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Amtrak: Overview

Description: This report provides an overview of the Amtrak rail service, Topics discussed are funding sources and shortfalls, current and proposed infrastructure, current ridership, on-time arrival improvements needed, service areas, and private passenger rail initiatives in Texas, Florida, and California.
Date: September 28, 2017
Creator: Peterman, David Randall
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Transportation Security: Issues for the 111th Congress

Description: This report discusses how best to construct and finance a system of deterrence, protection, and response that effectively reduces the possibility and consequences of another terrorist attack without unduly interfering with travel, commerce, and civil liberties.
Date: January 28, 2009
Creator: Peterman, David R.; Elias, Bart & Frittelli, John
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Proposals for Funding Mass Transportation

Description: This report provides outlines the key points of basic concepts for funding mass transportation. The author outlines four funding concepts: contract authority, a general transportation trust fund, an urban transportation trust fund, and the optional use of highway trust fund money.
Date: February 28, 1974
Creator: McCardell, Thomas E.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Coast Guard Cutter Procurement: Background and Issues for Congress

Description: This report provides background information and potential oversight issues for Congress on the Coast Guard's programs for procuring 8 National Security Cutters (NSCs), 25 Offshore Patrol Cutters (OPCs), and 58 Fast Response Cutters (FRCs), intended as replacements for 90 aging Coast Guard cutters and patrol craft. The issue for Congress is whether to approve, reject, or modify the Coast Guard's funding requests and acquisition strategies for these programs.
Date: July 28, 2015
Creator: O'Rourke, Ronald
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Alternative Fuels and Advanced Technology Vehicles: Issues in Congress

Description: This issue brief discusses the increasing attention being paid to alternative fuels and advanced technology vehicles, the proponents of which point to their potential to improve urban air quality, decrease dependence on foreign oil, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The brief also discusses the major barriers currently preventing widespread use of such technologies, and discusses these technologies in the particular contexts of the 2005 Gulf Coast hurricanes and the Energy Policy Act of 2005. more
Date: February 28, 2005
Creator: Yacobucci, Brent D.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Emergency Relief for Disaster Damaged Roads and Transit Systems: In Brief

Description: This report describes Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) assistance for the repair and reconstruction of highways and bridges damaged by disasters (such as Hurricane Sandy in 2012) or catastrophic failures (such as the collapse of the Skagit River Bridge in 2013). It begins with a brief discussion of the legislative origins of federal assistance and then addresses eligibility issues and program operation.
Date: January 28, 2014
Creator: Kirk, Robert S.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Advanced Vehicle Technologies: Energy, Environment, and Development Issues

Description: This report discusses three major vehicle technologies — electric vehicles, hybrid electric vehicles, and fuel cell vehicles — as well as advanced component technologies. Each technology is discussed in terms of cost, fueling and maintenance infrastructure, and performance. The report also discusses key legislation in the 108th Congress, as well as federal, state, and local activity relevant to these technologies. This report will be updated as events warrant.
Date: January 28, 2004
Creator: Yacobucci, Brent D.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Federal Public Transportation Program: In Brief

Description: This report provides an introduction to the public transportation program administered by the Department of Transportation's Federal Transit Administration (FTA). This program was authorized in FY2016 through FY2020 by the Fixing America's Surface Transportation (FAST) Act (P.L. 114-94). The focus of the federal program is still on the capital side, but the program has evolved to support operational expenses in some circumstances, as well as safety oversight, planning, and research.
Date: December 28, 2015
Creator: Mallett, William J.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Army's Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle (AMPV): Background and Issues for Congress

Description: This report provides background information on the Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle (AMPV) and it discusses the Army's proposed replacement to the Vietnam-era M-113 personnel carriers, which are still in service in a variety of support capacities in Armored Brigade Combat Teams (ABCTs).
Date: October 28, 2015
Creator: Feickert, Andrew
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Piracy off the Horn of Africa

Description: This report discusses recent (2008-2009) pirate attacks on vessels, including United States vessels, in the waters off the Horn of Africa. The Horn of Africa is sometimes called the Somali Peninsula and includes the nations of Eritrea, Djibouti, Ethiopia, and Somalia. This report explores reasons behind the increased number of pirate attacks in recent years, as well as what efforts are being taken to combat said attacks, including those by the 111th Congress and President Obama and his Administ… more
Date: November 28, 2009
Creator: Ploch, Lauren; Blanchard, Christopher M.; O'Rourke, Ronald; Mason, R. Chuck & King, Rawle O.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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DOD Leases of Foreign-Built Ships: Background for Congress

Description: The Department of Defense (DOD) in recent years has leased some foreign-built cargo ships for total periods, including options and renewals, of almost 10 years -- a length of time that some observers argue effectively circumvents a legal requirement that U.S. military ships be built in U.S. shipyards. These observers, particularly the American Shipbuilding Association (ASA), have proposed reducing the current five-year legal limit on ship leases to two years for foreign-built ships. DOD has opp… more
Date: September 28, 2010
Creator: O'Rourke, Ronald
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Alaska Natural Gas Pipelines: Interaction of the Natural Gas and Steel Markets

Description: In 1976, Congress approved legislation to establish the regulatory framework for building a pipeline to bring natural gas from the Alaska North Slope to the lower 48 states. This report focuses on two major issues or uncertainties that may serve as economic constraints on a capital investment undertaking of this major scale.
Date: March 28, 2007
Creator: Cooney, Stephen & Pirog, Robert L.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Navy Force Structure and Shipbuilding Plans: Background and Issues for Congress

Description: The planned size of the Navy, the rate of Navy ship procurement, and the prospective affordability of the Navy's shipbuilding plans have been matters of concern for the congressional defense committees for the past several years. The issue for Congress that is discussed in this report is how to respond to the Navy's proposed force structure and shipbuilding plans. Decisions that Congress makes on this issue could significantly affect future U.S. military capabilities, Navy funding requirements,… more
Date: September 28, 2010
Creator: O'Rourke, Ronald
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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