state laws remain a roadblock, according to a…
Study
Authorizing Automated Vehicle Platooning, 2018 Edition
Automated vehicles have captured the public’s imagination in recent years following successful on-road demonstrations by developers such as Waymo.[1] The prospect of…
SCPR
AUDIO: Marc Scribner Discusses Driverless Cars and State Safety Regulations on AirTalk
CEI Senior Fellow Marc Scribner joined AirTalk on Southern California Public Radio to discuss driverless car technology and state safety regulations.
Automotive News
Can Regulators Keep up with the Pace of Self-Driving Tech?
Automotive News cited Marc Scribner on self-driving vehicles, standards, safety technologies and regulations. “This goes well beyond the types of technology NHTSA has…
Blog
Last Chance for the 115th: Senate Should Pass AV START Act
Back when CEI published “Free to Prosper: A Pro-Growth Agenda for the 115th Congress” at the end of 2016, we wrote that “[t]o…
China Daily
If China Wants Coal, the US Has Got Coal
ChinaDaily cited Marc Scribner on the influx in demand for US coal exports as the Chinese government has shut down many of its less productive…
News Release
CEI on Potential Auto Tariff: “Trump Tax” Is Deeply Troubling
This week, the Trump administration launched a probe to consider imposing tariffs on imported automobiles. CEI Senior Fellow Marc Scribner warned such a "Trump tax" would be bad…
Blog
Debunking the Dilatory Objections to the AV START Act
In September 2017, the House of Representatives passed the SELF DRIVE Act by unanimous voice vote. The bill would for the first time establish…
Blog
Clearing a Regulatory Path for Automated Trucks and Trains
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is the national safety regulator of heavy trucks and buses, or commercial motor vehicles. It was created in 2000…
Comment
CEI Comments on Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations
On behalf of the Competitive Enterprise Institute (“CEI”), I respectfully submit these comments in response to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (“FMCSA”) Request for…
The State Journal-Register
Point: In The Name Of Safety, They Should Allow Testing Of Driverless Cars On Their Roads
The State Journal-Register cited Marc Scribner about how local jurisdictions are not qualified to determine the legality of driverless cars and that their lack of…
Comment
CEI Comments on Automation in the Railroad Industry to the Federal Railroad Administration
On behalf of the Competitive Enterprise Institute (“CEI”), I respectfully submit these comments in response to the Federal Railroad Administration’s (“FRA”) Request for Information on…
Fox Business
Trump’s China tariffs: Beijing could target US coal industry
Fox Business quoted Marc Scribner on the harmful market impact that a Chinese tarriff on U.S. coal exports would create given that the coal…
Illinois News Network
Proposal: Raise state’s gas tax to highest-in-nation 85 cents a gallon
Illonois News Network quoted Marc Scribner on the necessity to find alternatives for Illonois to support renovating its aging infastructure rather than increasing the state’s gas…
Reason Magazine
Clear the Runway: The Fight Over ‘Uber for Planes’ Is Coming to Congress
Reason Magazine cites CEI’s Marc Scribner on regulations that could harm the sharing economy for private planes. In other words, the battle…
News Release
Lawmaker Seeks Improvements in Aviation Safety Regulation
Today, Rep. Mark Meadows (R, N.C.) introduced a significant reform amendment to the Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization legislation. The amendment directs the FAA to…
Blog
Even without Air Traffic Control Reform, House FAA Bill Improvement to Status Quo
Last week, House Transportation Committee Chairman Bill Shuster (R-PA) introduced his updated Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization bill, eliminating the air traffic control reform title, and making…
News Release
CEI on Possible Trade War with China
China is retaliating against the Trump administration's proposed tariffs on Chinese goods with $50 billion in new tariffs on 106 U.S. products, including vital American…
C-SPAN
VIDEO: Marc Scribner Discusses Automotive Innovation and Wireless Technology at New America Event
C-SPAN covers New America’s event on automotive innovation and wireless technology featuring CEI Senior Fellow Marc Scribner as a panelist. …
C-SPAN
VIDEO: Marc Scribner Joins The Washington Journal to Discuss Trump’s Infrastructure Plan
CEI Senior Fellow Marc Scribner joined The Washington Journal on C-SPAN to discuss President Trump’s infrastructure plan.
The Hill
Senate Can’t Let U.S. Railroad Regulator Roll Back Progress
Few Americans give much thought to the Surface Transportation Board (STB), the nation’s economic regulator of railroads. Yet, the STB oversees a critical infrastructure network…
Blog
Cracking Down on Automated Vehicles Would Mean More Death and Destruction
Real-life road testing is the best way to continue improving the performance of automated driving systems, thanks in part to the gathering of real-time road…
News Release
Trump Tariffs Against China Will Backfire, CEI Warns
The White House on Thursday announced a plan for imposing tariffs on Chinese imports to the United States and curtailing Chinese investment in the U.S.
Blog
Human Achievement: The Shipping Container
One of the most underappreciated drivers of the modern global economy is the humble shipping container. Widely adopted internationally in the second half of the…
Blog
CEI Submits Comments to Federal Vehicle Regulator on Automated Driving Systems
The process for modernizing federal motor vehicle safety standards needs to be improved, thereby allowing for more rapid deployment of vehicles equipped with new self-driving technology…
Comment
CEI Comments to NHTSA on Removing Regulatory Barriers for Vehicles with Automated Driving System
View Full Document as PDF On behalf of the Competitive Enterprise Institute (“CEI”), I respectfully submit these comments in response to the…
USA Today
Let our airlines compete: Maybe more dogs will reach their destinations
Glenn Harlan Reynolds quotes a recent interview with Marc Scribner in his USA Today column on airline competition and regulation: When you…
Blog
Trump’s Recent Trade Decisions Could Spell Doom for the Economy
With President Trump’s announcement on steel and aluminum tariffs and his continued wrong-headed approach to trade policy, there are reasons to be concerned that a…
Techdirt
Slowing Down Driverless Cars Would Be A Fatal Mistake
This article was cowritten with Caleb Watney, technology policy associate at the R Street Institute Unsubstantiated driverless car hype may be annoying, but that shouldn’t blind…
Comment
CEI Comments in Response to the Federal Highway Administration’s Request for Information on Automated Driving Systems
View Full Document as PDF On behalf of the Competitive Enterprise Institute (“CEI”), I respectfully submit these comments in response to the…
Vox
America’s 3 Infrastructure Problems
Vox examines the Trump administration’s infrastructure plans with Marc Scribner: So where did that $1.5 trillion number come from? According to…
Blog
Skepticism of Driverless Car Hype Is Warranted But Shouldn’t Sacrifice Innovation and Safety
Applying the precautionary principle to the regulation of self-driving cars could mean more highway fatalities, by delaying the introduction of new, lifesaving technologies. …
Watchdog.org
Government watchdog: States like Illinois must be more accountable for infrastructure maintenance
Watchdog.org discusses the effect of the Trump Administration’s infrastructure plan and cites Marc Scribner’s work: Any federal infrastructure funding plan needs to…
Reason
Self-Driving Cars Will Make Most Auto Safety Regulations Unnecessary
Reason quoted Marc Scribner on the necessity of pragmatism which should be utilized to expedite the implementation of self-driving cars before federal auto regulators idealistic…
Blog
Rep. Dave Brat’s Pro-Competitive Free to Fly Act Is a First Step in the Right Direction
The Free to Fly Act would eliminate a generations-old anti-competitive federal law governing domestic airline ownership.
Vox
Trump’s Plan Does Nothing for America’s Real Infrastructure Problem
Vox’s Matthew Yglesias cites Marc Scribner’s blog analysis of the Trump administration’s infrastructure proposals: Infrastructure is a big, complicated subject that…
The Wall Street Journal
Private Jet-Setters Against Better Air Travel
The Wall Street Journal cites Marc Scribner in discussing potential roadblocks to air traffic reform: President Trump’s 2019 budget proposal again includes a…
Blog
Trump’s Infrastructure Plan: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
This morning, the White House released its long-anticipated, 53-page infrastructure proposal. It is an expansion of the leaked six-page summary that I commented…
News Release
White House Infrastructure Spending Plan Should Refocus on Maintenance for Roads, Water Treatment
The White House is expected to announce a $200 billion infrastructure spending plan, with a focus on shortening the permitting process for construction, directing dollars…
Marketplace
AUDIO: President Trump to Outline Infrastructure Plan
Marketplace discusses President Trump’s infrastructure plan with Marc Scribner. Listen to the full story at Marketplace.
WIRED
Outdated Auto Safety Regulations Threaten the Self-Driving Revolution
Self-driving cars should be welcomed for their substantial safety and mobility gains for the traveling public, especially the elderly and disabled. But the federal government’s failure…
Blog
Uber Wants to Make It Illegal to Operate Your Own Self-Driving Car in Cities
Beleaguered ridesourcing giant Uber has been criticized for a wide variety of sins, both real and imagined. But their biggest sin yet may be what…
Blog
More Misguided Conservative Criticism of the Passenger Facility Charge
Congress should free the hand of airports to finance improvements with user fees rather than relying on federal tax revenue.
The Tennessean
Opponents Paint Grim Picture of Nashville Transit Plan at Forum Watched by Both Sides
The Tennessean covers Marc Sribner’s appearance at a forum surrounding Nashville’s transit plan. Opponents of Mayor Megan Barry’s transit plan brought in conservative thinkers leading the…
Blog
#SOTU2018: All Eyes on Infrastructure
Despite the Trump administration’s misguided call for additional federal spending on infrastructure, there are some bright spots for free marketers in the administration's plan.
Washington Examiner
Air Traffic Control Might Finally Move Into The 21st Century
America is long overdue for an overhaul of our radar-based air traffic control system. Yet federal modernization efforts are plagued by delays, cost-overruns, and shifting…
U.S. News & World Report
The Right Kind of Stimulus
Ask any politician about infrastructure, and they’ll tell you they’re for it. And why wouldn’t they be? Most politicians view infrastructure spending as a means…
City Journal
Well-Heeled Fliers Against Air-Traffic Reform
The City Journal quotes Marc Scribner on the influence the NBAA has in preventing federal reform and modernization of air traffic control. Members…
Blog
Congress Should Repeal ‘Sore Loser’ Trade Law
Supporters of free trade ought to pressure Congress to repeal executive authority to unilaterally impose protectionist trade sanctions. …
Blog
Where Are the President’s Surface Transportation Board Nominees?
Three seats currently sit empty on the Surface Transportation Board (STB) and the White House should move quickly to nominate cautious and judicious rail experts…
Roll Call
Whiplashed Planners Fear GOP Swerve on Infrastructure
Roll Call discusses private activity bonds with Marc Scribner. Los Angeles has gained national notice for a series of ambitious projects affecting all facets…
Politico
Study Bag
Politico’s Morning Transportation covers the release of Modernizing Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards by Marc Scribner. Take a gander at a new…
Law360
Old Standards Holding Back Auto Safety Advancement
Law360 covers the release of Modernizing Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards by Marc Scribner. Federal regulators’ failure to routinely update motor vehicle standards to keep…
The Washington Examiner
Congress in the Driver’s Seat on Self-Driving Cars
The Washington Examiner discusses self-driving cars with Marc Scribner. For auto manufacturers, technology experts, and lawmakers, 2018 is shaping up to be the year…
Blog
Congress Must Help Modernize Outdated Auto Safety Regulations
Congress should encourage safety regulators to more rapidly adopt modern standards developed by private professional organizations. …
News Release
Report: Auto Safety Lags Due to Outdated Government Standards
Motor vehicle safety should be a priority for Washington regulators, but regulators too often fail to update rules to stay current on the latest, best…
Study
Modernizing Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards
View Full Document as PDF Thousands of times per year in the United States, automobile drivers are temporarily blinded by the high…
Governing
Airports Need to Expand
Governing magazine discusses government barriers to airport investment with Marc Scribner: The need for this mass airport modernization is evident. America’s population is…
Blog
Is There a Drone under Your Tree? Here’s the Current Status of Federal Regulation
No longer just the stuff of modern warfare, small drone aircraft are increasingly used in real estate, agriculture, infrastructure inspection, and search and rescue, to…
Law360
Rail Regs In Crosshairs After Emergency Brakes Rule Repeal
Law360 interviews Marc Scribner about the repeal of the electronically controlled pneumatic brake mandate for high-hazard flammable unit trains by the Federal Railroad Administration: The…
The Hill
Taxpayers, Travelers Win with a Modernized Airport Facility Charge
Everyone from typical travelers to President Trump has decried the sorry state of American airport infrastructure. Airports would like to have the freedom to impose…
HowStuffWorks
Why Is Amazon Not Considered a Monopoly?
HowStuffWorks discusses Amazon with Marc Scribner. How big is too big? That’s the question that economists and policymakers are asking about Amazon, the…
Blog
Two Cheers for Virginia’s I-66 Express Lanes
Virginia’s limited foray into uncapped variable tolling represents a fairer and more efficient way to manage traffic congestion and pay for surface transportation.
Blog
CEI Submits Comments on New Automated Driving System Federal Guidance
Today, the Competitive Enterprise Institute, joined by the R Street Institute, submitted comments to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in response to the…
Comment
CEI and R Street Comments to NHTSA on Automated Driving Systems 2.0: A Vision for Safety
View Full Document as PDF On behalf of the Competitive Enterprise Institute (“CEI”) and the R Street Institute (“R Street”), we respectfully…
Blog
How to Update Federal Auto Safety Rules to Conform to the Latest Technical Standards
Motor vehicle safety regulations in the United States frequently fail to incorporate the latest voluntary consensus standards developed by automotive technical experts.
Blog
Did Congress Stumble on a New Way to Modernize Auto Safety Rules?
The federal government has long recognized the virtues of adhering to consensus industry standards when regulating industrial activities, rather than attempting to invent technical standards…
Reason
VIDEO: Self-Driving Cars Will Make Most Auto Safety Regulations Unnecessary
Jim Epstein of Reason discusses self-driving cars with Marc Scribner. Federal auto safety regulations fill nearly 900 pages with standards that determine everything…
Blog
V2V Mandate Nixed: DOT Ends Second Most Costly U.S. Regulatory Proposal
the U.S. Department of Transportation will not promulgate a costly new regulation, setting the stage for withdrawal of its notice of proposed rulemaking mandating new…
Law360
Trump Deregulatory Push Puts New Rail, Truck Rules In Doubt
Law360 discusses freight rail regulation with Marc Scribner. The STB in July 2016 agreed to draft new rules that would compel a rail…