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
National Review
J. D. Vance’s One-Track Mind for Railroad Regulation
Ohio senator and GOP vice-presidential nominee J. D. Vance has something of a soft spot for unions, as evidenced by his co-sponsorship of the…
Blog
Free the Economy podcast: Paying for mass transit with Marc Scribner
In this week’s episode we cover California’s minimum wage for fast-food workers, overturning the FCC’s universal service fee, and pushing back on…
Capitol Matters
East Palestine Report: Congress Should Rethink Its Reaction
In almost a decade working for the British Department for Transport, no officials impressed me as much as the accident investigators. They were dedicated experts who…
Search Posts
News Release
CEI Supports Trump Transportation Secretary Nominee Elaine Chao
Today, the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation held a nomination hearing for President-elect Donald Trump’s Secretary of the Department of Transportation nominee, Elaine…
DC Velocity
For Elaine Chao, the easy part begins and ends tomorrow
DC Velocity discusses Elaine Chao’s nomination for Department of Transportation Secretary with Marc Scribner. Cost-benefit analysis will be the order of the day…
Real Clear Policy
Don’t Re-Regulate the Railroads
Real Clear Policy discusses policy on the railroad industry with Marc Scribner. Marc Scribner of the Competitive Enterprise Institute neatly summarized the implications…
Blog
115th Congress Should Halt Government Assault on Freight Rail
Forced reciprocal switching has been a goal for coal, petrochemical, and agriculture shippers for decades, but regulators have generally made it extremely difficult.
Blog
TSA Deserves a Lump of Coal
The TSA’s widely unpopular body scanners lead many would-be air travelers to take to the much more dangerous highways instead, where some number of them…
Blog
RealClear Radio Hour: City Extortion and Cities’ Heroine
In this episode of RealClear Radio Hour, Brian Hodges discusses West Hollywood’s extortion of local developers and Robert Kanigel shares stories of Great American Cities…
One News Now
Trump’s transportation pick in for a ride
One News Now discusses President-elect Trump’s pick for secretary of transportation with Marc Scribner. “No one really knows where that money is going…
Cato At Liberty
The Feds Want to Track Your Car
Cato At Liberty highlights a quote by Marc Scribner on regulating vehicle-to-vehicle communication technology. While the risks of mandatory V2V systems are significant,…
Wall Street Journal
Uber’s Clash With Regulators Moves to Self-Driving Cars
The Wall Street Journal discusses Uber’s use of self-driving cars in San Fransisco with Marc Scribner. “This is right out of the playbook…
New York Times
Friendlier Skies? (Letter to the Editor)
A Feb. 3 front-page article announced the welcome news that more airline competition is coming to Eastern markets, spurred by the entry of Southwest…
Blog
Can Congress Veto EPA’s Fuel Economy Rush Job?
The Environmental Protection Agency’s recent proposal to keep in place the agency’s model year greenhouse gas emission standards for new motor vehicles is the epitome…
Blog
How Ridesharing Platforms Help the Economy
We have been saying for a while that ridesharing platforms like Lyft are different from traditional transportation firms, not just in the technology they use,…
Ars Technica
Vehicle-to-vehicle communication rule finally proposed by the government
Ars Technica discusses the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's proposed rule on vehicle-to-vehicle communication with Marc Scribner. But not everyone is as enamored.
New York Times
Cars Talking to One Another? They Could Under Proposed Safety Rules
The New York Times discusses the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's proposed rule on vehicle-to-vehicle communication technology with Marc Scribner. The conservative Competitive…
Washington Post
Blind man sets out alone in Google’s driverless car
The Washington Post discusses the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's proposed rule on connected vehicle technology with Marc Scribner. The Competitive Enterprise Institute,…
The Hill
Feds unveil rule requiring cars to ‘talk’ to each other
The Hill discusses the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's proposed rule on connected vehicle technology with Marc Scribner. “It is extremely disappointing to…
Blog
Congress, Trump Administration Must Prioritize Air Traffic Control Reform
Earlier this year, an effort to usher in badly needed air traffic control reform spearheaded by House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Bill Shuster died…
Politico
At long last, DOT proposes rule on in-flight calls
Politico's Morning Transportation highlights CEI's transportation policy proposals for the 115th Congress. The Competitive Enterprise Institute released its “agenda” for the next Congress…
Blog
A Pro-Growth Agenda for the 115th Congress
At CEI, we believe a clear agenda is necessary to move America toward economic growth, prosperity, and liberty for individuals to chart their own paths…
Blog
EPA Rushes to Lock in Obama Administration Fuel Economy Standards
The Environmental Protection Agency last Wednesday released its proposed Mid-Term Evaluation (MET) of greenhouse gas (GHG) emission standards for model year (MY) 2022-2025 passenger vehicles.
Products
Free to Prosper: Transportation
View the full chapter on Transportation here Mobility is one of our most important needs, one we often take for granted until it is…
Blog
Drain the Swamp: Sunset the Renewable Fuel Standard
“Draining the swamp” includes abolishing the RFS.
FastCompany Co.Design
The Privatized City Where Everything Is Tolled
Marc Scribner is quoted by Fast Company Co.Design on potential problems with a new infrastructure investment plan: "The most extreme thing Congress could…
Blog
Coalition Submits Comments on Federal Automated Vehicles Policy
Today, CEI was joined by R Street Institute and TechFreedom in comments submitted to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) on the recently released…
Comment
CEI Comments to NHTSA on Automated Vehicles Policy
View Document as PDF On behalf of the Competitive Enterprise Institute (“CEI”), the R Street Institute (“R Street”), and TechFreedom, we respectfully…
The Hill
Industry weighs in on driverless car guidelines
The Hill reports on a letter CEI joined which flagged problems with regulators' guidance for automated vehicles. Meanwhile, the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI),…
USA Today
Let the Market Take Care of Infrastructure
As the dust continues to settle from President-elect Donald Trump’s surprising victory, one idea is quickly gaining bipartisan currency in Washington: more infrastructure investment. House…
Inman
What does Donald Trump’s infrastructure plan mean for real estate?
Inman cites Marc Scribner on the latest call for more infrastructure investment. Not everyone agrees, however. “Instead of promoting expensive infrastructure…
Politico
Conservatives vs. Trump’s infrastructure plan
Politico quotes Marc Scribner on growing skepticism of new infrastructure spending. Trump’s proposal even drew flak from the Competitive Enterprise Institute, a conservative…
Blog
The Great Infrastructure Myth
President-elect Donald Trump has promised to boost infrastructure investment by $1 trillion because there is supposedly an “infrastructure crisis.”…
The Hill
Conservative groups pressure Trump on infrastructure plan
The Hill cites Marc Scribner on potential federal infrastructure legislation. Other groups flatly reject the notion of using infrastructure to stimulate economic growth,…
Breitbart
Transportation Regulators Are off the Rails, Again
Breitbard discusses railroad deregulation under the Staggers Act with Marc Scribner. Moreover, as Marc Scribner, transportation analyst at the free market Competitive Enterprise…
InsideSources
Industry and Labor Unite Against Major Railway Reg
InsideSources reports on a coalition letter CEI lead to express concerns over a proposed rule by railroad regulators. Industry groups, free-market advocates and…
Blog
CEI-Led Coalition Urges Congress to Defend Railroad Deregulation
Today, a coalition of free market groups led by CEI sent letters to Senate Commerce Committee and House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee leaders urging them…
Politico
TSA hits the brakes on PreCheck expansion search
Politico's Morning Transportation discusses a CEI led coalition letter asking Congress to look into railroad regulators' proposed price controls. A coalition of free-market…
Letters
CEI Leads Coalition Opposing Reciprocal Switching Regulation in House
View Full Document as PDF Dear Chairmen Shuster and Denham and Ranking Members DeFazio and Capuano: We write today to strongly oppose…
Letters
CEI Leads Coalition Opposing Reciprocal Switching Regulation in Senate
View Full Document as PDF Dear Chairman Thune, Chair Fischer, and Ranking Members Nelson and Booker: We write today to strongly oppose…
The Hill
How driverless cars can reduce pollution
The Hill highlights Marc Scribner's report on state laws that would restrict platooning technology for automated vehicles. Autonomous vehicles also have the potential to…
Blog
Self-Driving Car Developers Blast Dangerous Draft California Regulations
Today, the California Department of Motor Vehicles held a public workshop on its latest draft deployment regulations for autonomous vehicles.
The Hill
California weighs self-driving car rules
The Hill discusses California's draft driverless car regulations with Marc Scribner. Marc Scribner, a research fellow for the Competitive Enterprise Institute, said the…
Blog
Air Traffic Control Reform in Election Season
House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Bill Shuster (R-Pa.) is facing Democratic candidate Art Halvorson in the general election.
Law 360
NJ Transit Crash May Spur Regulatory Crackdown
Law360 discusses the train crash at the New Jersey's Hoboken Terminal with Marc Scribner. While the cause of the accident is still unknown, the…
Reason
Lawsuit Challenges TSA To Prove Body Scanners Aren’t Killing People
Reason reports on CEI's lawsuit against the Transportation Secuirty Administration's body scanner rule, and discusses the case with Marc Scribner and Iain Murray. …
The Washington Post
More might die on the road rather than submit to a TSA body scan?
The Washington Post reports on CEI's lawsuit against the Transportation Security Administration's body scanner rule, and discusses the case with Marc Scribner. Opponents…
Blog
CEI Files Opening Brief in TSA Body Scanner Lawsuit
Yesterday, CEI, The Rutherford Institute, and two CEI employees (VP of Strategy Iain Murray and yours truly) filed our opening brief against the Transportation Security…
Blog
Surface Transportation Board Seeks to Impose Backdoor Railroad Price Controls
The infamously destructive Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) may be history, but many outside of the railroad policy world are unfamiliar with its predecessor: the Surface…
Comment
CEI Comments on New Mandates for Freight Railroads
View Document as PDF On behalf of the Competitive Enterprise Institute (“CEI”), I respectfully submit these comments in response to the Surface…
The Hill
Meet the new Robber Barons
There was a time when railroad tycoons built empires by exploiting government connections to take advantage of the little guy. Today, the tables are turned,…
News Release
CEI Urges Rail Regulators to Nix Proposed Backdoor Price Controls
The Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) today submitted public comments to the nation’s top railroad regulator opposing new mandates and price controls on freight railroad…
Politico
DOT doesn’t try to provide all the answers in driverless cars guidance
Politico's Morning Transportation quotes Marc Scribner on the Department of Transportation's guidance on self-driving cars. Marc Scribner, research fellow, Competitive Enterprise Institute: “Highway…