America 2050 is pleased to announce that we are participating as a National Co-Host Organization for the 15th Annual Transportation & Infrastructure Summit, August 14-17 in Irving, TX. The Summit is a four day event that last year brought together over 1,100 attendees from 20 states and 11 countries. The Summit follows an exceptional Transportation & Infrastructure Convention that was held March 7-9, 2012 in Washington, D.C.

The purpose of the Summit is to educate policy makers concerning the current transportation issues that are found at both the local and national levels. The Summit is very unique, in that, it brings together the leading transportation and infrastructure officials from the current Administration, Congress, and State legislatures, providing us the opportunity to dialogue personally with those who have a direct influence on future policy decisions of the nation.

As we have seen our nation's economy decline, our transportation system has suffered from a lack of funding to support the maintenance of aging infrastructure, development of new technology, and necessary projects to accommodate growth and increased usage. It is critical that business and government leaders come together to collaborate on how to best move forward in order to provide our nation with state-of-the-art, safe, and reliable transportation modes. This unique collaboration will include leaders from federal, state, and local governments, engineers, business leaders, representative associations and top transportation research institutions. Together, we can begin to come up with the solutions to our transportation challenges.

The Summit has developed the reputation of bringing in some of the most well-known experts in the Transportation and Infrastructure field. The 2011 Summit featured: U.S. Congressman Ralph Hall, Chairman, Science and Technology Committee; U.S. Congressman John Mica, Chairman, Transportation and Infrastructure Committee; Victor Mendez, Administrator, FHWA; David Strickland, Administrator, NHTSA; Mary Peters, Former Secretary, U.S. DOT; Mort Downey, Former Deputy Secretary, U.S. DOT; Terry Johnson, Administrator, St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation; Sean Connaughton, Secretary, VADOT; Jim Simpson, Commissioner, NJDOT; and Rod Diridon, Exec. Director, Mineta Transportation Institute.

Participating as a National Co-Host Organization allows our members to register for the Summit at the discounted government rate! To register please visit the website: www.transportationsummit.com.

We are excited to be a part of this spectacular event and we strongly encourage you to join us in Irving, TX this August. For further information about the Transportation & Infrastructure Summit please contact Karen Brown at 214-750-0123 or kbrown@dean.net, please make sure to say you are with our organization!

The tri-state region is on the cusp of being a national leader on solar energy. New Jersey is second only to California in installed solar capacity, Connecticut has just passed new solar legislation and New York is looking at new solar program options.

At the same time, there are barriers to implementing solar power on a wider scale in the region. Policy makers at the local and state level have yet to reach a consensus over how to finance and manage solar programs. To address these issues, RPA is convening leading solar thinkers on Wednesday, April 11, to discuss the economics behind various solar paths and which solar policies make the most sense for the region.

America 2050 is pleased to participate as a National Co-Host for the 5th Annual Transportation & Infrastructure Convention on March 7-9, 2012 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. Please save the date for this three-day event that has attracted many prestigious registrants and speakers from 25 states, nine countries and over 30 national and international trade associations and interest groups.

The purpose of the Convention is to educate policy makers concerning the current transportation issues at both the local and national levels. The Convention is unique, in that, it brings together the leading transportation and infrastructure officials from the current Administration, Congress, and State legislatures, providing us the opportunity to dialogue personally with those who have a direct influence on future policy decisions of the nation.

Participating as a National Co-Host Organization allows members of America 2050 to register for the Convention at the discounted government rate! Online registration is available now! To register please go to www.transportationsummit.com.

America 2050 is excited to be a part of this event and strongly encourage members of the America 2050 network to attend this event in Washington, DC this March. For further information about the 5th Annual Transportation & Infrastructure Convention, please contact Karen Brown at 214-750-0123 or kbrown@dean.net.

America's transportation system is facing demolition by neglect. Calls to "do more with less" when the nation's infrastructure is crumbling ignore the needs of a system in rapid physical decline. Failure to reform the transportation system risks deepening U.S. dependence on oil and eroding global economic competitiveness. Is there a way to produce a long-term strategy that will simultaneously stabilize gas prices, finance America's transportation infrastructure, and decrease the deficit?

On November 1, Regional Plan Association and the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace will host a breakfast forum at the Harvard Club to present Carnegie's new report, Road to Recovery: Transforming America's Transportation.

A panel including Senator Bill Bradley, NJ DOT Commissioner James Simpson, and former Chairman of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, Anthony Coscia will discuss the recommendations for reforming and funding the federal transportation program in the report. The report's findings will be presented by Shin-pei Tsay, Director, Cities and Transportation Initiative, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

Limited spaces are still available for the event. To register, please email steven@rpa.org or call (212) 253-2727 by Oct 28.

On October 25^th, 2011 America 2050, Regional Plan Association, and the State of Connecticut Department of Transportation are co-sponsoring an event that will explore ways to leverage the recent investments in the New Haven-Hartford-Springfield rail project to spur development, job creation, and economic growth in the Knowledge Corridor region.

Connecticut is moving forward with plans to improve passenger rail service in the New Haven-Hartford-Springfield corridor in Central Connecticut and Western Massachusetts. These rail improvements will allow the frequency of passenger rail service in the corridor to increase to every half hour at peak times. Participants in the event will identify strategies that the region must implement in order to maximize the economic impact of this project.

The American High Speed Rail Alliance will be briefing members of Congress and the public on how jobs can be created through building passenger rail. The event, "Job Creation and U.S. Investment in High Speed & Intercity Passenger Rail," discuss not only construction jobs directly created by rail investment, but also how improved rail transportation can generate economic growth which leads to additional job creation. Planned in conjunction with the US Congressional Bicameral High Speed and Intercity Passenger Rail Caucus, the event will feature an informal lunch and is open to the public.

WHEN: Wednesday, August 3rd, 2011 at 11:30am - 1:00pm
WHERE: Capitol Visitors Center, Meeting Room South

More details are available at americanhsra.org.

Members of Congress will be attending a public briefing called "The Economic and Community Benefits of High-Speed and Intercity Passenger Rail" on Thursday, July 7^th. The briefing, sponsored by Reconnecting America, will feature a panel of experts, including Dan Schned, Associate Planner at America 2050, as well as John Robert Smith, President & CEO of Reconnecting America and Steve Geil, President & CEO of Fresno Economic Development Corporation.

Attendees, including members of the Congressional Bicameral High-Speed Intercity Passenger Rail Caucus, as well as interested members of the public, will hear how investments in passenger rail can spur economic development, revitalize cities, and drive job growth. Panelists will explore how rail projects generate economic benefits by creating jobs directly for the construction and operation of a rail line, and indirectly by stimulating new manufacturing industries, creating larger labor pools, and attracting new development around station areas. The American Public Transportation Association has reported that every $1 billion invested in high-speed and intercity passenger rail creates and supports 24,000 new American jobs (http://bit.ly/kakOdI).

The Congressional Bicameral High-Speed Intercity Passenger Rail Caucus hopes the event will inspire more legislators to join the Caucus, and support job growth and a competitive American economy by committing to a national passenger rail network. If you are in the area, feel free to attend! The briefing is being held in the United States Capitol Visitor Center, meeting room North, at 11:00am.

Visit the Congressional Bicameral High-Speed Intercity Passenger Rail Caucus' Facebook page