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
Off the rails and behind the times: How FRA rules hinder automated track inspection
The railway system has long been the backbone of the American economy by connecting communities, supporting supply chains, and carrying passengers safely to their destinations.
News Release
Transportation Department seeks to restore sanity to fuel economy standards: CEI analysis
The Trump administration is proposing new fuel economy standards for vehicles that would get rid of unwarranted and unrealistic requirements set during the Biden…
News Release
Affordable transportation should be celebrated over “World Car-Free Day”
September 22 is associated with “World Car-Free Day”, an occasion aimed at prodding people to find alternative ways to travel around that day. CEI Senior…
Search Posts
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…
Blog
2016 Regulatory Schedule for the U.S. Department of Transportation
Last year, the Federal Aviation Administration’s two drone rulemakings got a lot of attention: their strange attempt to implement Congress’s airspace integration mandate and their unlawful…
USA Today
TSA May Require a Full-Body Scan, Rather than Pat-Down
CEI's Marc Scribner comments to USA Today on the TSA's recent decision to end its policy of allowing all travelers to opt for a…
Blog
Automated Vehicles Update: California DMV Releases Draft Rules and Some Notes about that Crash Study
CALIFORNIA DMV AV OPPS RULES PROPOSED: On December 16, the California Department of Motor Vehicles released its draft licensing and operations rules for consumer automated vehicles,…
Blog
FAA Releases Mandatory Drone Registration Interim Final Rule
On December 16, the FAA will publish its interim final rule (IFR) on Registration and Marking Requirements for Small Unmanned Aircraft in the Federal…
Bloomberg
U.S. Cities Spend $1.2 Billion on Streetcars to Nowhere
Bloomberg quotes transportation expert Marc Scribner on cities investing in streetcars. While streetcars in Portland, Oregon and Seattle have succeeded — measured by…
The Philadelphia Inquirer
Route to the Future
The Philadelphia Inquirer discusses the efficiency of trolley systems with Marc Scribner. Marc Scribner, research fellow with the Competitive Enterprise Institute, a Washington-based free-market…
Blog
FAST Act Debrief: A Few Policy Notes on the Latest Highway Bill
Last Friday, December 4, President Obama signed into law the FAST Act, which reauthorizes federal surface transportation programs through Fiscal Year 2020 to the tune…
Washington Examiner
House, Senate reach deal on bill to renew Ex-Im Bank
The Washington Examiner discusses the approved highway bill with Marc Scribner. "We are disappointed that Congress has once again chosen to bail out…
News Release
CEI Comment on Highway Bill Conference Report
CEI transportation policy expert Marc Scribner praised parts of the federal highway bill released today out of a congressional conference committee. Scribner praised parts of…
Blog
Problems with Mandatory Drone Registration
On Saturday, the Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) Registration Task Force issued its recommendations on a mandatory UAS registration proposal. The report is available here. On…
Blog
Government Submits TSA Body Scanner Final Rule Schedule to Court
On October 23, 2015, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit ordered the Department of Homeland Security to produce a schedule for final rule…
Study
Reviving Capitalism
The near-death and rebirth of American railroads is a case study in business leaders fending off regulation.
Comment
CEI Comments Responding To the FAA Request for Information on Registration of Unmanned Aircraft Systems
Full Document Available in PDF On behalf of the Competitive Enterprise Institute (“CEI”), I respectfully submit these comments in response to the Federal…
Blog
Barbara Boxer: Confirm PR Flak for Key Safety Role or the Transportation System Gets It
Yesterday, the Senate confirmed Sarah Feinberg to head the Federal Railroad Administration. Feinberg has been acting administrator since January. She replaced Joseph Szabo, who had…
Law360
TSA Ordered To Make Final Body Scanner Rule
The D.C. Circuit on Friday ordered the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to submit a schedule for when it will issue a final rule on…
Blog
Court Rules against Government in TSA Body Scanner Case
Earlier today, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit ruled against the government in CEI’s challenge to the Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) illegal…
Litigation
CEI Challenges TSA Body Scanner Policy
On July 15, 2015, the Competitive Enterprise Institute filed a lawsuit against the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) for violating the law by deploying body scanners…
News Release
CEI Prevails: Court Orders TSA to Bare Its Body Scanner Rule
Today, the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) won a favorable ruling from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit ordering the Transportation Security Administration…
The Daily Signal
Another Dud Highway Bill from the House
The Daily Signal discusses the new Highway Bill and looks to Marc Scribner for information on the bills expansion of the federal government's role in…
Blog
Is a Drone Registration Mandate Illegal?
Today, the Department of Transportation announced the creation of a task force to develop recommendations for a national drone registration mandate. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx stated…
Blog
Initial Thoughts on the Surface Transportation Reauthorization and Reform Act
This morning, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee released its Surface Transportation Reauthorization and Reform Act. Unlike the Senate bill, which relies on imaginary pay-fors…
News Release
CEI Report: Keep the Skies Open for Drones
A new report from the Competitive Enterprise Institute warns that laws and regulations curtailing use of civilian drones could hold back big economic and…
Study
Keeping the Skies Open for Drones
Drone technology could transform the way we live and work, offering great potential in precision agriculture, aerial photography, to infrastructure inspection, and disaster response. But overzealous…
Blog
Drone Policy Update: FAA Proposes $1.9m Fine, 3 More Bills Vetoed in California, and More
FAA PROPOSES RECORD FINE FOR UNAUTHORIZED UAS OPERATIONS: On October 6, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced it was proposing a $1.9 million civil penalty against…
Blog
No, Politicians Shouldn’t Outlaw Driving to Usher in Self-Driving Cars
Over at Fusion, Kevin Roose has what is perhaps the worst article on automated vehicles (AVs) I’ve ever seen. In it, he calls for a near-term…
Blog
USDOT Wants it Both Ways with Off-Peak Freight Movements
Over at the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Fastlane blog, Greg Nadeau, administrator of the Federal Highway Administration, has a post touting USDOT’s support for off-peak freight…
Blog
Drone Policy Update: California Bill Vetoed, New Model Aircraft Guidance, and More
CALIFORNIA UAS BILL VETOED: On September 9, California Gov. Jerry Brown vetoed Senate Bill 142 that would have imposed trespass liability on unmanned aircraft system (UAS)…
