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
News Release
CEI Sues TSA Over Airport Body Scanner Rule
Airport body scanners, long the object of both public opposition and legal scrutiny, are headed back to court. Today, the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI)…
Reason
Mass Transit Use Is Declining As Millennials Buy More Cars
Reason quotes Marc Scribner's insights on mass transit's pleas for more government spending. More than a quarter of U.S. government spending on surface transportation…
The Hill
E-cigarette ban on flights being challenged in lawsuit
The Hill reports on CEI's lawsuit against the Department of Transportation's rule banning electronic cigarettes on aircraft. A Department of Transportation (DOT) rule…
Blog
CEI Challenges Illegal “Vapes on a Plane” Regulation
Today, CEI, the Consumer Advocates for Smoke-free Alternatives Association (CASAA), and CEI employee Gordon Cummings, as a private individual, filed a lawsuit challenging the…
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Atlanta streetcar ridership takes a plunge in 2016
The Alanta Journal-Constitution quotes Marc Scribner on recent developments with the Atlanta streetcar: But Marc Scribner, who tracks streetcar projects across the country as…
The Atlanta Jornal-Constitution
Atlanta streetcar ridership takes a plunge in 2016
The Atlanta Jornal-Constitution discusses streetcar ridership with Marc Scribner. But Marc Scribner, who tracks streetcar projects across the country as a research fellow…
The Hill
Modernizing America’s airports a critical step to modernizing our aviation network
The Hill mentions CEI's support of the passenger facility charge. Support for the PFC continues to grow in Washington. The Competitive Enterprise Institute,…
Tribune News Service
Banning Cars from Urban Centers: Costly, Few Benefits Provided
“Take back our streets!” is a common refrain among urban activists. No, they’re not talking about reducing violent crime, as many of them reside in…
Blog
If You Build It, They Won’t Come: The Failure of Field of Dreams Transit Planning
Following decades of excessive local government fare regulation that led to a terminal decline in the private mass transit industry, government began taking over the…
Foundation for Economic Education
The 50-Year Disaster of Government Trains, Buses, and Streetcars
The Foundation for Economic Education cites Marc Scribner's research on government spending on mass transit infrastructure. There, in a nutshell, you have a short…
CapX
Let’s stop making air transport security worse
A few weeks ago, I planned a trip to Berlin for mid-March. I initially thought to tack on a couple of extra days to conduct…
Blog
Air Traffic Control Reforms Will Give Us Modern Technology, Not Union Giveaways
Guest Post by David Grizzle Former Chief Operating Officer and Chief Counsel, FAA As the former chief operating officer and chief counsel at the…
Blog
Senate FAA Bill Betrays Free Market and Fiscally Conservative Principles
Last month, I wrote about why everyone should be disappointed by the Senate’s FAA reauthorization bill: it fails to include key air traffic control reforms contained…
The Hill
Push for energy tax breaks roils Senate debate on FAA bill
The Hill discusses a coalition letter on the FAA reauthorization bill that CEI signed. Dozens of conservative groups — including Heritage Action, Americans for…
Law360
Alaska Air, Virgin America Face Bumpy Antitrust Ride
CEI Fellow Marc Scribner speaks to Law360 about a proposed merger between Alaska Air and Virgin America: “If you look at their…
Blog
No, the AIRR Act’s Air Traffic Control Reforms Do Not Grant Controllers Strike Powers
Capital Research Center, a conservative policy group in Washington, D.C., recently published an extended essay, “PATCO’s Revenge: Capitol Hill cronyism may give the air…
Law360
FTA Adds State Safety Oversight Rule To Regulatory Arsenal
Law360 interviews Marc Scribner about new oversight authority from the Federal Transit Administration: "This has been a trend in regulatory oversight going…
Blog
Senate FAA Reauthorization Bill Disappoints
This morning, the Senate Commerce Committee held a markup hearing on their Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization Act of 2016 (S. 2658). A couple of positive…
International Business Times
Feds Propose Two Crew Member Minimum On Trains, Irking Rail Industry And Drawing Praise From Safety Advocates
International Business Times discusses the Federal Railroad Administrations regulation that undermines technology. Marc Scribner of the Competitive Enterprise Institute, a libertarian think tank…
Daily Caller
Proposed Railway Rule Slammed As Union Giveaway
The Daily Caller discusses a new regulation by the Federal Railroad Administration with Marc Scribner. “It forces a redundancy that won’t improve safety…
Blog
DOT Compromises Safety and Efficiency for Union Favoritism
Today, a draft proposed rule from the Department of Transportation’s Federal Railroad Administration has been making the rounds. It will be published in the…
Politico
Senate Commerce FAA bill heads for Wednesday markup
Politico's Morning Transportation quotes Marc Scribner on the costs of the FAA reauthorization bill. But the Competitive Enterprise Institute’s Marc Scribner maintained that…
Blog
Beware of Misleading CBO Score of the AIRR Act
The AIRR Act (H.R. 4441), the FAA reauthorization bill in the House, contains badly needed reforms of U.S. air traffic control. See my FAQ on what…
Blog
Is Conservative Opposition to the Passenger Facility Charge Softening?
CEI is a strong supporter of transportation user fees. We prefer tolls over fuel taxes, and local airport user fees over tax-funded federal…
Politico
House and Senate may soon settle on 3-month FAA extension
Politico's Morning Transportation quotes Marc Scribner on the Department of Transportation's ban of e-cigarettes on all U.S. commercial flights. ‘Vapes on a plane’…
News Release
CEI Responds to TSA’s Final Rule on Airport Body Scanners
Today the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) issued a final rule on the agency’s use of body scanners in direct response to CEI’s court victory…
News Release
CEI Attacks the DOT Ban on Electronic Cigarettes on Airplanes
CEI fellow Marc Scribner said: The Department of Transportation’s decision to ban electronic cigarettes on commercial flights has less substance to it than the…
Blog
DC Streetcar Opens as a Monument to Morally Bankrupt Urban Planning
On Saturday, February 27, the DC Streetcar finally opened its 2.2-mile stretch on H Street and Benning Road N.E. Years delayed and for a cost…
Blog
Up in the AIRR, Part 2: Unmanned Aircraft Systems
To date, CEI’s analysis of the Aviation Innovation, Reform, and Reauthorization (AIRR) Act (H.R. 4441) has largely focused on proposed air traffic control reforms, which CEI…
NPR
Revived Streetcars May Be On Track For Disappointment
NPR's All Things Considered discusses the problems with streetcar systems with Marc Scribner. "This isn't really a mobility enhancing technology," says Marc Scribner, a research…
Blog
Up in the AIRR, Part 1: Passenger Facility Charge Modernization
To date, CEI’s analysis of the Aviation Innovation, Reform, and Reauthorization (AIRR) Act (H.R. 4441) has focused on proposed air traffic control reforms, which CEI strongly…
Politico
Politico Morning Transporation: Transpo unions eye post-Scalia SCOTUS decision
Politico's Morning Transportation mentions CEI's rebuttal to the New York Times article against privitatizing air traffic control. The New York Times editorial board…
Blog
NYT Editorial Board Repeats Falsehoods on Air Traffic Control Reform
The New York Times editorial board has staked out a position on proposed air traffic control reform legislation, and it doesn’t like it. To anyone…
Blog
House Committee Narrowly Approves Eleanor Holmes Norton’s Deadly E-Cigarette Science Denialism
Following three government reports in the 1980s highlighting the low cabin air quality caused by cigarette smoking and the health risks of passive smoke,…
The Hill
Panel votes to ban e-cigarettes on flights
The Hill quotes Marc Scribner on the proposal to ban e-cigarettes on flights which was attached to the funding bill for the FAA. Conservative…
Letters
CEI Joins Organizations Supporting Removal of a Cap on Passenger Facility Charges
Full Document Available in PDF Dear Chairmen Shuster and LoBiondo and Ranking Members DeFazio and Larsen: We write today in strong support…
The Hill
Congress pressured to ditch cap on passenger fees for airports
The Hill reports on a coalition letter CEI signed which urges Congress to eliminate a cap on passenger fees for airports. Libertarian and good-government groups…
Study
Air Traffic Control Reform: FAQ
The Aviation Innovation, Reform, and Reauthorization Act offers big opportunities for much-needed modernization.
Letters
CEI Joins 12 Organizations Supporting Modernization of Air Traffic Control
Full Document Available in PDF Dear Member of Congress: As Congress prepares to craft a comprehensive FAA reauthorization package, lawmakers should explore…
News Release
FAA 40 Years Behind on Air Traffic Control; Reforms Benefit Consumers
Today, the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) released new analysis by CEI fellow and transportation expert Marc Scribner on H.R. 4441, the Aviation…
The Hill
Conservatives rally behind independent air traffic control plan
The Hill reports on a coalition letter CEI signed in support of seperating the nation's air traffic control system from the FAA. Conservative…
News Release
Air Traffic Control Modernization Advances in House Committee
A plan to modernize the nation’s air traffic control system was put forward today by the chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Rep.
National Review
Who Ruined Air Travel? The Airlines, their Unions, and their Politicians
Over on the homepage, Josh Gelernter makes a strong case that the left ruined air travel. He is right when…
Washington Times
Leave the railroad industry alone
The Washington Times discusses the effects of regulations on the railroad industry with Marc Scribner. According to regulatory scholar Marc Scribner of the Competitive…
The Washington Post
Disney loved its no-fly zone — until it wanted to fly its own drones
The Washington Post reports Disney's request to gain an exemption to Temporary Flight Restrictions above Disneyland and Disney World in order to fly drones over the…
Politico
More Idignant Missives
Politico mentions CEI's stance on the FAA drone registry rules in the morning transportation update. The Competitive Enterprise Institute writes to the Federal…
One News Now
Advice to gov’t on autonomous cars: Don’t mess it up
One News Now discusses the White House's announcement of new initiatives on automated vehicles, with Marc Scribner. Marc Scribner, fellow in transportation policy…
Comment
CEI Comments to the Federal Aviation Administration regarding Registration and Marking Requirements for Small Unmanned Aircraft
Full Document Available in PDF On behalf of the Competitive Enterprise Institute (“CEI”), we respectfully submit these comments in response to the…
Blog
CEI Welcomes Obama Administration’s Automated Vehicle Push, With Caveats
The Obama administration’s plan to pump $4 billion over 10 years to “accelerate” the development and deployment of automated vehicles. How they exactly plan to…
Letters
Coalition Letter on the Unlawful TSA Screening of Airline Passengers
Full Document Available in PDF Dear Chairman Chaffetz and Ranking Member Cummings: We are writing to you regarding the TSA’s recent claim…