Air travel and rail transport were early examples of deregulation bringing huge benefits to consumers and industries. Yet automobility, air travel, and freight rail, are increasingly threatened with further regulation that will reduce their ability to transport goods and people. CEI opposes these attacks by arguing for greater freedom in mobility and opposing perverse transportation industry regulations.
Transportation Issue Areas
Featured Posts
The American Spectator
Will California Hobble the US Railroad Industry?
CEI’s Patricia Patnode is cited in Reason on the EPA’s imposition of regulation: As Patricia Patnode of the Competitive Enterprise Institute, which signed the…
Blog
This week in ridiculous regulations: train crews and airport concessions
Our colleague R.J. Smith passed away. R.J. coined the term “free-market environmentalism,” ran CEI’s private conservation efforts for many years, and was a valued…
Daily Caller
Here’s Why It Could Take Longer To Rebuild The Baltimore Bridge Than The Whole Transcontinental Railroad
CEI’s Ryan Young is cited in Daily Caller about the length of time it is going to take to rebuild the Balitmore bridge: “If…
Search Posts
McClatchy DC
TSA Flouts the Law on Body Scanners
Also appeared in: The Charlotte Observer, Tulsa World, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Press of Atlantic City, and Juneau Empire. For more than…
News Release
CEI Files Amici Curiae Brief Calling on TSA to Follow the Law
Washington, D.C., July 19, 2012 – The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) should be compelled to at last give the public an opportunity to comment…
Legal Brief
Brief of Amici Curiae Supporting EPIC’s Petition for Writ of Mandamus (EPIC v. DHS)
In the last half decade, as millions of Americans have undergone AIT screening by the TSA, none have been afforded an opportunity to comment on…
Heartland Institute
Enviro Groups Rally Against Fast-Tracking California High-Speed Rail
From Kenneth Artz's article on Heartlander Digital Magazine: Marc Scribner, the land-use and transportation policy analyst for the Competitive Enterprise Institute, agrees, saying,…
One News Now
Roads funding at dispute, new options exist
From Chris Woodward's column in OneNewsNow: Marc Scribner, land-use and transportation policy analyst for the Competitive Enterprise Institute, believes things will reach a…
Forbes
California Cities Go Bankrupt, But Bullet Train Barrels On
If we didn’t have California as a case study of fiscal insanity, someone would have to invent it. Nowhere else better illustrates what happens when…
Daily Caller
Senate highway bill contains ‘smoothing’ pension gimmick
From Angela Malik's article on The Daily Caller: Marc Scribner, a transportation analyst at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, explained that smoothing “in theory…
Wall Street Journal
The Road to Fiscal Hell
From Stephen Moore's column in The Wall Street Journal: Without the drilling money the bill elevates fiscal accounting hocus pocus to new heights.
Politico
Transpo Bill Briefings Go Late
From Adam Snider and Burgess Everett's post in Politico's Morning Transportation: The Competitive Enterprise Institute isn’t exactly heartened that pension smoothing is going…
News Release
Threat of Pension Fund Bailouts Lurks in Senate Highway Bill
Washington, D.C., June 27, 2012 – Hidden in the ever-expanding Senate Highway Bill (S. 1813) is a provision that would make the already serious…
Cato At Liberty
Taking a Stand against Nanny Grants
From Walter Olson's post at Cato @ Liberty: As The Hill reports, and Marc Scribner relates in more detail at CEI “Open Market,”…
News Release
Report: How to Fix Surface Transportation in Massachusetts
Washington, D.C., June 12, 2012 – Massachusetts, like other states, faces problems in funding its transportation infrastructure needs. A new report from the Competitive…
Study
Fixing Surface Transportation in Massachusetts
If all highway funding responsibility were to be devolved to the states, additional revenue must be found. Innovative financing, modern electronic tolling, and new roadway…
News Release
House Fails to Pass Taxpayer-Protection Measure
Washington, D.C., June 8, 2012 – Congress today failed in an 82-323 vote to end general revenue bailouts of the Highway Trust Fund. Rep.
Letters
CEI Coalition Letter to Surface Transportation Reauthorization Conferees Supporting the Broun Motion to Instruct
Full Document Available in PDF Dear Member of…
Letters
Coalition Letter to Surface Transportation Bill Conferees
Full Document Available in PDF CEI signed a coalition letter to House…
Newsday
Transportation bill stymied in Congress
From Alfonso A. Castillo's article in Newsday: Marc Scribner, a spokesman for the Competitive Enterprise Institute — a think tank that advocates limited government —…
Letters
Coalition Letter to Minnesota Legislature on MnPASS
Full Document Avilable in PDF Dear Members of the Minnesota House and Senate, Highway congestion during peak traffic times is an ongoing…
One News Now
New Cars Affordable to Fewer People
From Chris Woodward's column on OneNewsNow: Marlo Lewis, senior fellow for the Center for Energy and Environment at the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI),…
News Release
Highway Bill Needs Real Reform, Not Politics as Usual
Washington, D.C., April 17, 2012—With another Tax Day upon us, taxpayers have something else to worry about: potential action on pending multi-billion dollar highway program…
One News Now
Congress Must Act Now on Federal Transportation Bill
From a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel editorial: As we noted in a February editorial, that bill has received significant opposition from such conservative and…
Politico
Highway Bill Now Over to John Boehner
From Kathryn A. Wolfe's article in Poltico: Marc Scribner, writing on the Competitive Enterprise Institute’s blog, urged the House to reject the Senate…
News Release
Senate Considers Ill-Conceived Ban on Highway Tolls
Washington, D.C., March 12, 2012—The Senate is set to vote Tuesday on additional amendments to the massive surface transportation bill, the Moving Ahead for Progress…
News Release
Senate Highway Bill Offers More Big Government Business as Usual
Washington, D.C., March 1, 2012 –The U.S. Senate is currently considering the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21, S. 1813),…
BBC
The American bus revival
Transit ridership, and public transport in general, is growing faster than car mileage, which appears to have peaked in the US, according to American…
Twin Cities
A Highway Bill Everyone Can Hate
Also appeared in: The Arizona Daily Star, The Sacramento Bee, The Press of Atlantic City, South Bend Tribune, The Bellingham Herald,…
Twin Cities
Coastal Drilling
From a letter to the editor in The Ventura County Star: I’m terribly disappointed that …
Twin Cities
Republicans rebel against an oily transportation bill
From Brian Merchant’s article on Salon: A burgeoning number of Republicans think not. Especially after the grim CBO forecast, fiscal conservatives are backing away. Influential…
Twin Cities
House Republicans Push New Oil Drilling to Fund Road Projects
From The Los Angeles Times‘ Nation Now Blog: A coalition of groups, including Taxpayers for Common Sense and the pro-market Competitive Enterprise Institute,…
Twin Cities
Today House Republicans Are Set To Approve Barack Obama’s Latest Stimulus Plan
Twin Cities
Highway Bill Generates Bipartisan Backlash
Twin Cities
User Pays
From Politico‘s Morning Transportation: A coalition is urging the House to stick to the user-pays tradition of financing transportation, saying that it is…
Twin Cities
Highway Bill Put on Hold for Now
From Geoff Holtzman’s article on Talk Radio News Service: Earlier this week, the pro-environment National Resources Defense Council teamed with a coalition of…
Letters
Coalition Letter Urges Congress to Reject Linking Drilling Revenues to the Highway Trust Fund
Full Document Available in PDF The Competitive Enterprise Institute, Reason Foundation, National Taxpayers Union, Taxpayers for Common Sense, and…
Twin Cities
Federal Highway Aid to Indiana Could Dip
International Business Times
Highway-Oriented House Transportation Bill: Why It’s Hated by Everyone
International Business Times
Transportation bill takes wrong road
International Business Times
House Transportation Bill Doesn’t Deserve Passage
International Business Times
In the House, a transportation train wreck
International Business Times
Transportation Analysts Critique House Proposal to Expand Oil & Gas Drilling
International Business Times
House of Representatives Transportation Bill Fraught With Bad Ideas
International Business Times
Boehner Downplays ‘Stimulus’ of Highway Bill
E&E News
As House rolls out highway bill, clash looms over drilling provisions
E&E News
Worst. Transportation. Bill. Ever.
Politico
Opposition to Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Drilling Takes Right Turn
Politico
Morning Transportation
Politico
This Is Not a Drill: Highway Lobby Trying to Push Tranpo Bill Through Congress
Torque News
NRDC Says to Speaker Boehner’s Energy Plan, Don’t Drill and Drive
Switchboard
House Republicans Hijacking Transportation Bill to Drill, Baby, Drill
The Volokh Conspiracy
Texts, Lies and Distracted Driving
Washington Times
Inside the Beltway: Driving Force
Orange County Register
Driven to Distraction by Cellphone Ban
Overlawyered
Hands Off That Handsfree Phone!
Yahoo! News
Cellphone Ban Critic: NTSB Has ‘No Business Telling Me How to Drive My Car’
News Release
Gov’t Ban on Cell Phones While Driving Won’t Improve Safety
Washington, DC, December 14, 2011 – Citing concern over “distracted driving,” the National Transportation Safety Board called on all states to ban on cell…
National Review
Don’t ‘Drill for Roads’
Congress is well known for going down roads to nowhere. In the case of the upcoming highway-bill reauthorization, that may be true in a…
Switchboard
Even Conservatives Agree: Don’t Drill for Roads
Transportation News Daily
A Conservative Critique of House Republican Transportation Proposal
Transportation News Daily
As Strike Deadline Looms for Unionized Rail Workers, Congress Prepares to Intervene
Railroad traffic could grind to a halt as early as next week, as union rail workers on the nation’s freight railroads decide whether to walk…
DC Velocity
STB Decision Delaying Action on Rail Switching Leaves Shipper Group Hot Under Collar
DC Velocity
Freedom to Move: Interview with Marc Scribner
News Release
Coalition Urges D.C. Council to Reject Anti-Consumer Taxicab Medallion System
Washington, D.C, September 27, 2011 — D.C. Councilmember Mary Cheh, Chair of the Committee on the Environment, Public Works, and Transportation, is holding a…
Letters
Coalition Letter on D.C. Taxicab Medallion Bill
Full Document Available in PDF Dear Members of the Council of the District of…
News Release
On “World Car-Free Day,” Let’s Be Guilt-Free for a Change
Washington, DC, September 21, 2011 – On Thursday, September 22, environmentalists want you to feel guilty about driving cars. In other words, it’s annual “World…
DC Velocity
Did Feminist Groups Derail the Stimulus Bill?
DC Velocity
A Plan Better than Obama’s to Create Jobs
DC Velocity
Wanted: Alcoholic Truck Drivers
DC Velocity
Feds to Trucking Company: You Cannot Fire Alcoholic Drivers
DC Velocity
EEOC: Drinking History no Reason to Withhold Heavy Trucking Jobs
DC Velocity
Obama Administration: Employers Must Hire Alcoholics as Truck Drivers Despite Liability
One News Now
What China’s rail recall should tell U.S.
Human Events
Big Brother Goes Green
OA Online
Mileage Standards Will Decrease Safety
Gazette
Fuel Regulations Will Maim and Kill
Reason
The High Cost of Low Fuel Bills
Fox Business
Deadly Regulations
Orange County Register
Feds Push for Higher Mileage, and Risk
Products
Fred Smith Discusses Auto Worker Strike on CNN Crossfire
CNN CROSSFIRE, July 13, 1998 HEADLINE: Who Will Give in the Auto Workers Strike that Has Crippled GM? GUESTS: Michael Moore, Fred Smith BYLINE: Bill…
Orange County Register
Government in Your Car
CEI General Counsel Sam Kazman discusses the unintended consequences of government mandates for auto manufacturers. CAFE fuel effciency standards result in smaller, lighter cars, which…
One News Now
New Fuel Economy Standards Could Hurt More Than They Help
Comment
CEI Replies to the National Industrial Transportation League’s Petition for Rulemaking to Adopt Revised Competitive Switching Rules
Full Document Available in PDF On behalf of…
Legal Brief
Petition for Review of an Order of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
Legal Brief
CEI’s CAFE Litigation
Full Document Avalible in PDF In the 1980s, CAFE was the subject of several lawsuits by the Center for Auto Safety and…
One News Now
Mandated Mischief: Obama’s 54.5 MPG Standard
President Obama today announced a deal with 13 automakers to boost new-car fuel economy standards from 35.5 mpg in 2016 to 54.5 mpg in…
News Release
Obama’s New Fuel Economy Mandates Risk Lives, Compromise Reliability, Increase Costs
Washington, DC, July 29, 2011 – New fuel economy mandates on cars and trucks announced today by the Obama administration will lead to more traffic…
Investors.com
D.C.’s Deadly Fixation On Auto Fuel Economy Mandates
Study
Rule Forcing Tests for Safer Air Bags Expected Today
Yahoo! News
D.C.’s Deadly Fuel Mileage Push
Bloomberg
‘You’re Fired’ Doesn’t Mean Fired to Four of 10 Air Controllers
New York Post
O’s Subsidymobiles
Yahoo! News
Death for Bigger Cars Will Mean More Deaths
Yahoo! News
Vincent Vernuccio Criticizes TSA Push for Unionization
Vincent Vernuccio again slams the TSA, this time for stealing from passengers and failing to do a better job of policing their own, while…
Florida Political Press
Ron Rushing, Citizen Candidate For U.S. Senate Opposes Sun Rail Project
Washington Examiner
NYT: Tea Party vs. John Mica’s Myopic Monorail to Nowhere
Richmond Times Dispatch
Fuel-Economy Standards Need a Warning Label
One News Now
Information Requested in High-Speed Rail Project
National Review
Obama Mandates a Market for His Green Cars
The Wall Street Journal
Why Your New Car Doesn’t Have a Spare Tire
Auto makers comply with fuel economy mandates by making cars lighter and more dangerous. Fewer tires, higher taxes. That may be what’s in store for…
American Spectator
My Mother-in-Law Is Owed an Apology
My mother-in-law once gave me a Leatherman multi-tool for Christmas. The one she gave me had Phillips and flathead screwdrivers, scissors, a knife, and…
News Release
Gov’t Communications on “Train to Nowhere” Probed by CEI’s FOIA of Department of Transportation
Washington, DC, June 21, 2011 – Americans deserve to know what government officials really think about the “train to nowhere” supported by the Obama administration…