(Source:  Young Prof. in Transportation)

 

Who May Apply:

U.S. Citizens
We are not accepting applications from non-U.S. citizens.

How We Will Evaluate You:

Applicants may be rated on the extent and quality of experience, education, and training relevant to the duties of the position(s).All answers provided in the on-line process must be substantiated.

Key Requirements:

U.S. Citizen

The Next Generation of Flight is Underway – and you can be part of it! We need you and your fresh ideas to shape the air transportation system of tomorrow, and the way America flies. Come be a part of the new generation in aviation, an industry that is absolutely critical to this nation’s economy and security.The Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) is a fundamental transformation of our nation’s airspace system. It uses 21st century technologies to meet future demands, avoid gridlock in the sky and on the runways, further improve safety, and protect the environment. For more information on NextGen, watch this brief introduction: Giving the World New Ways to Fly

Job Duties:
The incumbent will perform a wide variety of national level funds oversight and analytical duties associated with all aspects of the Airport Improvement Program (AIP) budget process. This includes providing guidance, oversight, and tracking of funds obligations, to ensure compliance with AIP statutory requirements, program authorizations and appropriation. The AIP annual budget generally exceeds $3 billion annually. The incumbent will perform financial planning; reviews and necessary calculations of annual legislative authorization and appropriation proposals. Incumbent will serve as a national subject matter expert in developing and maintaining guidance on financial management and funds control responsibilities for the AIP. Provides budget and legislative related advice and guidance to management, staff, regional office personnel along with the general public. Prepares written responses to public and Congressional inquiries on the implementation of the AIP.

Minimum Qualifications:

All applicants must demonstrate one-year of SPECIALIZED experience equivalent to the next lower grade. For the FV-I level, applicants must have one year at the FV-H or FG/GS-12 level in the federal service. SPECIALIZED experience is experience which has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform duties of the position and that is typically in or related to work of the position to be filled. (eg. performs wide variety to determine and analyze airport captital improvement) For the FV-J level, applicants must have one year at the FV-I or FG/GS-13 level in the federal service. SPECIALIZED experience is experience which has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform duties of the position and that is typically in or related to work of the position to be filled. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been at least equivalent to the next lower grade in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organzation (eg. subject matter expert and provides leadership analyzing airport capital improvement plan).

Other Job Requirements:

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSA)

1. Ability to analyze and convey financial and technical information to a variety of audiences in meetings, presentations, or briefings.
2. Skill in the application of fiscal management techniques and processes.
3. Knowledge of applicable statutes, regulations, and directives controlling the AIP and familiarity with other related programs, e.g., Passenger Facility Charge, National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems, Facilities & Equipment, etc.
4. Knowledge of Microsoft Office programs (including MS Excel and MS Word) and reporting system (including the Systems of Airports (SOAR), DELPHI (financial management system), or a standard database system (eg. MS. Access or Oracle Discoverer).

IMPORTANT: Ensure that your work experience supports your Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSA) answers. Your answers and associated work experience will be evaluated further to validate whether the answers that you selected are appropriate. Answers may be adjusted as appropriate.

Benefits:

FAA offers an excellent comprehensive benefits programs. To learn more about the federal government benefits, please click here.

More Information About This Job:

• We may use this vacancy to fill other similar vacant positions.
• Travel may be required.
• Position may be subject to a background investigation.
• A one-year probationary period may be required.

As a condition of employment, male applicants born after December 31, 1959, must certify that they have registered with the Selective Service System, or are exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law.
Direct deposit of pay is required.

1. As a part of the Federal-Wide Hiring Reform Initiative (streamlining the hiring process), the FAA is committed to eliminating the use of the Knowledge, Skills and Ability (KSA) narratives from the initial application in the hiring process for all external announcements. Therefore, as an applicant for this external announcement, you are NOT required to provide a narrative response in the text box listed below each KSA. In lieu of providing a KSA narrative response in the text box listed below each KSA, in your work history, please include work history that describes how you meet the answer you chose for each KSA. Your work history examples should be specific and clearly reflect the highest level of ability. Your KSA answers will be evaluated further to validate whether the level that you selected is appropriate.
2. Eligible applicants meeting the minimum qualification requirements will be further evaluated on the KSA listed in the announcement. Based on this evaluation, applicants will be placed in one of the following categories: score order, category grouping, or priority grouping and referred to the selecting official for consideration. Failure to meet minimum qualification requirements automatically disqualifies an applicant.
3. This position is covered by the FAA Core Compensation Plan. Additional information about core compensation is available at www.faa.gov.
4. FAA organizations may offer service credit towards the accrual of annual leave to certain newly appointed or reappointed employees. In order to receive consideration for such a benefit, applicants’ prior non-Federal service or active duty uniformed service must directly relate to the duties of the position to which appointed. Granting service credit is at the sole discretion of the hiring organization, and granting such benefit is not an entitlement nor guaranteed to any newly hired employee.
5. Applicants must apply on-line (https://jobs.faa.gov). Applicants must have a status of “Submitted” by 11:59 PM CST on the closing date for it to be accepted. Applications submitted via email or fax WILL NOT be considered.
6. The person selected for this position may be required to file a financial disclosure statement within 30 days of entry on duty. FAA policy limits certain outside employment and financial investments in aviation-related companies.
7. This position is also being announced as Vacancy Announcement No. AWA-APP-12-MT19408-23539 as Current or Former Federal Employees & EVHO. Please review both vacancy announcements to determine if you are eligible to apply.

This is a bargaining unit position.

Required Documents:

You must submit proof of veterans preference (DD-214, and, if claiming 10-point preference, SF-15 plus proof required by that form) as requested by the Human Resource Office. Veterans Preference will only be considered based on what is supported. If you fail to provide the required documents within the stated time period, the Human Resource office may withdraw a job offer and/or remove you from further consideration.

Forms:

• SF-15 : Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference

For more information on this job:Call the Human Resource Services Division at 202-267-8012 or email to 9-AWA-AHR-200-VACANCYINQUIRY@FAA.GOV.

Servicing HR office:
Federal Aviation Administration
Human Resource Services Division
800 Independence Avenue, SW
Room 523
Washington, DC 20591
Phone: 202 267-8012
Fax Number: 202 267-7032

Date: April 15, 2010

Time: 1:00–2:30 PM ET

Cost: All T3s are free of charge

PDH: 1.5. — Webinar participants are responsible for determining eligibility of these PDHs within their profession.

Register On-line
Contact the T3 Administrator

T3 Webinars are brought to you by the ITS Professional Capacity Building Program (ITS PCB) at the U.S. Department of Transportation‘s (USDOT) ITS Joint Program Office, Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA). Reference in this webinar to any specific commercial products, processes, or services, or the use of any trade, firm or corporation name is for the information and convenience of the public, and does not constitute endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by U.S. Department of Transportation.

Webinar Description

The Intelligent Transportation Systems Joint Program Office (ITS JPO) of the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) has developed online ITS Knowledge Resources for decision making support. The major objectives on these online tools are to:

• Capture ITS costs, benefits and lessons learned from experiences of stakeholders in their planning, deployment, operations, maintenance, and evaluation of ITS.
• Provide all ITS stakeholders with convenient access to costs, benefits and lessons learned knowledge so that they can make informed decisions in their future ITS actions.

The ITS Knowledge resources include the ITS Benefits Database (www.itsbenefits.its.dot.gov), the ITS Costs Database (www.itscosts.its.dot.gov), and the ITS Lessons Learned Database (www.itslessons.its.dot.gov). The U.S. DOT’s ITS Professional Capacity Building (PCB) Program is sponsoring a T3 (Talking Technology and Transportation) webinar to show ITS professionals how to use these databases to help stakeholders make better informed decisions.

This webinar will show participants how to use the databases and knowledge resources available through a “live” demonstration that features the websites. Following the demonstration of each of the ITS Benefits, Costs and Lessons Learned databases, participants will engage in interactive exercises where participants will use the knowledge resources to solve test case problems and respond to polling questions.

In addition, presenters will introduce new enhancements to the unit cost database that provide sample project costs. Participants will have an opportunity to provide comments about the new features.

Audience

Anyone involved in planning, implementation, and operation of ITS systems, including Federal, State, and local transportation professionals.

Learning Outcomes

• Ability to use the ITS Knowledge Resources to find information on ITS costs, benefits and lessons learned.
• Understanding how the ITS Knowledge Resources can help stakeholders make informed decisions in planning, deployment, operations, maintenance, and evaluation of ITS.
• Provide comments on the new unit costs enhancements.

Host:

Marcia Pincus, Program Manager, Environment (AERIS) and ITS Evaluation, ITS Joint Program Office

Marcia Pincus is currently the Program Manager, Environment (AERIS) and ITS Evaluation, for the ITS Joint Program Office at USDOT. Marcia joined the ITS JPO six years ago, and has over 15 years experience as an ITS policy analyst and program manager in the public, private, and academic sectors.

Presenters:

Firoz Kabir, Principal, Noblis

Firoz Kabir is a Principal with Noblis in Washington, DC. He has over 24 years of experience in Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) and transportation engineering. He has been a consultant to public- and private-sector organizations for a wide range of projects that have encompassed regional transportation planning, highway design, ITS architecture, transportation knowledge resource development, and advanced technology implementation planning for traffic and transit systems. He has conducted research for U.S. DOT, the New Jersey DOT, and the Florida DOT in the areas of traffic operations and transportation safety. Firoz holds a BS in Civil Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology (Mumbai), an MS in Civil Engineering from the New Jersey Institute of Technology and an MBA from the Johns Hopkins University.

Cheryl Lowrance, Principal Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Engineer, Noblis

Cheryl Lowrance is a Principal Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Engineer with Noblis supporting the Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA), ITS Joint Program Office. She has 25 years of experience in traffic engineering and traffic management including project management, design and implementation of traffic signals, traffic signal systems, and freeway surveillance systems. Cheryl currently provides leadership for the ITS Program Assessment Knowledge Resources, Benefits and Costs databases. Activities include researching and writing content; leading the development of improvements to the websites; making presentations to industry leaders on the resources available for planning, design, and implementation; and responding to quick task assignments from the client pertaining to benefit and cost inquiries. She has a BS in Civil Engineering from Tennessee Technological University.

Contributing Sources: CNN Money; Jalopnik ; LA Times & Autoblog Green)

This post is sponsored by LemonFree.com

Finito!  Finished! Over! Gone! Done! End of the Road! Swan Song!  Whatever the buzz word you would like to use for marking the end of the “successful” Cash for Clunkers Program, please feel free to do so.  Many buyers made it out of the dealers with a sigh of relief while many dealers are still left wringing their hands over the delays in the Government’s administrative machine that processes the vouchers.

Amdist all this madness and hype surrounding the C4C,  for many of us in the transportation business might take a couple of days (or even weeks) to understand the full impact of the program’s final days.  Hopefully it is all good.  In the meanwhile,  TransportGooru went looking for the statistics on how the programs as well as the vehicles tallied up so far and found it for you from the reliable sources in our Automotive web reporting sphere (including Autoblog, Jalopnik, etc).

The ever popular Website, Jalopnik reports that as of Friday morning the number of transactions submitted numbered 489,269 with a dollar value of $2.04 billion. This morning the number reached 635,186 transactions with a dollar value of $2.65 million.  So far (as of 7:47 AM August 24, 2009) the number of vehicles purchased have overwhelmingly been passenger cars (283,104) and category 1 trucks (166,686), with just a few category 2 (31,862) and category 3 (1,300) trucks. On the other end, the majority of vehicles turned in are category 1 trucks (318,249) and category 2 trucks (81,599) with just 78,265 passenger cars. Was there a surge of sales over the weekend? How successful has the program been?  Once the deadline has passed, it’ll be interesting to see where the final MPG improvements and rankings of purchased and clunked cars end up. Shouldn’t have to wait long.

It would be hard to have a popular program without any drama, right?  The New York Times reports that auto dealers swimming in applications for the “Cash for Clunkers” program now have a little extra time to fill out those forms.   The Web site that dealers use to submit rebate applications crashed this afternoon, the Department of Transportation said. As a result, dealers can file for rebates until noon on Tuesday, though the deadline for sales is still 8 p.m. Monday. Car shoppers flooded sales lots this weekend after the announcement Thursday that the program was ending.

The Transportation Department said that despite a large increase in the system’s capacity, the website was down temporarily Monday. By then, dealers had submitted 625,000 applications worth more than $2.5 billion.

The department’s website, which has had problems throughout the program’s short life, was down for at least six hours Monday amid a last-minute rush to submit rebate applications, said Bailey Wood, a spokesman for the National Automobile Dealers Assn.

Glitches aside, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood spent Monday taking a victory lap.   “This program has been a lifeline to dealers,” Mr. LaHood said in Norristown, Pa. “It’s been a lifeline to the scrapyards who are getting these cars and can sell water pumps, and batteries and other parts. It’s also been a lifeline to the credit unions and banks processing all these loans. It’s been a win-win-win all around.”

AutoNation (AN, Fortune 500), the country’s largest dealership chain, stopped doing Cash for Clunker transactions after Friday. AutoNation had completed over 12,000 deals, according to spokesman Mark Cannon.

“It’s been a great run,” Cannon said.

Under Clunkers, which launched July 27, vehicles purchased after July 1 are eligible for refund vouchers worth $3,500 to $4,500 on traded-in cars with a fuel economy rating of 18 miles per gallon or less.

here is an updated list of traded-in and purchased cars  (curtesy of our friends at Jalopnik).

Top 10 New Vehicles Purchased

1. Toyota Corolla
2. Honda Civic
3. Ford Focus FWD
4. Toyota Camry
5. Hyundai Elantra
6. Toyota Prius
7. Nissan Versa
8. Ford Escape FWD
9. Honda Fit
10. Honda CR-V 4WD

Top 10 Trade-In Vehicles
1. Ford Explorer 4WD
2. Ford F150 Pickup 2WD
3. Jeep Grand Cherokee 4WD
4. Jeep Cherokee 4WD
5. Ford Explorer 2WD
6. Dodge Caravan/Grand Caravan 2WD
7. Chevrolet Blazer 4WD
8. Ford F150 Pickup 4WD
9. Chevrolet C1500 Pickup 2WD
10. Ford Windstar FWD Van

This list is subject to change as the final numbers come in.  So stay tuned for further updates.

Advancing Traffic Signal Management Programs through Regional Collaboration

Description

This T3 webinar will explore Regional Traffic Signal Management Programs from an intuitional and organizational perspective. Over the last decade, Regional Traffic Signal Management Programs have developed in many metropolitan areas with the primary objective of improving traffic signal timing. How successful have these programs been at achieving and sustaining this objective? What types of organizational structures, funding, and technology facilitate the operation of the system? There are many approaches to starting, organizing, and sustaining regional programs; a cross section of these, will be explored from the perspective of State DOTs, Metropolitan Planning Organizations and Local Agencies. The activities, funding sources and champions that sustain regional programs are as diverse as the regions themselves; exploring and discussing these is an important step in improving and advancing traffic signal operations nationally.

The webinar will include brief presentations describing each regional traffic signal program followed by a Question & Answer discussion of questions submitted by webinar participants.

Audience

Politicians, managers and practitioners interested in improving traffic signal management, operations and maintenance practices to reduce the impacts of traffic signals on climate change, improve the quality of life of customers and advancing a world class transportation system that interoperates across multiple modes and facilities.

Learning Objectives

• Identify approaches to “sell” regional traffic signal programs as a viable strategy to improve traffic signal operations.
• Identify organizational structures and methods of overcoming institutional barriers to the formation of regional traffic signal management programs.
• List activities that promote regional collaboration among traffic signal operators.
• Identify how planning organizations and agencies that manage and operate traffic signals can work collaboratively to improve traffic signal operations.
• List the benefits of regional traffic signal operations.
• Identify emerging strategies for measuring performance and prioritizing regional objectives and projects.

Federal Host:

Eddie Curtis, FHWA Resource Center & Office of Operations

Eddie Curtis is a Traffic Management Specialist with the FHWA Resource Center and Headquarters Office of Operations. He manages the Arterial Management Program responsible for providing research, guidance and outreach to advance arterial operations and traffic signal management. Via the Resource center Mr. Curtis provides training and technical assistance on issues related to traffic signal management, operations and ACS-Lite. He has 14 years of experience in traffic signal operations and has held positions with the City of Los Angeles and PB Farradyne. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from California State University Los Angeles and is a licensed P.E. in the states of California.

Presenters:

State Department of Transportation Perspective on Regional Traffic Signal Management

• North Carolina Department of Transportation

Greg Fuller, North Carolina DOT — ITS & State Signals Engineer

• Metropolitan Planning Organization Perspective

Jim Poston, Regional Transportation Commission (RTC)

Metropolitan Planning Organization Perspective

• Ron Achelpohl — Mid-America Regional Council — Operation Green Light Kansas City

Ronald Achelpohl is the Assistant Director of Transportation for the Mid-America Regional Council (MARC). He is responsible for a variety of initiatives related to the funding, operation and management of transportation systems in the Kansas City area including:

• • Project Manager for Operation Green Light; an initiative to enhance the coordination of traffic signals to improve traffic flow and air quality throughout the region;
  • Program Manager for the regional Congestion Management System to ensure that regional decision-makers have solid information about the impacts of congestion as they make major transportation investment decisions;
  • Oversight of regional transportation safety programs;
  • Oversight of the Regional Intelligent Systems Architecture;
  • Oversight of the regional Transportation Improvement Program;
  • Oversight of the regional RIDESHARE program; and
  • Other initiatives involving Intelligent Transportation Systems, Travel Demand Management, freight transportation, transportation finance and transportation policy.

Ronald has held previous positions in MARC and the Missouri Department of Transportation and has earned a Master of Science, Engineering Management from the University of Kansas and a Bachelor of Science, Civil Engineering from the University of Missouri.

Ronald is a Registered Professional Engineer in Missouri and a member of the American Public Works Association, the Institute of Traffic Engineers, and ITS America, Heartland Chapter.

Professional Organization Perspective

• Institute of Transportation Engineers, Douglas Noble, P.E., PTOE

Douglas Noble is the Senior Director — Management and Operations at the Institute of Transportation Engineers. He is responsible for the integration of transportation management and operations issues into ITE programs and publications. Doug has more than 20 years of experience in project development, financial management and administration in the transportation engineering field with an emphasis in project management, organizational development and change management, traffic engineering, transportation operations, neighborhood traffic management and planned special events.

Doug’s professional background spans both the public and private sectors: He has been the Chief Traffic Engineer for Washington, DC and prior to that a principal transportation engineer for the consulting engineering firm Parsons Transportation Group in its Washington office. He received his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Purdue University, and an M.S.E. in transportation systems from the University of Texas at Austin. In addition to being registered as a Professional Engineer, Doug has received certification as a Professional Traffic Operations Engineer™ and is a Fellow of the Institute.

(Source: TheCityFix.com)

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced a 3 percent decrease in road fatalities between 2009 and 2010, which still adds up to 32,788 deaths. According to LaHood, last year’s traffic fatalities fell to the lowest levels since 1949, despite a 0.7 percent increase in the number of miles Americans drove—about 20.5 billion extra miles—and an 11 percent increase in congestion in the country’s 100 biggest metropolitan areas, making the decrease in traffic fatalities especially noteworthy.

Here is the USDOT’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Press Release:

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood today announced that the number and rate of traffic fatalities in 2010 fell to the lowest levels since 1949, despite a significant increase in the number of miles Americans drove during the year.“Last year’s drop in traffic fatalities is welcome news and it proves that we can make a difference,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. “Still, too many of our friends and neighbors are killed in preventable roadway tragedies every day. We will continue doing everything possible to make cars safer, increase seat belt use, put a stop to drunk driving and distracted driving and encourage drivers to put safety first.”

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) early projections, the number of traffic fatalities fell three percent between 2009 and 2010, from 33,808 to 32,788. Since 2005, fatalities have dropped 25 percent, from a total of 43,510 fatalities in 2005. The same estimates also project that the fatality rate will be the lowest recorded since 1949, with 1.09 fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles traveled, down from the 1.13 fatality rate for 2009. The decrease in fatalities for 2010 occurred despite an estimated increase of nearly 21 billion miles in national vehicle miles traveled.

A regional breakdown showed the greatest drop in fatalities occurred in the Pacific Northwest states of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana and Alaska, where they dropped by 12 percent. Arizona, California and Hawaii had the next steepest decline, nearly 11 percent.

“The decrease in traffic fatalities is a good sign, but we are always working to save lives,” said NHTSA Administrator David Strickland. “NHTSA will continue pressing forward on all of our safety initiatives to make sure our roads are as safe as they can possibly be.”

The Department of Transportation (DOT) has taken a comprehensive approach to reducing roadway fatalities by promoting strong traffic safety laws coupled with high-visibility enforcement and through rigorous vehicle safety programs and public awareness campaigns.

In 2009, Secretary LaHood launched a national anti-distracted driving campaign modeled on other successful NHTSA efforts to reduce fatalities, such as its “Over the Limit. Under Arrest.” and “Click It Or Ticket” campaigns to curb drunk driving and increase seat belt use. The U.S. DOT has launched a dedicated website, Distraction.gov, to provide the public with a comprehensive source of information on distracted driving. DOT has also hosted two national summits devoted to the issue, crafted sample legislation which states can use to adopt distracted driving laws, and initiated pilot law enforcement programs in Hartford, Conn., and Syracuse, N.Y.

NHTSA has also taken action to improve vehicle safety. The agency has urged automakers to swiftly and voluntarily report safety defects to keep the driving public safe. NHTSA has also encouraged the development and use of technologies to prevent crashes, such as electronic stability control, forward collision warning and lane departure warning systems. The agency also unveiled an updated 5-star rating system in 2010, which established more rigorous crash-test standards and began providing consumers with improved information about which cars perform best in collisions.

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has also been encouraging the use of Safety Edge technology — which reduces drivers’ risk of running off the road by shaping pavement edge — on new road and highway projects. FHWA has also promoted the use of rumble strips and cable median barriers to separate opposing directions of traffic to reduce the incidence of crossover head-on collisions.

To view NHTSA’s latest statistical projections of traffic fatalities in 2010, including regional estimates, click here.

(Sources:  White House.gov & Freep.com)

Watching GM turn the corner from a disastrous dud and morph into a Detroit’s Stud and a Wall Street darling, no could’ve been happier than President Obama and his team of economic advisors at the White House, who advised him on the bailout that rescued thousands of jobs and the iconic brand from a collapse.  The stunning turnaround culminated with a successful IPO debuting in the marketplace today. General Motors stock closed at $34.19 today, just above the $33 price of the initial public offering.

An elated President Obama convened a press conference this afternoon and shared his sentiment and belief in GM’s recovery strategy.

Today, one of the toughest tales of the recession took another big step towards becoming a success story.

General Motors relaunched itself as a public company, cutting the government’s stake in the company by nearly half.  What’s more, American taxpayers are now positioned to recover more than my administration invested in GM.

And that’s a very good thing.  Last year, we told GM’s management and workers that if they made the tough decisions necessary to make themselves more competitive in the 21st century — decisions requiring real leadership, fresh thinking and also some shared sacrifice –- then we would stand by them.  And because they did, the American auto industry -– an industry that’s been the proud symbol of America’s manufacturing might for a century; an industry that helped to build our middle class -– is once again on the rise.

Our automakers are in the midst of their strongest period of job growth in more than a decade.  Since GM and Chrysler emerged from bankruptcy, the industry has created more than 75,000 new jobs.  For the first time in six years, Ford, GM and Chrysler are all operating at a profit.  In fact, last week, GM announced its best quarter in over 11 years.  And most importantly, American workers are back at the assembly line manufacturing the high-quality, fuel-efficient, American-made cars of tomorrow, capable of going toe to toe with any other manufacturer in the world. Click here to read the president’s entire speech.

Freep’s awesome cartoonist Mike Thompson charts this wonderful recovery from a dud to a darling with a series of cartoons on his blog.  He also adds the following to go with his nice drawings:

As if this weren’t bad enough for auto bailout critics, the Ann Arbor-based Center for Automotive Research has released a report that validates the logic behind the bailout. As Free Press business writer Greg Gardner reported, “The CAR study says the federal government would have spent $28.6 billion more than it did on unemployment benefits, Medicare, Social Security and other programs had the automakers liquidated. So the entire rescue will pay for itself if the government can generate $38 billion from selling its shares.” But perhaps the most chilling details in the story were the report’s conclusions that liquidation of the two auto companies would have meant the loss of 1.4 million jobs and $121 billion in personal income.

Whew!  This above facts-full paragraph must be making many of the naysayers, like the conservative columnist Mr. George Will feel like throwing up.  A couple of days ago, he wrote an op-ed titled , Toxic Volt, on Washington Post saying a whole lot of negative things about the President’s Bailout for GM.  The President and Steven Rattner, the brains behind the execution of the bailout plan, should be chuckling over the phone talking about how bad they feel for George Will.  Sadly enough, the doubters still continue to find a way to question the legitimacy of success. Fox Business  News in an article on its website says massive dilution from existing shares, warrants and grants, as well as unfunded pension costs. And GM’s cash flow is still heavily reliant on tens of billions of dollars in tax breaks and taxpayer-backed loans from the Dept. of Energy.

Image Courtesy: Freep.com

If this is not victory enough for the President, today GM notched another impressive feat, which is more like a beautiful foil to the wonderful present inside – the IPO. The Detroit Free Press reports that the Chevrolet Volt extended-range electric vehicle has won Green Car of the Year, beating out the pure-electric Nissan Leaf, hours after General Motors returned to the stock market. The award, decided by judges that include environmental enthusiasts and Green Car Journal editors, comes the same week as the Volt won MotorTrend Car of the Year and Automobile Magazine’s Automobile of the Year.  How awesome could that for a man who was chided constantly by his opponents for the decisions he made to save the brand and the thousands of jobs associated with the existence of the brand.

I bet tonight the President of the United States will have a drink to celebrate one of his biggest victories since assuming office.  He will probably sleep a little better tonight with one less thing to worry about.

Related articles

• Obama Praises GM Bailout as Shares Gain 4% in IPO (dailyfinance.com)
• GM’s Chevy Volt wins Green Car of the Year (reuters.com)
• General Motors shares jump on Wall Street return (chron.com)
• GM’s Chevrolet Volt Named 2011 Green Car of the Year (dailyfinance.com)
• GM shares rise on return to Wall Street trading (washingtontimes.com)
• GM shares jump in post-IPO return to market (reuters.com)
• Chevrolet Volt wins Green Car of the Year award (theglobeandmail.com)
• General Motors Opens Up 6% Post-IPO >GM – Wall Street Journal (news.google.com)
• How General motors came back from the brink (independent.co.uk)
• Watch: Obama On GM: ‘The American Auto Industry … Is Once Again On The Rise’ (mediaite.com)
• Obama Hails GM Stock Sale as Policy Success- YOU DECIDE: Would You Buy GM Stock? (foxnews.com)
• President Obama on GM: “One of the Toughest Tales” Becoming a “Success Story” (whitehouse.gov)
• General Motors shares jump on Wall Street return (thenewstribune.com)
• Obama: GM Stock Sale a Success for His Policy (abcnews.go.com)
• GM IPO The Biggest In U.S. History (huffingtonpost.com)
• Obama: GM’s stock sale shows ‘tough decisions’ paid off (cnn.com)
• Obama to hail GM IPO (forexlive.com)
• CORRECTED – WRAPUP 4-GM shares jump in post-IPO return to market (reuters.com)
• RPT-(Nov 17)-UPDATE 12-GM IPO raises $20.1 bln biggest US IPO (reuters.com)
• You: How GM IPO Proves the Tea Party Wrong (newsweek.com)
• Good News on GM and the Auto Bailout, but Will Americans Care? (politicsdaily.com)
• Obama: GM Stock Sale a Success for His Policy (politics.usnews.com)

WHO: Former Congressman Sherwood Boehlert, Janet Kavinoky, Colin Peppard, Rob Puentes, and Kathy Ruffalo

WHAT: National Transportation Policy Project Briefing on practical strategies for beginning a transition to a performance-based national transportation program

WHEN: Wednesday, June 23, 2010 at 3:30PM

WHERE: Room 406, Dirksen Senate Office Building

Congressman Sherwood Boehlert and other leading transportation experts will discuss transitioning to a performance-based system

Washington, D.C. – The Bipartisan Policy Center’s (BPC) National Transportation Policy Project will host a briefing this Wednesday, June 23, 2010, at 3:30PM on transitioning to a performance-based federal surface transportation policy.  The briefing will be held in 406 Dirksen.

Former Congressman Sherwood Boehlert, an NTPP co-chair, will welcome attendees to the event followed by a panel discussion with Janet Kavinoky, Director, Transportation and Infrastructure, U.S. Chamber of Commerce; Colin Peppard, Deputy Director, Federal Transportation Policy, National Resources Defense Council;  Rob Puentes, Senior Fellow, Brookings Institution; and Kathy Ruffalo, President, Ruffalo and Associates.

In conjunction with this briefing, BPC will release its latest report, Transitioning to a Performance-Based Transportation Policy.  The report details the steps necessary for building the foundation and capacity to successfully transition to a performance-based system.  NTPP has been actively researching how to move U.S. transportation policy to a system that establishes a set of national goals and holds federal investments accountable for demonstrating results toward these goals.

NTPP released its blueprint for surface transportation reform, Performance Driven: A New Vision for U.S. Transportation Policy, last June, which called for a program with accountability and incentives for the achievement of clear national goals and interests.  Along with Congressman Boehlert, NTPP is led by its other co-chairs: former Senator Slade Gorton; former Congressman Martin Sabo; and former Mayor of Detroit Dennis Archer, and is composed of a broad, bipartisan coalition of transportation experts and business and civic leaders.

Media interested in the attending the briefing should RSVP to press@bipartisanpolicy.org.

Image courtesy: via McClatchy

Here is a bullet point version of the evolving mess created in the U.S. Senate, courtesy of Kentucky’s nomination for Hall of Political Shame: Sen. Jim Bunning.

Let’s start with a mini profile of the Senator himself:

• A former Major League pitcher – Bunning pitched in the Major Leagues for 17 seasons, most notably with the Detroit Tigers and the Philadelphia Phillies. When he retired, he had the second-highest total of career strikeouts in Major League history;
• In 2004, he barely won election in Kentucky in a campaign highlighted by blunders such as describing opponent Daniel Mongiardo as looking “like one of Saddam Hussein’s sons” and being “limp-wristed.”
• In 2006, TIME called him one of America’s five worst senators, calling out the former MLB pitcher for showing “little interest in policy unless it involves baseball.”

Now a mini profile of the problem, courtesy of The Economist:

• Last July Jim Bunning, realized he was too wildly unpopular in the state of Kentucky to win re-election to the Senate, so he decided to retire.
• On his way out, he figured he’d make sure people had something to remember him by. Last Friday, Mr Bunning extended a one-man procedural gambit that has blocked approval of an emergency extension of unemployment benefits, making it nearly certain that Americans who are out of work will stop receiving their payments on Sunday.
• Mr Bunning insists that funding measures (presumably, given his political leanings, spending cuts) be found to pay for the unemployment benefits. He is not being supported by the Republican leadership.

Now let’s proceed to read what the newspapers around the country have to say about Mr. Bunning’s theatrics and the ripple effects of his actions:

McClatchy:  The Department of Transportation furloughed nearly 2,000 employees without pay Monday as the government began to feel the impact of Republican Sen. Jim Bunning’s one-man blockage of legislation that would keep a host of federal programs operating. Bunning’s “hold” also affects jobless benefits for thousands of unemployed workers, rural television customers, doctors receiving Medicare payments and others. Bunning wants the $10 billion price of extending the programs offset by reductions in spending elsewhere in the budget to not drive up the deficit.

From Washington Post:  “I am keenly disappointed that political games are putting a stop to important construction projects around the country,” Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said in a statement late Sunday night. “This means that construction workers will be sent home from job sites because federal inspectors must be furloughed.”

Another Washington Post article:  He doesn’t seem too happy about the extra attention. When ABC News tried to get him to comment on the block, he ignored them, yelling, “Excuse me! This is a senators-only elevator!” and “I’ve got to go to the floor!” According to the network producer Z. Byron Wolf, before the camera crew started filming Bunning gave them the middle finger.

A NY Times blog says: “As the fight drew to a close, Mr. Bunning complained he had been ambushed by the Democrats and was forced to miss the Kentucky-South Carolina basketball game. He said Democrats caused their own problems by dropping the program extensions from an earlier bipartisan jobs measure.”

British Newspaper The Telegraph Says:  Is this America’s worst politician?….  It takes quite some doing to be rude, angry, non-communicative and elitist all in a mere 26 seconds. But Senator Jim Bunning of Kentucky, who is not seeking re-election and has been all but abandoned by his Republican colleagues, manages it in this vintage clip from ABC News.

The Wall Street Journal Says: Many Republican leaders, cognizant of the political peril surrounding Mr. Bunning’s action, quietly distanced themselves. But others, including Arizona’s Jon Kyl, the Senate’s second-ranking Republican, supported Mr. Bunning’s right to raise the cost issue. “Every time we pass one of these bills, we are adding to the deficit, and we are not creating jobs,” Mr. Kyl said. “And it’s a legitimate point for Republicans to make.”

Click here to read all the related stories about this obscure Senator from Kentucky here.

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• Shutting Down the Government (mydd.com)
• Senate Impasse Puts Federal Employees out of Work (abcnews.go.com)
• 2,000 transportation workers idled over impasse (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
• Transportation May Furlough 2000 Over Bunning’s ‘Hold’ (dailykos.com)
• Kentucky Senator Jim Bunning Reacts Angrily When Asked Why He’s Blocking The Jobs Bill (alan.com)
• Senate impasse puts federal employees out of work (msnbc.msn.com)
• Tick Tock: Medicare Payment Cuts for Docs Due to Start Monday (blogs.wsj.com)
• Senate impasse puts federal employees out of work (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
• Today is ‘Thank Jim Bunning Day’ (washingtonmonthly.com)
• Jim Bunning Impasse Puts Federal Employess Out Of Work (huffingtonpost.com)
• Bunning Has Successfully Blocked Extension of Unemployment Benefits, COBRA Funding, and Highway Money (themoderatevoice.com)
• Bill Scher: Sen. Jim Bunning Literally Gives The Finger To America. Here’s How We Can Fight Back. (huffingtonpost.com)
• Sen. Jim Bunning Offers Middle Finger to Reporter (cbsnews.com)
• House Votes To Extend COBRA Benefits For A Month, Bunning Stalls Senate Action (medicalnewstoday.com)
• Sen. Bunning’s filibuster forces furlough for federal employees working on construction projects (americablog.com)
• Sen. Kyl: Extended unemployment benefits to pass (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
• Sen. Kyl: Extended Unemployment Benefits to Pass (abcnews.go.com)

(Sources contributing to this hybrid report: Green Car Congress; Fast Lane – Sec. LaHood’s Blog; Autoblog; Detroit News; LA Times; Business Week)

Finally, the curtains came down on the Cash For Clunkers program on Monday @8PM.  After much hype and chaos the program closed its doors with a mixed record.  Secretary LaHood calls is a great success while some others say no pointing to the choas around the program’s final days when the computer systems crashed as the dealers tried to submit their transcation data for reimbursements. In anycase, the program has left a wonderful memory in the minds of many economists and possibly underlined the fact that indeed the Government has some clever tricks up the sleeves to stimulate a lagging economy, especially for the automakers whose future looked very gloomy before this program came in to place.

After one month, an extra $2 billion in funding and an absolute mess of paperwork, Cash for Clunkers has finally petered out. The final numbers are in and the program resulted in 700,000 sales totaling $2.877 billion in $3,500 and $4,500 vouchers handed out at dealerships across the nation. An additional $100 million was set aside for administration costs, or about $144 for every claim processed, leaving $23 million in the kitty.

The program offered consumers rebates of $3,500 or $4,500 off the price of a new vehicle in return for trading in their older, less fuel-efficient vehicles to be scrapped. The trade-in vehicles needed to get 18 miles per gallon or less.

Here are some interesting snippets collected from various sources around the web (thank me for making it easy for you).

• The US Cash for Clunkers program (CARS) ended Tuesday night with 690,114 dealer transaction submitted worth $2,877.9 million.
• Eighty-four percent of consumers traded in trucks and 59% purchased passenger cars.
• The average fuel economy of the vehicles traded in was 15.8 mpg and the average fuel economy of vehicles purchased is 24.9 mpg: a 58% improvement.
• Cars purchased under the program are, on average, 19% above the average fuel economy of all new cars currently available.

Image Courtesy: Green Car Congress

Green Car Congress notes that Toyota reaped the largest percentage of sales under the CARS program (19.4%), followed by GM (17.6%) and Ford (14.4%). Honda came in fourth at 13.0%.

The top 10 vehicles purchased under the program were:

1. Toyota Corolla
2. Honda Civic
3. Toyota Camry
4. Ford Focus FWD
5. Hyundai Elantra
6. Nissan Versa
7. Toyota Prius
8. Honda Accord
9. Honda Fit
10. Ford Escape FWD

Top 10 Trade-in Vehicles:

1. Ford Explorer 4WD
2. Ford F150 Pickup 2WD
3. Jeep Grand Cherokee 4WD
4. Ford Explorer 2WD
5. Dodge Caravan/Grand Caravan 2WD
6. Jeep Cherokee 4WD
7. Chevrolet Blazer 4WD
8. Chevrolet C1500 Pickup 2WD
9. Ford F150 Pickup 4WD
10. Ford Windstar FWD Van

David Kiley at Business Week says that the annualized selling rate for the auto industry in August is expected to be about 15.5 million, thanks to C4C, according to Wall Street firm Goldman Sachs. That would be a 16% improvement year over year, and nearly a 40% increase from July.  Goldman fully expects a “pay back effect” in September following the program. The firm also expects the monthly selling rate to remain above 10 million for the rest of the year, with a final sales tally of about 10.5 million, with a tally of 12 million next year. Some other analysts have pegged next year’s selling rate at 12.5 million to 13 million.

David also observed that while the program did its job, its real contribution has been less than the hype. Cash for clunkers did spur sales. It sold 690,000 cars and many were compacts like the Ford Focus and Honda Civic. So it did accomplish the mission of scrapping some old iron and selling some more efficient cars. That said, the boost will amount to less than a 3% increase for the year. That’s hardly the windfall that Germany achieved from a similar program, which pushed sales up an average of 30% a month since March. There may also be a hangover in car sales in the U.S. Edmunds says that purchase intent is now down 11% from June, meaning that fewer people are looking at new cars. So sales could slump in the coming months. In fact, J.D. Power says that more than 70% of sales may have happened later this year even if the government hadn’t spent $3 billion on the clunker program. One other point: Toyota was the biggest beneficiary, getting 19.4% of sales, with General Motors getting 17.6% and Ford getting 14.4% of sales from the program.

David Kiley says that “Clunkers” was good policy for a number of reasons (all of which I agree wholeheartedly):

1. There is no question that the program brought many car buyers off the sidelines, and gave automakers, and dealers, a shot in the arm not only in terms of sales of the vehicles that qualified, but in vehicle sales in general as the program brought lots of new eyeballs to the entire showroom, not just the models that qualified.
2. The $3 billion had direct impact on the economy, keeping people working, increasing production and shift work at auto companies and parts makers. Unlike other pieces of economic stimulus, the money was allocated and went directly into the economy. The money isn’t sitting on a shelf waiting for building permits to make it through local bureaucracies.
3. Clunkers put a spotlight on the whole idea of trading up in fuel economy. Lots of old Explorers got swapped for Ford Focuses and Toyota Corollas. I believe U.S. public policy must move toward engineering a substantial change in transportation. There needs to be more policy that persuades people to choose their vehicles in a smarter way, to leave a smaller carbon imprint. This Clunkers bill was, perhaps, a start of a recurring series of moves that will create a more fertile atmosphere and public discussion about this.
4. Perhaps the undeniable efficiency of Clunkers will influence policy-makers and lawmakers the next time they draft a stimulus package. Economist Martin Feldstein warned us when the stimulus was being debated that it was not targeted nearly enough to consumer spending. His notion, which I agreed with, was that money should have been highly targeted to spending on specific high-impact sectors—cars, major appliances, home improvement.

The USDOT’s press realease observed that according to a preliminary analysis by the White House Council of Economic Advisers, the CARS program will (1) Boost economic growth in the third quarter of 2009 by 0.3-0.4 percentage points at an annual rate thanks to increased auto sales in July and August. (2) Will sustain the increase in GDP in the fourth quarter because of increased auto production to replace depleted inventories. (3) Will create or save 42,000 jobs in the second half of 2009. Those jobs are expected to remain well after the program’s close.

Sec. LaHood says “This is a win for the economy, a win for the environment and a win for American consumers”.  He noted in his blog “CARS’ economic success has been some of the most heartening news. Both Ford and General Motors haveannounced production increases for their third and fourth quarters due to heightened demand for fuel-efficient vehicles. Honda is also increasing production at its U.S. plants in East Liberty and Marysville, Ohio and in Lincoln, Alabama.  The program has been a lifeline to auto manufacturers and dealers to be sure. But it’s also had a visible ripple effect through communities and related industries. Because of CARS, scrapyards are selling clunker waterpumps, batteries and other parts. Credit unions and banks are processing thousands of car loans. Repairmen, mechanics and sales staff are picking up additional work. CARS has truly been a winning deal for everyone. ”   The USDOT’s press release also offered the following statistics:

Vehicles Purchased by Category

• Passenger Cars: 404,046
• Category 1 Truck: 231,651
• Category 2 Truck: 46,836
• Category 3 Truck: 2,408

Vehicle Trade-in by Category

• Passenger Cars: 109,380
• Category 1 Truck: 450,778
• Category 2 Truck: 116,909
• Category 3 Truck: 8,134

84% of trade-ins under the program are trucks, and 59% of new vehicles purchased are cars. The program worked far better than anyone anticipated at moving consumers out of old, dirty trucks and SUVs and into new more fuel-efficient cars.

Average Fuel Economy

• New vehicles Mileage: 24.9 MPG
• Trade-in Mileage: 15.8 MPG
• Overall increase: 9.2 MPG, or a 58% improvement

Cars purchased under the program are, on average, 19% above the average fuel economy of all new cars currently available, and 59% above the average fuel economy of cars that were traded in. This means the program raised the average fuel economy of the fleet, while getting the dirtiest and most polluting vehicles off the road.

Image Courtesy: Green Car Congress

Industry experts are now saying that after the ‘party’ of the Cash for Clunkers scheme, the auto industry will now experience a ‘hangover’, with a large drop in sales due to the lack of incentives. Auto research firm Edmunds.com predicted Wednesday that the industry “is likely to experience a painful hangover” after the monthlong cash-for-clunkers party. “People rushed into purchases that many would otherwise have made later this year. The result will be lower sales in the weeks to come,” said Edmunds Chief Executive Jeremy Anwyl.  The number of people who intend to buy a new car in the next two months was down 50% from the peak of the clunkers program and 11% from the average in June, the firm said.

Figures released Wednesday showed that California auto dealers requested the most in reimbursements, $326.8 million, followed by those in Texas, New York and Illinois.  Timely payment to dealers, some of whom are owed more than $3 million, will be a key measure of the program’s effectiveness, industry spokesman Wood said.  Michigan ended up with $132.4 million in vouchers sought under the cash for clunkers program, the eighth highest among states. California was first at $327 million followed by Texas, New York, Florida Illinois, Pennsylvania and Ohio.

(Source: Fortune)

President Obama may call a nationwide high-speed passenger rail network a priority, but it’s going to take a lot more than $8 billion to make it happen.

Though Thomas the Tank Engine earned a loyal following of American children in the 1980s and 1990s through his popular PBS television show, real trains have long been out of favor with the American public. Even Thomas was a British import.

Indeed, the fact that an early 20th-century steam locomotive — and not a sleek, high-speed model — so captured the modern young American imagination is an apt commentary on the state of train travel in the United States: The country lags years behind some of its peers.

America has 457 miles of high-speed track from Boston to Washington, D.C. In Japan, by comparison, trains netting speeds up to 188 miles-per-hour cross 1,360 miles of track; France features 1,180 miles of rail to support trains that can travel up to 199 miles-per-hour; and, as Bill Powell’s article, “China’s Amazing New Bullet Train,” shows in the latest issue of Fortune, China aspires to dart even farther ahead with its $300 billion high-speed rail project.

But President Barack Obama hopes to bridge this gap, emphasizing the importance of developing a nationwide high-speed rail network in several of his speeches. Just a month into his tenure, the President successfully urged Congress to dedicate $8 billion of February’s stimulus funds towards the system’s development.

“What we need … is a smart transportation system equal to the needs of the 21st century,” Obama said in a speech in April, the same month the Federal Railroad Administration released its prospectus for the high-speed program, “Vision for High-Speed Rail in America.” “[We need] a system that reduces travel times and increases mobility, a system that reduces congestion and boosts productivity, a system that reduces destructive emissions and creates jobs,” Obama continued in phraseology typical of his rhetoric. But it remains to be seen whether the U.S. government can translate “talk” into “walk” when it comes to high-speed rail.

Last month, 40 states — both individually and in groups — submitted 278 pre-applications for various stimulus-funded high-speed passenger rail projects, amounting to $102.5 billion in requests. Final applications are due August 24, and the FRA will begin distributing funds in September.

Click here to read the entire article. (Hat tip: WTSLosangeles@Twitter)