Welcome to The On-Ramp, the newsletter published by Venable's Autonomous and Connected Mobility Team. The On-Ramp explores legal and policy developments in the world of autonomous and connected vehicles, smart infrastructure,...more
In the year since the East Palestine train derailment, rail safety has been a hot button issue in the United States. After the East Palestine derailment dominated news headlines in late February and March of 2023, there...more
Here are curated AG and federal regulatory news stories highlighting key areas in which state and federal regulators’ decisions are having an impact across the US: • 23andme Is Asked to Confirm if Data Security Is Part of...more
A coalition of 13 AGs wrote a comment letter to the U.S. Department of Transportation supporting a proposed rulemaking meant to close the informational gaps between railroads and first responders regarding hazardous material...more
The US Department of Transportation (USDOT) is suspending a rule that allows liquefied natural gas (LNG) to be transported by rail in specialized tank cars, starting 31 October 2023. This final rule overturns a Trump-era rule...more
A coalition of 14 Democratic AGs submitted comments to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) opposing Gas Innovations LNG Refrigerants Inc.’s request for a...more
President Joe Biden issued Executive Order 14036 on Promoting Competition in the American Economy on July 9, 2021. Touting the advantages of an “open and competitive economy,” the executive order highlights how competitive...more
A 25-state coalition of AGs, led by Louisiana AG Jeff Landry, has written a letter to Tristan Brown, Acting Administrator of the U.S. Department of Transportation Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration,...more
The U.S. Department of Transportation's (DOT) Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) issued on June 19, 2020, its Final Rule for publication in the Federal Register. Once the Final Rule takes effect 30...more
The U.S. Department of Transportation's (DOT) Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) published a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) to authorize the transport of liquefied natural gas (LNG) by...more
New regulations took effect last month governing the federal environmental review process for highway, public transit and some railroad projects. This update highlights 10 important changes in the new regulations, as well as...more
The Northern Lights Express intercity rail proposal, connecting Minneapolis and Duluth, Minnesota with a stop in Superior, Wisconsin, advanced forward following a Finding of No Significant Impact (“FONSI”) from the Federal...more
The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) has announced a competitive grant program that includes up to $225 million in funding for freight mobility projects. The Competitive Freight Program is designed to achieve four...more
On February 12, 2018, the White House unveiled its 55-page proposal for infrastructure investment, the Legislative Outline for Rebuilding Infrastructure. The sweeping proposal seeks to inject funding into several key areas...more
A government shut down arises when Congress fails to pass an appropriations act that enables federal agencies to spend. There should be separate appropriations acts for groups of agencies. However, in recent years, Congress...more
Reversing a district court decision that had delayed work on the $2.4 billion Purple Line light rail transit project in Maryland, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit has held that the Federal...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: DOT has withdrawn its rulemaking on safety sensitive positions in highway and rail transportation. This week the U.S. Department of Transportation has withdrawn its March 10, 2016 Advance Notice of...more
Desde la aparición de los primeros sistemas de transporte público, se ha reconocido que los espacios contiguos a las estaciones de trenes son idóneos, especialmente, para urbanizaciones de usos múltiples. La gente está...more
“Summer’s lease hath all too short a date.” Many important environmental and administrative law decisions were reported by the federal and state courts over the past six months. The courts are dealing with very...more
Commonly when we think about state government owned railways, the image of commuter or light rail operations come to mind. But many states own freight railroads as well. In a few instances a state may have started its own...more
The Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act, signed into law by Pres. Barack Obama, authorizes approximately $305 billion in federal highway and transit spending over the next five years for transportation projects. The...more
On February 27, 2015, the Federal Transit Administration ("FTA") published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking ("NPRM") in the Federal Register requesting comment on a proposed rule that the FTA believes would strengthen State...more
Environmental and Policy Focus - Rail case heading to state Supreme Court: Willits News - Jan 27: The Supreme Court of California has accepted review of a lower court decision holding that federal law implemented by...more
A Federal Court has ordered the Department of Transportation (DOT) to respond to a lawsuit filed by three environmental organizations—Earthjustice, Sierra Club and ForestEthics—in which the parties asked the court to order...more
Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx chaired a “virtual” town hall meeting, entitled “Moving from Uncertainty to Long-Term Transportation Investment,” on August 6, 2014. The town hall was open to the general public, as...more