The Massachusetts Department of Transportation generated $40 million from the lease of air rights over state transportation assets in FY 2011. Earlier this month, the state built upon that revenue stream by designating AG Scotia II as developer of air rights over two parcels above and along Interstate 90 in...
We recognize Mr. Poole (“Amtrak’s Future in Congress’s Hands,” March 21, 2013 Jefferson Policy Journal – click here ) as a preeminent spokesperson for the unrelenting anti-Amtrak faction, rivaling Randy O’Toole. But what Mr. Poole wants readers to believe are myths about Amtrak, are in fact reality. For example: Myth#1:...
(Editor’s note: Dairy operations in Virginia strive hard to make ends meet and to be good citizens in their community. This article by a noted Virginia environmental attorney shows a growing threat to this important industry.) According to Capital Press, several Washington State dairies have been sued for violation of...
Following General Assembly approval of Governor McDonnell’s transportation plan and its accompanying tax changes, the Thomas Jefferson Institute released an updated version of the it’s paper Tax Restructuring in Virginia: A Revenue Neutral Path for Improving Our Economy containing new numbers based on the tax changes taking place on July...
In 2010, Virginia joined 25 other states in authorizing the establishment of full-time Virtual School programs – educational institutions allowing students to “attend” school full-time, but online, from anywhere in the state. Three years later, there are still only two school divisions operating full-time programs, with a total of about...
I’ve just finished an extraordinary little book. “Thoughts on Building Strong Towns,” that has helped crystallize my thinking on the fiscal trap of the “suburban sprawl” model of growth and development. The author, Charles Marohn, is a Minnesota-based civil engineer, urban planner and executive director of the Strong Towns organization,...
(This article first ran in the Feb issue of Surface Transportation Innovations, a publication ofthe Reason Foundation. As Virginia contemplates “rapid rail” from Roanoke and Richmond to Washington DC, this article is important.) Five years ago, Congress enacted the Passenger Rail Investment & Improvement Act (PRIIA) of 2008, a five-year...
In his first address as Secretary of State, John Kerry said we must safeguard “the most sacred trust” we owe to our children and grandchildren: “an environment not ravaged by rising seas, deadly super-storms, devastating droughts, and the other hallmarks of a dramatically changing climate.” Even the Intergovernmental Panel on...
In a March 10th New York Times column, Nobel Prize-winning economist Paul Krugman wrote, “we do not, repeat do not, face any kind of deficit crisis either now or for years to come.” Citing recent projections from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), Krugman insisted that “the case for making the...
For reasons rooted in local identity and entrenched political interest, Virginians are unlikely to consolidate their local governments into units aligned with the metropolitan regions they serve. But it is not impossible to imagine governments partnering regionally on specific projects. A new study by the Joint Legislative Audit and Review...
