Reports

Report | U.S. PIRG Education Fund, Center for Neighborhood Technology, and Smart Growth America | Transportation

What We Learned From the Stimulus

The latest data on stimulus spending show that funds spent on public transportation were a more effective job creator than stimulus funds spent on highways. In the 10 months since the merican Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) was signed, investing in public transportation produced twice as many jobs per dollar as investing in roads.

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Report | U.S. PIRG | Transportation

Written Testimony regarding TIFIA eligibility criteria and offset of subsidy costs

This letter regards proposed changes to the USDOT’s programs created by the Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act of 1998 (TIFIA). We support the proposed adjustments in weighting criteria and would shirt them further. We also support requirements to offset the subsidy cost of directly operating the program and the federal government’s risk‐insuring costs associated with the issuance of TIFIA credit. However, we are concerned that allowing applicants to pre‐pay for the federal government to mitigate or insure their financing risks may encourage and obscure excessive risk taking in the future. The comments address these three issues in turn.

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Report | MASSPIRG Education Fund | Budget

Massachusetts Stimulus Website: What It Tells Us & How It Could Tell Us More

This brief examines how Massachusetts has used its recovery website to provide information about ARRA spending – and describes additional strategies that could improve transparency.

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Report | U.S. PIRG Education Fund | Public Health

Trouble in Toyland

The 2009 Trouble in Toyland report is the 24th annual Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) survey of toy safety. This report provides safety guidelines for parents when purchasing toys for small children and provides examples of toys currently on store shelves that may pose potential safety hazards.

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Report | U.S. PIRG Education Fund | Democracy

Greasing the Wheels

We analyzed two data sets and new information that shine light on the influence of campaign giving on transportation funding decisions at the state and federal level. First the report examines, on a state-by-state basis, how much money was contributed to both federal and state campaigns by highway interests, defined as those from the development, automobile, transportation, and construction sectors. Then, the report looks at the number and dollar amounts of transportation earmarks from the 2008 federal transportation appropriations bill that were funded in each state to highlight the priorities of members of Congress.