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
Blog
Trump Administration Pushes Back on California’s Fuel Economy Scheming
Since at least March 2018, the Trump administration and the state of California have been engaged in a legal and political struggle over the stringency…
Blog
Ethanol ‘Flex Fuel’ No Solution for Climate—or Political Compromise
Pollster Frank Luntz discussed climate policy Thursday night with Laura Ingraham on her Fox News program “The Ingraham Angle.” In the previous segment, Ingraham interviewed…
Comment
CEI Comments on NHTSA ADS-DV ANPRM
On behalf of the Competitive Enterprise Institute (“CEI”), I respectfully submit these comments in response to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (“NHTSA”) Advance Notice…
Reason
Truck Platooning Is Making Progress
Reason cites CEI’s paper by Marc Scribner on automated vehicle platooning: Platooning is still not allowed in the majority of states. Last month…
Blog
Modernizing Passenger Facility Charge Can Promote Airport Investment, Reduce Federal Spending
The passenger facility charge (PFC) is a local airport user fee that serves as an important revenue tool with less federal meddling than its primary…
News Release
Report: Congress Should Let Airports Make Infrastructure Decisions, Eliminate Cap on Passenger Facility Charge
A new Competitive Enterprise Institute report argues airport authorities nationwide should be empowered to make their own decisions about how best to finance infrastructure improvements.
Study
Modernizing the Passenger Facility Charge to Increase Airport Investment, Reduce Federal Spending, and Save Travelers Money
The passenger facility charge (PFC) is a congressionally authorized, federally regulated local airport user fee. The PFC exists alongside the Airport Improvement Program (AIP), a…
The Blue Swan Daily
US Act on Airport Passenger Facility Charges Could Pave the Way to Faster Airport Modernization
The Blue Swan Daily cites CEI and other liberty-oriented organizations for their support of legislation removing the federal cap on airport passenger facility charges.
Morning Transportation
Surface Bill Lands in the Senate
POLITICO‘s Morning Transportation cites Senior Fellow Marc Scribner on highway funding legislation in the Senate. VMT pilot: The bill would authorize $12.5 million per…
Roll Call
Road Bill Would Hike Spending by 25 Percent, Speed Permits And Add Climate Title
Roll Call cites Senior Fellow Marc Scribner on highway funding legislation in the Senate. “Given that Congress has already bailed out the Trust…
Blog
CEI Leads Coalition in Support of Bipartisan Passenger Facility Charge Reform
Today, the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) sent a letter to House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee leadership supporting the bipartisan H.R. 3791, Investing in America: Rebuilding…
Letters
CEI Leads Coalition Letter in Support of H.R. 3791, “Rebuilding America’s Airports Infrastructure Act”
Dear Chairmen DeFazio and Larsen and Ranking Members Graves and Graves: We write today in strong support of H.R. 3791, Investing in America: Rebuilding America’s…
News Release
Senate Highway Bill Seeks Fiscally Irresponsible Spending Hikes
Today the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works released their much-anticipated draft bill on federal highway funding, with markup scheduled for Tuesday. CEI transportation…
Blog
Major Automakers Cave to California on Trump Auto Rule
The Washington Post reported on July 25th that Ford, Honda, Volkswagen, and BMW North America have “struck a deal with California to produce fleets that are more…
Blog
Uniform Law Commission Can Improve Uniform Automated Operation of Vehicles Act
After two years of work, last week the Uniform Law Commission (ULC) published its model state legislation on automated vehicles. By and large, ULC’s Uniform…
Blog
Long Wait for Worker Freedom Finally Ends for Airline, Rail Employees
It is a banner day for employee choice. For the first time, airline and railroad workers have a direct path to remove an unwanted union.
Transportation Today
Bipartisan House Effort Pushes for Elimination of Airport Passenger Facility Charge Cap
Transportation Today cites CEI’s support of eliminating of airport passenger facility charge cap. The Investing In America: Rebuilding America’s Airport Infrastructure Act has already…
Robotics & Automation
Public Policy Group Calls for Updating of Laws to Enable Driverless Truck Platooning
Robotics & Automation cites Senior Fellow Marc Scribner But these gains can only happen if states update old laws against following too closely,…
National Motorists Association Blog
Are We Slinking Ever Closer to a Universal Road User Charge? Part 1–the National Landscape: NMA E-Newsletter #549
The National Motorists Association Blog cites a recent CEI report on state barriers to vehicle platooning. Not surprisingly, the International Bridge, Tunnel and…
Blog
Allowing Markets and Technology to Prevent Traffic Collisions
Modern transportation is hugely beneficial in American society, but it carries the potential for significant, and sometimes fatal, risks. The average American is expected to…
The River City News
Massie Introduces Legislation to Remove Caps on Airport Passenger Facility Charges
The River City News cites CEI’s support for legislation aimed at removing caps on airport passenger facility charges. Congressman Thomas Massie announced this week…
Heavy Duty Trucking
Closing The Gap: Legislatures Urged to Address Truck Platooning Laws
Heavy Duty Trucking cites Senior Fellow Marc Scribner’s fourth annual report on state barriers to vehicle platooning. Despite some OEMs backing away, truck…
Politico, Morning Transportation
Boeing Gets a Lashing
POLITICO’s Morning Transportation cites Senior Fellow Marc Scribner’s fourth annual report on state barriers to vehicle platooning. PLATOONING TECH HINDERED BY STATE LAWS: States…
Fleet Owner
Peloton Outlines Plan for Platoons with Driverless Following Truck
Fleet Owner cites CEI’s fourth annual report on state barriers to vehicle platooning. Separately, a report released on July 17 from the Competitive Enterprise…
FreightWaves
Peloton Unveils Level 4 Platooning Technology With Autonomous Following Truck
FreightWaves cites CEI’s fourth annual report on state barriers to vehicle platooning. Currently, only 20 states permit commercial platooning deployments, according to the…
Trucks.com
Peloton Outlines Human/Robotic Team Truck Driving Strategy
Trucks.com cites Senior Fellow Marc Scribner’s fourth annual report on state barriers to vehicle platooning. The Competitive Enterprise Institute report said platooning is…
News Release
CEI Applauds Reps. Massie, Blumenauer for Introducing Bipartisan Airport Modernization Legislation
Today, Reps. Thomas Massie (R-KY) and Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) introduced the Investing in America: Rebuilding America’s Airport Infrastructure Act of 2019. The bill would eliminate…
Blog
CEI Releases ‘Authorizing Automated Vehicle Platooning, 2019 Edition’
CEI has released my fourth annual report on state barriers to vehicle platooning, “Authorizing Automated Vehicle Platooning: A Guide for State Legislators, 2019 Edition” (read the 2018…
News Release
Report: Updating State Laws to Enable Truck Platooning Offers Safety, Economic, and Environmental Benefits
New automated vehicle technology will help freight truck companies transport consumer goods in a more fuel-efficient way, reducing transportation costs and emissions and boosting highway…
Study
Authorizing Automated Vehicle Platooning, 2019 Edition
Automated vehicles have captured the public’s imagination in recent years following successful on-road demonstrations by developers such as Waymo (its parent company, Alphabet, also owns…
Blog
Surface Transportation Board Delays Consideration of Regulatory Reform Petition
Yesterday, the Surface Transportation Board (STB) published a decision on a March 2019 rulemaking petition from the Association from American Railroads (AAR). The AAR petition…
Trucks.com
Infrastructure Funding Looks Dead Until at Least 2020
Trucks.com cites Senior Fellow Marc Scribner on highway funding. “We have been skeptical since the beginning,” Marc Scribner, senior fellow at the Competitive Enterprise…
IBTTA
Opinion Leaders Educate And Build A Bigger Tent For Tolling
IBTTA cites CEI on infrastructure spending. In June, the Competitive Enterprise Institute pointed to the $140 billion Congress has spent to bail out the Highway…
Transportation Today
IBTTA Agrees With Infrastructure Report on Tolling
Transportation Today cites Senior Fellow Marc Scribner’s recent report, Transforming Surface Transportation Reauthorization: A 21st Century Approach to Address America’s Greatest Infrastructure Challenge. The International…
Blog
Energy and Commerce Committee Holds Contentious Hearing on Trump Auto Rule
The House Energy and Commerce Committee held a hearing on June 20th on the Trump administration’s Safer Affordable Fuel-Efficient (SAFE) motor vehicle rule. The rule proposes to freeze Corporate Average…
International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association
IBTTA Applauds Competitive Enterprise Institute Report Calling On Lawmakers To Remove Restrictions On Interstate Tolling
The International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association cites CEI’s report on transportation infrastructure, authored by Senior Fellow Marc Scribner. Today, Patrick D. Jones, Executive…
Letters
CEI Joins Coalition Letter to Oppose a Federal Gas Tax
On behalf of our organizations and the millions of American individuals, families, and business owners they represent, we urge you to focus on comprehensive reforms…
Blog
Electric Vehicle Tax Credits Not Popular with Americans: Poll
A recent survey conducted for the American Energy Alliance clearly shows that the public does not support congressional efforts to extend or expand federal tax credits for purchasers of…
Politico, Morning Transportation
Date Set For Next House Hearing on Boeing
Politico‘s Morning Transportation cites Senior Fellow Marc Scribner’s infrastructure report. Even more ideas: Meanwhile, Marc Scribner of the Competitive Enterprise Institute on Monday urged lawmakers to…
Blog
Congress Should Authorize Longer Trailers When Reforming National Highway Policy
In 1982, when Congress designated the National Network—the approximately 200,000 miles of truck corridors that crisscross the U.S.—it also set a 28.5-foot minimum limit on tandem…
Blog
Remove Government Barriers to Promote Efficient Highway Investment
Today the Competitive Enterprise Institute released my new report, “Transforming Surface Transportation Reauthorization: A 21st Century Approach to Address America’s Greatest Infrastructure Challenge.” In it, I…
Blog
Automakers to Trump: Keep Us Captive to California Bureaucrats
Seventeen automakers, including Ford, General Motors, and Toyota Motor North America sent a letter on 6th June to President Donald J. Trump urging him not to challenge California’s…
News Release
Report: Congress Needs a 21st Century Approach to Infrastructure Needs
Raising the federal fuel tax won’t adequately and fairly pay for future roadway infrastructure needs, argues a new Competitive Enterprise Institute report released today.
Study
Transforming Surface Transportation Reauthorization
The United States Interstate Highway System serves as the backbone of American commerce and personal travel. Funded as a pay-as-you-go basis largely through federal excise…
Blog
Federal Railroad Administration Withdraws Proposed ‘Featherbedding’ Train Crew Rule
Today, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) released a draft notice indicating that it will be withdrawing a 2016 proposed rule that would have required trains…
Blog
Focus Ride-Hailing Policy on Consumer Benefits, Not Protecting Competitors
As we pointed out last year when New York City attacked Uber, Lyft, and other ride-hailing firms by imposing an interim supply cap, politicians fighting…
Blog
Boeing Pushes 100 Percent Tariffs on Airbus
Boeing, fresh off a victory in restoring the Export-Import Bank’s full lending authority, is floating the idea of a 100 percent tariff on Airbus aircraft…
Blog
Bloomberg Reporter Justin Bachman Gets Duped by TripAdvisor Front Group
I wrote back in November 2018 of the false, scurrilous, ad hominem attacks on Competitive Enterprise Institute Adjunct Fellow Fran Smith’s appointment as consumer representative…
Letters
CEI Joins Coalition to Congress: No Electric Vehicle Tax Credit Expansion
We, the undersigned organizations, write to object to any effort to expand the current electric vehicle tax credit. While the tax credit is misguided, at…
Blog
CEI Leads Free-Market Coalition to Dispel Passenger Facility Charge Myths
Today, CEI and seven other free-market organizations sent a letter to members of Congress aimed at dispelling myths circulating about the airport passenger facility charge…