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
Blog
Pardon me boys, is this the Special Interest Express?
The Washington Post published a smart editorial on Monday on why the proposed Railway Safety Act is a bad idea. The legislation is…
News Release
White House wrong to push Railway Safety Act
The White House is reportedly urging lawmakers to include new restrictions on freight rail operations in upcoming infrastructure or transportation legislation. CEI policy experts…
Blog
The Railway Safety Act would derail progress one provision at a time
On February 3, 2023, a Norfolk Southern freight train derailed in East Palestine, Ohio. The derailment spilled hazardous chemicals and prompted a massive, controlled burn that sent plumes…
Search Posts
Newsletter
Ethanol, Amtrak and Auto Insurance
New global warming legislation contains subsidies for ethanol production. Amtrak, which loses money annually, is now embroiled in legal troubles. State governments take an increasingly…
Op-Eds
Time to set Amtrak free
For almost 40 years, Amtrak has been a burden on American taxpayers. It has a record of inefficiency, incompetence and overspending. Now we can…
Newsletter
Toyota’s Body Count, Toll Roads and Voter Intimidation
US News & World Report claims that the death toll from runaway Toyotas was more than originally reported. Concession agreements between cities and private companies…
Newsletter
Union Bus Drivers, Fannie Mae Reform and Transportation Partnerships
In New York, bus drivers can take months of paid leave to recuperate from being spit on by passengers. The Obama…
Newsletter
EPA’s Carbon Regulations, Internet Gambling and Reviving Rail
The Senate prepares to vote on Sen. Lisa Murkowski’s resolution to restrict the Environmental Protection Agency from regulating carbon emissions. The House’s Ways and Means…
Newsletter
Energy Taxes, the Kagan Nomination and Toyota’s Safety Record
Sens. John Kerry and Joseph Lieberman prepare to introduce their much-anticipated energy bill on Wednesday. Obama nominates Elena Kagan to the Supreme Court. Toyota posts…
Op-Eds
GM Deliberately Tried to Deceive Americans (Letter to the Editor)
The Examiner was right to criticize General Motors for falsely claiming in a recent TV ad campaign to have “repaid”—“in full”—what it received from…
Op-Eds
What Do Arlingtonians Get For Their Always-Rising Tax Bills? (Letter to the Editor
I was saddened that the County Board raised taxes on April 24 to pay for a billion-dollar spending spree. All over the…
Newsletter
GM’s Misleading Bailout Claims, Swine Flu and Financial “Reform” Legislation
General Motors boasts that it has repaid its government loans in full, despite having used other bailout funds to repay the initial loans. The government…
Newsletter
Greenhouse Gas Regulation, High-Speed Rail and Waiting on Crist in Florida
The 2006 Supreme Court verdict in Massachusetts v. EPA is cited as one of retiring Justice John Paul Stevens’ most influential. President Obama pushes for…
Op-Eds
GM’s Tricky Payback
President Obama’s tax-cheat treasury secretary, Tim Geithner, is trumpeting the fact that General Motors has paid back a small fraction of what taxpayers…
Citation
Punish GM’s False Advertising
News Release
General Motors Deceptive Advertising Challenged by Watchdog Group in FTC Filing
Washington, D.C., May 4, 2010 –The Competitive Enterprise Institute today filed a formal complaint with the Federal Trade Commission, arguing that General Motors misleadingly…
Opposing Views
What’s With Obama and His Obsession With Trains?
In 2000, Florida voters approved a constitutional amendment (the “Monorail Initiative“) authorizing the creation of a high-speed intercity rail network. However, as the economy slowed…
Opposing Views
General Motors Still Losing Billions (Letter to the Editor)
The Washington Times was right to criticize the Obama administration for its misleading hype about General Motors repaying $6.7 billion of the $50…
Washington Times
Tolls, More Freeways Would Improve Transport (Letter to the Editor)
The editorial "Freeways are the solution to congestion" (Comment & Analysis, April 12) got it half-right. Widening roads to support more cars is far less…
Newsletter
Tax Day, Open Skies and Toyota’s Legal Tactics
Tax Day inspires out an array of protests and demonstrations. The U.S. and EU signed an “Open Skies” agreement last month, which purportedly allows airlines…
Washington Times
Fly the Free Skies
When the United States and European Union first signed their Open Skies aviation agreement in 2007, the U.S. airlines got the better of the…
Newsletter
Fuel Efficiency, Imports, and H1N1
The Obama Administration plans to increase fuel efficiency standards. The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative releases the 2010 National Trade Estimate report. The Centers…
Newsletter
Compact Fluorescents, Toyota, and Health Care
USA Today quotes Policy Analyst Michelle Minton saying that CEI will be celebrating the development of the compact fluorescent lightbulb. Members of Congress interrogate Toyota…
Newsletter
Finance, Trade and Toyota
Sen. Chris Dodd has introduced a new financial reform bill. U.S. Sugar is lobbying to keep government restrictions on sugar imports. The Washington Post’s coverage…
Newsletter
Court Nominations, the TSA, and Climate Change Biases
President Obama nominates left-leaning Goodwin Liu to the Ninth Circuit court. President Obama chooses retired Army Gen. Robert A. Harding to lead the Transportation Security…
CEI Planet
CEI Planet: January – February 2010
To view this issue of the CEI Planet, please click here to download the PDF file. Below are selected articles from the January-February 2010 issue: …
Newsletter
Immigration, Bake Sales and Snow Removal
The Wall Street Journal reports that E-Verify, the federal database intended to track undocumented workers, actually fails 54% of the time. The New York City…
Heartland
TSA Rules Threaten In-Flight Technology Use
Newsletter
Child Support Disputes, NFL Claims “Who Dat?” and Anti-terrorism Police Drills
Virginia legislators vote down a bill which would have forced non-custodial parents to pay child support for their children through college.
Heartland
Letter to the Editor: TSA Doesn’t Need Any More Obstacles
The Examiner was right to oppose unionizing the Transportation Security Administration, which would harm airline security and reduce its effectiveness. But the TSA is…
Heartland
Stimulus Package Forces States to Raise Taxes
The federal government’s $800 billion stimulus package, which failed to cut unemployment, is now forcing states and local governments to raise taxes.
Newsletter
EPA in Court, Anti-Terrorism Policies and the Hidden Health Care Tax
Recent greenhouse gas regulations issued by the Environmental Protection Agency are sparking legal opposition. Security agencies respond to a suspected terrorist incident onboard a Detroit-bound…
Heartland
U.S. Government Undermining Air and Rail Security
An alleged terrorist from Nigeria has been charged with plotting to blow up an airliner. He carried explosives onto a plane and set…
Newsletter
Probing Treasury, Car-Free Conflicts and a Quiet Hurricane Season
Controversy continues to swirl around Treasury Department documents estimating the costs of cap and trade regulation. Observance of World Car-Free Day yields conflicting opinions about…
San Francisco Examiner
Aristocrats Can Afford Car-Free Days
In the early 1800s, when railroads first began to spread across Great Britain, the Duke of Wellington reportedly sneered that this innovation would “only encourage…
Newsletter
Opposing Net Neutrality, TSA Unionizing and Banning Soft Toilet Paper
The Washington Post editorializes against the FCC’s proposed “net neutrality” regulations. The American Federation of Government Employees seeks to unionize airport safety screeners and other…
Detroit News
Car-Free Crusade is Absurd
Newsletter
Obama at the UN, the Healthcare Tax and the Costs of Cap and Trade
President Obama call for a “new era of global engagement” in addressing climate change and other issues. Economists debate the financial impact that a healthcare…
Newsletter
Obama on Global Warming, Blocking Net Neutrality and Car-Free Day
President Obama delivers a speech before the United Nations, saying that the U.S. is “determined to act” on global warming. Republican senators announce legislation that…
Newsletter
Net Neutrality, Treasury’s Global Warming Memos and Car-Free Day
The Federal Communications Commission plans to introduce so-called “net neutrality” regulations for ISPs, including wireless companies. Treasury Department memos estimating the cost of the White…
News Release
Anti-Automobile Activists Gear up for “World Car-Free Day”
As organizers prepare to observe “World Car-Free Day” tomorrow, the Competitive Enterprise Institute would like to remind observers and participants of the value of personal…
Newsletter
The Costs of Cap and Trade, Deadly Auto Regulations and Rockefeller on Health Care
The U.S. Treasury Department admits that a “cap and trade” system for regulating greenhouse gas emissions could cost every household $1,761 a year. New fuel…
Detroit News
9/11 Ignored-Obama Undermines Airline and Train Security
In the aftermath of 9/11, Congress foolishly shifted airline security screening to the inept Transportation Security Administration (TSA), which has failed to detect explosive…
Salon.com
Ted Kennedy… the Deregulator?
Salon.com
Kennedy’s Lasting Gift to America: Airline Deregulation
Tributes are pouring in for Edward M. “Ted” Kennedy, who lost his battle with brain cancer late Tuesday evening at the age of 77.
Salon.com
Slothful Bureaucracy Fails to Protect the Public
Gene Healy was right to criticize the bloated bureaucracy that is the Department of Homeland Security. Its worst feature is the Transportation Security Administration…
Club For Growth
Checked Baggage Regulations
Club For Growth
Perverts Get Stimulus Money, Not Roads and Bridges
“Join your fellow pervs for some explicit, twisted fun,” urged a recipient of more than $250,000 from Obama’s $800 billion stimulus package, which received…
Club For Growth
Obama Administration = Waste, Corruption, Corporate Welfare
Rapidly-rising Medicare spending already threatens “to crush the federal budget,” and much Medicare spending is wasteful, yet the Obama Administration claims it can somehow…
Club For Growth
Fannie Mae & Freddie Mac Untouched in Financial Overhaul
The mortgage crisis was caused largely by the reckless government-sponsored mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and by federal affordable-housing mandates. But Obama’s…
Club For Growth
Obama Administration = Waste, Corruption, Corporate Welfare
Rapidly-rising Medicare spending already threatens “to crush the federal budget,” and much Medicare spending is wasteful, yet the Obama Administration claims it…
News Release
CEI Hails Supreme Court’s Freezing of Chrysler Bankruptcy
CEI Hails Supreme Court’s Freezing of Chrysler Bankruptcy Chrysler, GM bankruptcies on Collision Course with Constitution Washington, D.C., June 8, 2009— Statement of John…
News Release
Obama Should Respect Role of Bankruptcy Court, Judge Should Put Brakes on Government Motors
Washington, D.C. June 1, 2009—Statement by John Berlau, Director of CEI’s Center for Investors and Entrepreneurs: Last week, in nominating Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the…
Newsletter
Ethanol, Mortgages and General Motors
Efforts to subsidize ethanol production as a remedy to global warming hit resistance. The mortgage industry struggles to improve disclosure guarantees. Legal observers critique the…
Newsletter
Energy Rationing, Credit Cards and Car-Sharing in Maryland
The energy rationing bill sponsored by Reps. Henry Waxman (D-CA) and Ed Markey (D-MA) is approved by the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
Club For Growth
Auto emissions deal a win for California
Club For Growth
President Barak Obama, automakers,California agree on emissions standards
Newsletter
Chrysler’s Future, Chevron in Ecuador and Flex-Fuel Cars on the Road
A bankruptcy judge approves Chrysler’s request to start spending $4.5 billion in government loans. Ecuador sues Chevron for $27 billion over alleged environmental damage from…
Newsletter
Consumer Credit, Social Security and Swine Flu
The House of Representatives votes to limit credit card fees and interest rates. President Obama endorses raising Social Security taxes. Vice President Biden advises Americans…
News Release
Vice President Uses Swine Flu as Anti-Stimulus
The Competitive Enterprise Institute calls on Vice President Biden to repudiate remarks made this morning on “The Today Show” about air travel in the context…
Wall Street Journal
Small Cars Are Dangerous Cars
How Fuel economy zealots can kill you.
Tulsa Business
Latest Study, Again, Shows Small Car Safety Risk
News Release
CEI Comment on Obama Firing of GM CEO Wagoner
Washington, D.C., March 30, 2009— John Berlau Director, Center for Investors and Entrepreneurs…
Tulsa Business
The Auto Bailout We Need
GM and Chrysler have come back for more taxpayer money, which is exactly what everybody warned would happen when the first bailout was granted…
News Release
Senate Testimony Masks a Personal Financial Agenda
Al Gore, Corporate Lobbyist?…
Newsletter
A New Agenda for Congress, Geithner Confirmed and New Rules for Car Makers
Democrats debate how far to go in compromising with Republicans in order to pass major legislation. The Senate confirms Timothy Geithner as Treasury Secretary by…
News Release
Obama Carbon Dioxide Plan Would Wreck Economy, Auto Industry
President Obama today announced he would seek to allow states to restrict tailpipe emissions and order the U.S. Department of Transportation to develop higher fuel-efficiency standards. Both are disastrous for…
News Release
CEI Unveils Agenda for Congress
Washington, D.C., January 26, 2009—With the incoming Obama administration and the opening of the new Congress, the House and Senate are…
Newsletter
$1 Million Federal Jobs, Green Energy and Union Dues
Public interest groups launch a campaign to encourage citizens to read Congress’ proposed $850 billion stimulus bill. Representatives of renewable energy companies acquire enhanced influence…
Newsletter
Full Stop on New Regulations, Infrastructure Confusion and the Problem with ‘Priming the Pump ‘
President Obama orders a halt to implementation of all pending federal regulations. President Obama calls for increased spending on roads, bridges and electrical grids. President…
Newsletter
The FCC and Media Ownership, Ford’s Auto Bailout and Vilsack for Agriculture
President-elect Obama’s pick to head the Federal Communications Commission favors stronger diversity and “media ownership” regulations. Poor sales figures may push the Ford Motor Company…
News Release
Statement on the Nomination of Shaun Donovan to Be Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
Shaun Donovan is a distinguished public servant and, under Mayor Bloomberg, has made a difficult government-run housing agency work better. Unlike a lot of…
Tulsa Business
Will A Weak Economy Be Saddled With Greenhouse Gas Regulations?
President Obama will find he faces two main problems in relation to greenhouse gas emissions, a domestic one and an international one.
Newsletter
E-waste, Auto Bailout and Climate Science
Activists oppose exportation of used electronic and computer components, or “e-waste”. Detroit auto companies start spending their $17.4 billion in bailout funds. Journalist Lawrence Solomon…
Tulsa Business
Anyone Want to Sue Over the Illegal UAW Bailout?
News Release
White House Auto Bailout a Recipe for Failure
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Newsletter
Bailout Indecision, Greenhouse Gas Negotiations and Privatizing Electricity
President Bush and Treasury officials continue to evaluate possible bailout proposals for General Motors and Chrysler. Twenty-seven European countries sign a new agreement to reduce…
News Release
Auto Bailout Still Looms over Taxpayers
As the White House today offered assurance to Detroit auto makers that U.S. taxpayers would be made to bail them out of their financial woes, a government watchdog…
Study
The Railroad Competition and Service Improvement Act
Why Government-Enforced “Competition” Will Not Work.
Newsletter
Obama’s Public Works, FCC Diversity Mandates and the Auto Bailout
President-elect Obama promises the largest spending program on public works programs since the 1950s. Obama tech advisor Henry Rivera endorses a proposal to expand minority…
Newsletter
Endangered Species, International Trade and the Auto Bailout
President Bush pardons a Missouri farmer found guilty of accidently causing the deaths of bald eagles under the Endangered Species Act. Barack Obama considers Rep.
Newsletter
Stimulus Spending, General Motors and Mortgage Lawsuits
President-Elect Barack Obama outlines his plan for more federal spending to stimulate the economy. Auto executives present restructuring plans to Congress in hopes of avoiding…
Newsletter
Online Poker, Auto Workers and Public Works Programs
60 Minutes reports on fraud in the world of online poker. The president of the United Auto Workers union makes a public plea for a…
Comment
Free market groups submit a joint comment on EPA’s ANPR on Greenhouse Gas Regulation under the Clean Air Act
CEI’s Marlo Lewis and representatives of 28 other free market and conservative organizations filed this joint comment urging EPA not to make an endangerment finding with…
Comment
Comments on EPA’s ANPR on Greenhouse Gas Regulation Under the Clean Air Act
In this comment on the Environmental Protection Agency’s Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPR) on greenhouse gas (GHG) regulation under the Clean Air Act (CAA),…
Tulsa Business
auto bailout
Tulsa Business
When Does an Infant Industry Stop Needing Its Taxpayer Allowance?
Tulsa Business
auto industry bailout
Newsletter
White House Summit, Auto Bailout and Oil Drilling
Leaders of twenty nations gather at the White House to discuss the global financial downturn. Lawmakers prepare to debate a financial…
Op-Eds
Chevron’s Orwellian Crude Discovery
Chevron has unveiled a revolutionary new way of finding oil. It doesn’t involve satellite telemetry or seismic imaging or someother high-tech means of exploration. It…
Tulsa Business
the auto industry bailout
Business Week
Automakers’ $25 Billion Fast-Track Bailout
News Release
CEI Attacks Auto Industry Bailout Bonanza
Washington, D.C., November 7, 2008— Auto executives yesterday huddled with House Democrats to discuss a possible $25 billion loan to the industry, this on top of…
Newsletter
Taxing the Rich, the Costs of Ethanol and the Fed’s Loose Money Policy
Joe “The Plumber” Wurzelbacher becomes a national campaign personality. The Federal Reserve lowers a key interest rate in hopes of reviving investment. Environmentalists debate the…
Business Week
the hidden costs of ethanol
Newsletter
Greenhouse Gases, Broadband Speeds and the Future of Transit
California officials ignore the high costs of implementing the state’s greenhouse gas reduction plan. Comcast implements upgrades for broadband customers that will double download speeds…
Newsletter
Voter Fraud, Disability Law and Green Hypocrisy
Republican House Leader John Boehner (R-OH) calls for an end to federal support for leftist activist group ACORN. President Bush signs into law new amendments…
News Release
Walk in the Rain for World ‘Car-Free Day’
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Op-Eds
CAFE Oh Nay, Standard Has Hurt
The Detroit auto industry is clearly a victim of CAFE. But it’s not the only victim, and it’s not even the most prominent one.
Newsletter
Mortgage Madness, Media Diversity and World Car Free Day
The bailout of mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac is attacked as unfair to responsible consumers. The Federal Communication Commission considers reinstating the “Fairness…
News Release
CEI Launches YouTube Contest for Video Critiques of ‘World Car-Free Day’
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Products
CEI Planet: September – October 2008
View the new Montly Planet by downloading the PDF of the issue. Below you’ll find previews of the articles in this issue:…
Study
Airline Deregulation
If the government deregulates the grid and transitions toward a market solution, the benefits of flow deregulation will increase, and costs for air travelers will…
