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
Inside Unmanned Systems
DOT Issues Autonomous Vehicle Policy
Inside Unmanned Systems discusses the Department of Transportation's guidelines for self-driving car technology with Marc Scribner. The non-mandatory aspects of the policy provisions…
Blog
A Free Market Response to the Federal Automated Vehicles Policy
The quickest way to slam the brakes on innovation is for bumbling bureaucrats to outlaw it.
The Hill
White House rolls out guidelines for self-driving cars
The Hill discusses the Department of Transportation's guidance on self-driving cars with Marc Scribner. Marc Scribner, a research fellow at the Competitive Enterprise…
Ars Technica
The federal self-driving vehicles policy has finally been published
Ars Technica discusses the Department of Transportation's guidelines on self-driving cars with Marc Scribner. Marc Scribner, an expert on transport policy at the…
News Release
CEI Flags Flaws with New Obama Driverless Car Policy
The Obama administration today put out long-awaited regulatory guidance on self-driving cars. CEI transportation policy expert Marc Scribner says that along with some sensible policies,…
One News Now
‘Amazing’ developments re: self-driving cars
One News Now discusses technology developments for self-driving cars with Marc Scribner. "More training options are great," says Marc Scribner, transportation policy analyst…
The Hill
Driverless cars face regulatory roadblock
The Hill highlights Marc Scribner's study examining state laws restricting truck platooning technology. But it’s not just pedal and steering wheel rules that…
Inside Unmanned Systems
State Regulations Hampering Automated Truck Platooning, Report Says
Inside Unmanned Systems highlights Marc Scribner's study on state regulations on automated vehicle platooning. In a new report from the Competitive Enterprise Institute,…
Inside Unmanned Systems
What’s Important about Uber’s Autonomous Vehicle Announcements?
Inside Unmanned Systems discusses Uber's announcement of testing self-driving taxis with Marc Scribner. At least one industry observer believes one Uber announcement could…
Blog
National Right to Work Committee Wrong on Air Traffic Control Reform
The handful of conservative critics of air traffic control reform get the facts all wrong.
Blog
Transport Groups Oppose Obama Greenhouse Gas Power Grab
Twenty-three organizations representing highway users, transportation, vehicle, and energy trade associations filed joint comments last weekend opposing any proposal by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)…
Scientific American
Uber’s “Self-Driving” Test Cars to Be Overseen by Driver and Engineer
Scientific American reports on "self-driving" car technology and discusses regulatory hurdles to this technology with Marc Scribner. Uber’s decision to expose the public to the…
Legal NewsLine
Fight over airline e-cigarette ban focuses on ‘agency overreach’
Legal NewsLine discusses CEI's legal challenge to the Department of Transportation's ban of electronic cigarettes on airplanes with Marc Scribner. The Competitive Enterprise…
Blog
Uber Announces Self-Driving Passenger Pilot, Raises New Regulatory Questions
It was just announced that Uber will soon begin piloting its automated vehicle prototype in Pittsburgh—with passengers. This is not the first automated vehicle…
Law 360
Trump, Clinton Tout Infrastructure Spending, With Few Details
Law 360 discusses the presidential candidates' positions on infastruture with Marc Scribner. Trump to spur economic growth with increased infrastructure investment have stoked…
The Hill
Think tank challenges ban on using e-cigs during flights
The Hill reports on CEI's legal challenge to the Department of Transportation's ban of electronic cigarettes on airplanes, and discusses the case with Marc Scribner.
Blog
CEI Files Opening Brief in “Vapes on a Plane” Lawsuit
Today, CEI filed its opening brief against the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), Office of the Secretary of Transportation’s March final rule prohibiting electronic cigarette…
Politico
FTA blasts WMATA inspection practices
Politico's Morning Transportation reports on CEI's legal challenge of the Department of Transportation's rule banning electronic cigarettes on airplanes. The libertarian Competitive Enterprise…
Blog
Volkswagen Deal on Zero Emission Vehicles an End Run around Congress
In his 2011 State of the Union Address, President Obama promised to put 1 million electric vehicles on the road. To this end, the President…
Blog
Elon Musk Angry at Having to Compete for Taxpayer Handouts
“Rent seeking” occurs when companies secure government benefits for actions that do not otherwise create wealth.
Blog
Authorizing Automated Vehicle Platooning: A Proactive Approach for the States
I recently attended the annual Automated Vehicle Symposium in San Francisco. More than 1,000 attendees from around the world from industry, academia, government, and NGOs…
Washington Post
As driverless cars grow closer, a delicate balance between rules and guidelines
The Washington Post highlights Marc Scribner's report on state laws blocking platooning technology. Enter the concept of “platooning,” the idea that two or…
News Release
Robocars of the Future Could Save Lives, Lower Costs, But State Laws Remain a Roadblock
Automated vehicle technology offers the promise of fewer highway fatalities and big cost savings in transporting consumer goods nationwide, but state driving laws remain a…
Study
Authorizing Automated Vehicle Platooning
View Document as PDF Automated vehicles have captured the public’s imagination in recent years following successful on-road demonstrations by developers such as…
Blog
Worst Procedural Abuses of the Obama Era: Secret Rules
Since Obama took office, the EPA’s grossest procedural violation was so outrageous that the agency voluntarily reversed course after it came to light. In the…
Blog
Worst Procedural Abuses of the Obama Era: Good Cause, Bad Faith
For the past seven decades, most federal agency actions must comport with the Administrative Procedure Act (APA). The APA lays out the basic processes required…
Daily Caller
Railroads Warn Mandatory Two-Man Crews Kills Innovation
The Daily Caller discusses a railroad regulation requiring two-man crews with Marc Scribner. The Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) believes the proposed rule is merely…
News Release
Rail Regulators Threaten Innovation with New Mandate
A Federal Railroad Administration hearing today debates whether regulators should require a minimum crew size for rail, as a proposed FRA rule would do. CEI transportation policy expert…
Blog
New York Times Editorial Board Crashes into Automated Vehicles
In light of Tesla’s foolish decision to rush distraction-causing, low-level automation technology to car consumers, which has resulted in at least one fatality and several…
Blog
The Military and ATC Corporation? No Big Deal
Guest post by Robert Poole Robert Poole is Director of Transportation Policy at Reason Foundation and a member of the Government Accountability Office (GAO) National…
Blog
Another Anti-Union Conservative Swings at Air Traffic Control Reform and Misses
Most free market and libertarian researchers—at least those familiar with what the House’s AIRR Act (H.R. 4441) actually does and doesn’t do—are…
Blog
Will the Sharing Economy Give Us Greater Economic Mobility?
Last night the R Street Institute sponsored a fascinating policy panel here in Washington, D.C., “Boost or Barrier? Upward mobility in the on-demand economy.”…
Airport Revenue News
Republican Congressmen Introduce Bill Supporting PFC Increase
Marc Scribner is quoted on passenger facility charge modernization in Airport Revenue News: The trade organizations, however, are not the only supporter of…
Blog
Reps. Jolly, Massie, and Bilirakis Introduce Bill Supporting PFC Modernization
Reps. David Jolly (R-Fla.), Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), and Gus Bilirakis (R-Fla.) have introduced the Restoring Local Control of Airports Act of 2016 (H.R.
Blog
Coming Soon: International Mayors for Inconvenient Travel
While we wait to see whether Gov. Andrew Cuomo will sign legislation targeting home-share listings in New York, the governmental response to the sharing economy’s…
Blog
FAA’s Long-Delayed Drone Certification and Operations Rule Disappoints
This morning, the Federal Aviation Administration released a copy of its final rule on Operation and Certification of Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems, which is to…
MarketWatch
New FAA rule means huge changes for drone industry
MarketWatch discusses the FAA's drone regulations with Marc Scribner. “The FAA seems intent on crushing the nascent drone industry and consumer operators with…
Fortune
Here’s Why the Drone Industry Just Had A Milestone Moment
Fortune discusses the Federal Aviation Administration's new rules on small unmanned aircraft systems with Marc Scribner. Not everyone is pleased with the new…
PC World
New FAA rules mean you won’t get Amazon drone delivery anytime soon
PC World discusses the Federal Aviation Administration's new rules on drones with Marc Scribner. Marc Scribner, a fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute,…
Daily Caller
Business Leaders Unsurprisingly Tepid About FAA’s New 624-Page Drone Rulebook
The Daily Caller discusses the Federal Aviation Administration's new regulations on drones with Marc Scribner. “The new FAA drone rules are disappointing and…
News Release
CEI Comments on FAA Drone Regulations
Today, June 21, 2016, the Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration finalized their operational rules for commercial use of small unmanned aircraft systems. Transportation policy expert Marc Scribner responded:…
Blog
Building on the Optimism of “Uber-Positive” Attitudes
There’s a new resource for understanding the state of play between politics and developments in the sharing economy, the pleasantly slim volume by the Manhattan…
Blog
Diana Furchtgott-Roth Still Mistaken on Air Traffic Control Reform
A lonely critique from the center-right of air traffic control corporatization appeared on MarketWatch making a series of incorrect and misleading claims. I have previously…
Blog
Export-Import Bank Drama Continues
The Senate’s main business right now is the annual Defense Appropriations bill. The Export-Import Bank, or Ex-Im for short, might become part of that bill.
Blog
Railroad Industry Releases New Economic Impact Report, Urges Regulatory Restraint
Today, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) released its latest State of the Industry Report, highlighting new research from Townson University’s Regional Economic Studies Institute…
Daily Caller
Government Should Steer Clear Of Rail Re-Regulation
The Daily Caller quotes Marc Scribner on the freight rail industry's system. The Towson study found that the freight rail industry in a single…
Comment
CEI Petitions FCC to Reconsider Conditions Imposed on Charter-Time Warner Cable Merger
Full Document Available in PDF The Competitive Enterprise Institute, John France, Daniel Frank, Jean-Claude Gruffat, and Charles Haywood seek reconsideration of the…
Blog
Air Traffic Control Reform Opponents Still Miss the Big Picture, Repeat Errors
Air traffic control is in dire need of reform and modernization, and there is a great plan in the House FAA bill to do just…
Washington Examiner
What’s the government’s role in regulating Uber and Lyft?
The Washington Examiner discusses the government's role in regulating ridesharing services with Marc Scribner. "Municipal taxi regulators are often captured by the entities…
Blog
Air Traffic Control in Urgent Need of Reform… If Only Critics Could See That
CEI has for years called for air traffic control reforms now being considered in the House. It is critical for the future health of the…
Blog
CEI’s Marc Scribner Discusses TSA Lawsuit on Cato Daily Podcast
CEI Fellow Marc Scribner, one of the petitioners in CEI’s lawsuit against the Transportation Security Administration’s final rule on airport body scanners, joined Cato’s…
Politico
Thune nudges Shuster to shelve privatization plan
Politico's Morning Transportation discusses Marc Scribner's comments on conservative opposition to proposed air traffic control reform. THEM’S FIGHTIN’ WORDS: None-too-pleased with Heritage Action’s…
Blog
Conservatives for Big Government: Air Traffic Control Reform Opponents Have Lost Their Minds or Principles
UPDATE: Diana Furchtgott-Roth has responded. I offer my reply. Right now in Congress, there is a proposal to end a government monopoly, replace…
AMI Newswire
TSA body scanner rule challenged in federal court
AMI Newswire interviews Marc Scribner about CEI's lawsuit over TSA airport body scanners: "It is unclear to TSA how the risk associated with motor…
Blog
Reason’s Bob Poole Sets Record Straight on Air Traffic Control Reform
Reason Foundation Director of Transportation Policy Bob Poole has an excellent article in National Review debunking the myths peddled by a handful of conservatives on the House’s AIRR Act…
Blog
CEI Sues over TSA’s Body Scanners
Today, CEI, The Rutherford Institute, CEI Vice President Iain Murray, and yours truly filed a lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security in the U.S. Court…
Washington Post
Lawsuit challenges TSA’s use of full-body scanners in airports
The Washington Post discusses with Marc Scribner CEI's lawsuit against the Transportation Security Administration over their full-body scanner rule. Filing suit in the U.S. Court of…
Daily Caller
Lawsuit May Reverse Ban On Vaping E-Cigarettes On Flights
The Daily Caller discusses CEI's lawsuit against the Department of Transportation's rule prohibiting electronic cigarettes on planes with Marc Scribner. The Competitive Enterprise…
Politico
In budget fight, appropriators eye long TSA wait times
Politico's Morning Transportation discusses CEI's lawsuit against the TSA's body scanner rule and quotes Marc Scribner on the case. COMING TODAY: The Competitive…
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…
