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MEDIA RELEASE The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has announced nearly $500,000 in new Space Transportation Infrastructure matching grants to three projects located in California, Colorado and Hawaii that will help develop and expand commercial space transportation infrastructure. “These investments will help us continue to develop a safe and robust commercial space industry in the United […]

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MEDIA RELEASE U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has unveiled survey analysis that reveals young people are the least likely passengers to say something to their driver if he or she were texting or talking on a cell phone. At the same time, LaHood also launched a new contest for students to design a social networking […]

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MEDIA RELEASE U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has announced the overwhelming demand for TIGER (Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery) grants has once again far surpassed the available funding. Applications to the U.S. Department of Transportation for TIGER 2012 grants totaled $10.2 billion, far exceeding the $500 million set aside for the program. The department received […]

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MEDIA RELEASE New regulations going into effect this week will help ensure consumers are treated fairly when they travel by air, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said. Among the new provisions, part of the airline consumer rule issued by the U.S. Department of Transportation in April 2011, are requirements that airlines and ticket agents include […]

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MEDIA RELEASE U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has announced transit providers across the nation will receive a share of $928.5 million in federal funds for more than 300 public transportation projects in urban, suburban, and rural areas. Hawaii has been awarded nearly $16 million, including $1.2 million to replace Hele-On vehicles on the Big Island. […]

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MEDIA RELEASE The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration and Australia’s Department of Resources, Energy and Tourism have reached a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to continue research and development of clean, sustainable alternative aviation fuels. U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood and Australian Ambassador to the United States Kim Beazley signed the agreement Tuesday. […]

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MEDIA RELEASE Transportation and energy ministers from 21 economies in the Asia-Pacific region agreed Tuesday to continue progress on initiatives to make transportation in the region cleaner and more energy-efficient, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced. The announcement came during the first-ever joint Transportation and Energy Ministerial Conference held […]

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MEDIA RELEASE The U.S. Department of Transportation has proposed a new rule that will require airlines to report more information on the amount and types of fees collected from passengers, as well as the number of checked bags and mishandled wheelchairs. The proposal would revise current reporting requirements to improve data collection on the amount […]

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MEDIA RELEASE U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has announced dramatic reductions in distracted driving in Syracuse, N.Y., and Hartford, Conn., after two pilot projects measured the effect of increased law enforcement coupled with high-profile public education campaigns. “These findings show that strong laws, combined with highly-visible police enforcement, can significantly reduce dangerous texting and cell […]

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MEDIA RELEASE U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has announced new airline passenger protections that will require airlines to reimburse passengers for bag fees if their bags are lost, provide consumers involuntarily bumped from flights with greater compensation, expand the current ban on lengthy tarmac delays, and disclose hidden fees. The rulemaking finalized Wednesday, April 20 […]

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MEDIA RELEASE The U.S. Department of Transportation and Consumer Reports have announced a new partnership to educate parents, teachers, and teens about the dangers of distracted driving. Consumer Reports also released the results of a new poll that shows younger drivers are more likely to use handheld devices while driving — and less likely to […]

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MEDIA RELEASE Americans drove three trillion miles in 2010, the most vehicle miles traveled since 2007 and the third-highest ever recorded, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has announced. The increase in traffic volume comes as the U.S. in 2009 posted its lowest number of traffic fatalities and injuries since 1950. “More driving means more wear […]

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MEDIA RELEASE U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has announced a final rule aimed at decreasing occupant ejections in passenger vehicles. The new U.S. Department of Transportation standard, which will help reduce the number of people partially or completely ejected through side windows during rollover crashes, will begin phasing in during 2013. “Safety is our highest […]

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MEDIA RELEASE U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has announced Toyota Motor Corporation has agreed to pay an additional $32.425 million in civil penalties as the result of two separate investigations into the automaker’s handling of auto recalls. Toyota will pay the maximum fines allowable under the law – $16.375 million in one case and $16.050 […]

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