The TranspoBlog

Unveiling the Center’s New Investigation into the Transportation Lobby

By The Center for Public Integrity | September 15, 2009, 11:02 pm | | Print This

Welcome to the Center for Public Integrity’s new investigation into the nearly 1,800 special interests vying to influence Congress on a new transportation bill. In the coming weeks, we’ll use this website to chronicle the future of America’s transportation policy, by analyzing the various players that are trying to affect its outcome.

Today, we launch our ongoing project with an introduction into the current state of America’s dysfunctional, nearly bankrupt transportation policy, providing background for the rising debate as Congress looks at a $500 billion transportation bill. Tomorrow, we’ll feature a full-length story on the swarm of well-connected lobbyists that are battling on behalf of hundreds of special interests around the country.

We’ll also launch an interactive map tomorrow, tracking exactly who’s hired the lobbyists nationwide — ranging from cities, counties, and planning agencies to universities, real estate firms, and construction companies. We’ve started assembling the roster of projects for which many of these firms are lobbying, but we need your help to fill out the rest. Take a look at the map page tomorrow for a full guide on how you can help the Center complete our data by finding out what projects are being lobbied for in your area.

Look for even more stories on Congress and the transportation lobby to be added soon. In the meantime, you can always stay on top of updates here on the TranspoBlog, or by following reporter Matthew Lewis (@lewiscpi) on Twitter. Thanks for reading.