The Hidden Health Costs of Transportation

The American Public Health Association (APHA) recently released “The Hidden Health Costs of Transportation,” a report that addresses how our nation’s current transportation system contributes to today’s soaring health costs and impedes progress toward improving public health. The APHA also released a longer background document for more detail on the research.

According to the report, “Our dependence on automobiles and roadways has profound negative impacts on human health: decreased opportunities for physical activity, and increased exposure to air pollution, and the number of traffic crashes. The health costs associated with these impacts, including costs associated with loss of work days and wages, pain and suffering, and premature death, may be as high as several hundred billion dollars.”

Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Briefing on Capitol Hill with Congressman Bobby Rush

Wednesday, May 19, 2010
10:00-11:30am
2322 Rayburn House Office Building

Sponsors: NAACP, BlueGreen Alliance and Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families

The NAACP, BlueGreen Alliance and the Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families Campaign are pleased to invite you to a briefing with leaders from the civil rights, religious and environmental communities about new legislation to reform the broken and outdated Toxics Substances Control Act (TSCA) of 1976, our country’s primary law to manage dangerous chemicals. Congressman Bobby Rush (D-1st IL) and Congressman Henry Waxman (D-30th CA) recently introduced a discussion draft in the U.S. House of Representatives reforming this statute. We are honored to have Congressman Rush scheduled to kick off the briefing on Wednesday at 10am.

The briefing will include a short tutorial on TSCA, an overview of the bills now moving through Congress to update TSCA and a presentation on the positive impact TSCA reform could have on the health and living conditions of people of color and low income communities across the United States.

If you have questions, please email Emily Enderle at Earthjustice: eenderle@earthjustice.org

Innovations in Sustainability: High Speed Rail in the U.S.

The Obama Administration has demonstrated its willingness to invest in clean technology through the High Speed Intercity Rail Program, which was launched nearly a year ago and aims to connect major cities through targeted investments in the existing railroad infrastructure. The initial phase of the project is currently underway in several locations, and the Federal Rail Administration (FRA) anticipates issuing a national rail plan by fall of this year.

The Environmental and Energy Study Institute and the American Public Transportation Association co-hosted a briefing last week on the “Benefits, Costs, and Challenges” of high speed rail development, at which participants discussed the topic in the context of growing domestic tourism, the threat of increasing oil prices, deregulation of the airline industry, and a crumbling, congested interstate system – and whether America’s so-called “love affair with the automobile” will continue to stand in the way of new approaches to investing in public transportation.

Map showing US high speed rail corridors as of July 9th, 2009.