Episode 10

Creating the first modern streetcar network and the storied career of Congressman Earl Blumenauer

Over his five-decade long career in politics Congressman Earl Blumenauer has been a staunch support of transit and livable cities. Paul sat down with Rep. Blumenauer after a chance meeting at the Impact Conference in Phoenix last fall to talk about his life, career, passions, and what's next after he leaves Congress at the end of his term.

In their wide-ranging discussion, Paul and Rep. Blumenauer talk about what got him into politics, and more importantly, his lifelong passion for streetcars, transit, livable communities, and bikes. It's not often you get to hear from someone who has had his hand on the wheel of transit policy for so long. From his early work in Portland to create the first modern streetcar line in the U.S. to his continued passion for livable communities that will keep him busy when he retires from Congress at the end of his term this year, you get a true sense of passion and insight into what really moves people.

As we come into an election year in the U.S. strong advocacy for transit, sustainability, and more livable cities will be more important than ever.

Coming up next week on the show we have Ken Divers and Flora Castillo talking about the SEPTA SCOPE program that's aimed at helping vulnerable populations get the help they need while also making transit safer for everyone.

If you have a question, comment, or want to be a guest on Transit Unplugged, email us at info@transitunplugged.com.

00:00 Introduction and Welcome

01:25 Interview with Congressman Earl Blumenauer

05:47 Discussion on Streetcars and Public Transit

09:52 Congressman's Career and Achievements

24:13 Future Plans and Final Thoughts

26:31 Coming up next week on Transit Unplugged

Transcript
Paul Comfort:

Welcome to Transit Unplugged.

Paul Comfort:

I'm Paul Comfort, host and producer of the show, and welcome to 2024,

Paul Comfort:

a brand new year for our podcast.

Paul Comfort:

We're excited to kick off this year with an interview with a political

Paul Comfort:

leader, which we don't often do, but we do from now and then.

Paul Comfort:

This was a special one.

Paul Comfort:

We recorded it at the Impact Conference in Phoenix, Arizona.

Paul Comfort:

For a congressman from, from Portland, Oregon, and it's

Paul Comfort:

congressman Earl Blumenauer, you've probably heard about him.

Paul Comfort:

He's been famous in the public transit industry because.

Paul Comfort:

Uh, the work he's done, he's had over 50 years working in government, and

Paul Comfort:

uh, he is the founder of the Livable Communities Task Force, the Congressional

Paul Comfort:

Bike Caucus, he's been one of Congress chief spokespeople for Livable

Paul Comfort:

Communities, and he helped lead the in Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act,

Paul Comfort:

which, as you know, has helped pump billions of dollars into public transit.

Paul Comfort:

He recently announced he would not seek re election to Congress in 2024.

Paul Comfort:

And I sat down with him and talked to him heart to heart about, uh,

Paul Comfort:

reflecting on his career in Congress many years, what he's most proud of in

Paul Comfort:

his career, uh, where he thinks we're at right now in the transit industry

Paul Comfort:

and where he thinks we're going.

Paul Comfort:

Uh, great to hear from one of our nation's big political leaders when

Paul Comfort:

it comes to public transportation, Congressman Earl Blumenauer.

Paul Comfort:

Sit back and enjoy our first interview of 2024.

Paul Comfort:

So, Congressman Earl Blumenauer, thank you for, uh, being

Paul Comfort:

with us on Transit Unplugged.

Paul Comfort:

My pleasure.

Paul Comfort:

Yeah, so we're here in Phoenix for a public transit conference

Paul Comfort:

called IMPACT, and what are you talking about while we're here?

Earl Blumenauer:

Well, I'm in a series of panels.

Earl Blumenauer:

We're talking a little bit.

Earl Blumenauer:

We're about to go off to a streetcar summit with systems around the

Earl Blumenauer:

country, including one here in Tempe.

Earl Blumenauer:

I was able to start the first modern streetcar in Portland when I was

Earl Blumenauer:

Commissioner of Public Works, and I've been a fanatic about it ever since.

Earl Blumenauer:

We're excited.

Earl Blumenauer:

Twenty two streetcar systems.

Earl Blumenauer:

around the country, helping revitalize neighborhoods and taking us back to

Earl Blumenauer:

the future with proven technology.

Paul Comfort:

I love it.

Paul Comfort:

Yeah, I love streetcars too.

Paul Comfort:

We're going to go see it while we're here.

Paul Comfort:

And, uh, I think we're going to meet the mayor of Tempe while we're here as well.

Paul Comfort:

He's going to talk about what's going on out there.

Paul Comfort:

So, why don't we, uh, take a step back into your past.

Paul Comfort:

You've been a public servant for many, many decades.

Paul Comfort:

Uh, and, uh, you've just announced that you're retiring from Congress, right?

Paul Comfort:

Right.

Paul Comfort:

Yeah.

Paul Comfort:

So, I guess, first off, let me ask you, before we go back, why are you retiring?

Earl Blumenauer:

Well, it has, it has been 50 years in elective office.

Earl Blumenauer:

Wow.

Earl Blumenauer:

Uh, 54 years in almost nonstop politicking.

Earl Blumenauer:

I started when I was a junior in college.

Earl Blumenauer:

Um, I have no regrets.

Earl Blumenauer:

It's been fun.

Earl Blumenauer:

I'm pleased with things we're able to be a part of.

Earl Blumenauer:

But given the current environment, it's not clear to me, actually it is clear to

Earl Blumenauer:

me, that the best way for me to spend time and energy is not being engaged in, uh,

Earl Blumenauer:

fighting politically for two more years in Congress with the travel, the politics,

Earl Blumenauer:

the fundraising, all that nonsense.

Earl Blumenauer:

Um, and, and frankly, the things that I'm most interested in, uh, it doesn't

Earl Blumenauer:

appear as though they're going to be accomplished best as a member of Congress.

Earl Blumenauer:

Okay.

Earl Blumenauer:

So much of this is, there are people out there that we can work with in terms

Earl Blumenauer:

of transit and housing and development.

Earl Blumenauer:

being able to work with people directly on the bicycle revolution.

Earl Blumenauer:

Yeah, I want to talk about that.

Earl Blumenauer:

is a more direct way of doing it.

Earl Blumenauer:

Rather than being bogged down with politics in a toxic Congress.

Paul Comfort:

Yeah, I understand.

Paul Comfort:

That's a long time to be involved.

Paul Comfort:

Take us back to the beginning and walk us through over a

Paul Comfort:

couple minutes about your career.

Earl Blumenauer:

Well, I mentioned I started when I was in college.

Earl Blumenauer:

I led a campaign in Oregon to lower the voting age and I got involved with

Earl Blumenauer:

the National Constitutional Amendment.

Earl Blumenauer:

And I was hooked.

Earl Blumenauer:

It was something that seemed to make sense to me.

Earl Blumenauer:

I loved engaging people, particularly bringing different

Earl Blumenauer:

people into the political process.

Earl Blumenauer:

That led directly to my being a legislator in 1972 when I was elected,

Earl Blumenauer:

and that was the most consequential period in Oregon's legislative history.

Earl Blumenauer:

We passed our landmark land use, uh, legislation, the first comprehensive

Earl Blumenauer:

statewide legislation for land use.

Earl Blumenauer:

Um, I had legislation that first session, 20 years before ICT that

Earl Blumenauer:

mandated a multimodal comprehensive statewide transportation plan.

Earl Blumenauer:

and I, it was off the races.

Earl Blumenauer:

It was, it was a fabulous opportunity.

Earl Blumenauer:

Oregon had a very approachable, uh, legislative system.

Earl Blumenauer:

There were lots of energetic new people in the process.

Earl Blumenauer:

and it was, uh, it was, it was a great experience.

Earl Blumenauer:

Uh, I subsequently actually decided to be involved full time

Earl Blumenauer:

as a local elected official.

Earl Blumenauer:

And as you know well, I mean, that's where the rubber meets the road.

Earl Blumenauer:

Absolutely, I love local politics, yeah.

Earl Blumenauer:

Ten years as Portland's Commissioner of Public Works.

Earl Blumenauer:

Okay.

Earl Blumenauer:

Which I think is arguably the best local government job in America.

Earl Blumenauer:

I have responsibility for land use, transportation.

Earl Blumenauer:

bikes, environmental services.

Earl Blumenauer:

it's, uh, it was a system that most people would tell you wouldn't work,

Earl Blumenauer:

where elected officials actually had day to day responsibility for administration.

Earl Blumenauer:

But for me, it was a lot of fun, and we got a lot of things done.

Earl Blumenauer:

In particular, we started Portland's, award winning bike program.

Earl Blumenauer:

Started the, uh, the first.

Earl Blumenauer:

urban, modern streetcar, um, it was, it was,

Paul Comfort:

let's talk about that streetcar because that is something that,

Paul Comfort:

uh, people want, that's a part, that's a kind of rail transit that people love,

Paul Comfort:

uh, so tell us about what was going on there and what's happening now when it

Paul Comfort:

comes to streetcars in America, even here, I mean, they've got one here,

Earl Blumenauer:

that's right, well, one of the sad, chapters in the

Earl Blumenauer:

last century of, Transportation in the United States was considered an

Earl Blumenauer:

effort by automotive industry, uh, interest to kill the streetcars.

Earl Blumenauer:

Hmm.

Earl Blumenauer:

Uh, they fought against having, increases in revenue.

Earl Blumenauer:

They bought them up and destroyed them.

Earl Blumenauer:

pictures of burning streetcars.

Earl Blumenauer:

who killed Roger Rabbit?

Earl Blumenauer:

It wasn't just a cartoon.

Earl Blumenauer:

It was a real story about a conspiracy in Southern California

Earl Blumenauer:

to take the red line, uh, amazing.

Earl Blumenauer:

interurban, uh, electric system they had and to kill it, uh, in order to

Earl Blumenauer:

promote automobile transportation.

Earl Blumenauer:

We decided in Portland that we were going to resurrect the streetcar, and

Earl Blumenauer:

we had some fascinating local business people who had the vision and developers.

Earl Blumenauer:

I had support from my fellow elected officials, and we

Earl Blumenauer:

reinstituted, uh, the streetcar.

Earl Blumenauer:

We, we've extended it now, uh, four times.

Earl Blumenauer:

We were able to secure some federal money.

Earl Blumenauer:

Uh, and we have a streetcar network in Portland that is, uh, really ties

Earl Blumenauer:

together, uh, areas of opportunity.

Earl Blumenauer:

People like it.

Earl Blumenauer:

It's low cost.

Earl Blumenauer:

it is proven technology.

Earl Blumenauer:

and it's a, a human scale.

Earl Blumenauer:

Yes.

Earl Blumenauer:

It doesn't, you know, I mean, I am a big proponent of light rail and

Earl Blumenauer:

spend a lot of time on our system.

Earl Blumenauer:

In Portland, but the streetcar fills a niche.

Paul Comfort:

Yeah.

Paul Comfort:

Let's talk about that.

Paul Comfort:

For people who aren't familiar with it, what's the difference between light rail

Paul Comfort:

and streetcar and what is that niche?

Paul Comfort:

How, what is it meant to serve?

Earl Blumenauer:

It's a great and important question

Earl Blumenauer:

that needs more attention.

Earl Blumenauer:

the light rail is designed on, larger cars.

Earl Blumenauer:

more, distant between the stops, and, and more people at the particular element.

Earl Blumenauer:

The light, the streetcar is smaller, it is nimble, it's cheaper,

Earl Blumenauer:

uh, it stops more frequently.

Earl Blumenauer:

You can outrun a streetcar, but in a place like Portland where it rains

Earl Blumenauer:

all the time, yeah, people can jump on and jump off, jump on and jump off,

Earl Blumenauer:

and it's, it's a different perspective that makes people comfortable.

Earl Blumenauer:

you're, you know, you're in a foreign country and you're at a bus station.

Earl Blumenauer:

Yes.

Earl Blumenauer:

And you know, you try and make sense out of those maps and right.

Earl Blumenauer:

Uh, you don't quite know if you're on the right one.

Earl Blumenauer:

in Istanbul, there's no question.

Earl Blumenauer:

Your streetcar is going this way or that way.

Earl Blumenauer:

Right.

Earl Blumenauer:

And if you get on the wrong direction, you hop off and go the other way.

Earl Blumenauer:

It's something that people are comfortable with.

Paul Comfort:

Yes.

Paul Comfort:

I was thinking of Yara Trams in Melbourne, which I've been on.

Paul Comfort:

Same kind of thing.

Paul Comfort:

It's free in the main part of town.

Paul Comfort:

You just jump on.

Paul Comfort:

You can see where it's going.

Paul Comfort:

Yeah.

Paul Comfort:

And it's packed with people.

Paul Comfort:

They love it.

Earl Blumenauer:

And it is relatively inexpensive.

Earl Blumenauer:

And the streetcar, as I say, is packed.

Earl Blumenauer:

Proven technology.

Earl Blumenauer:

Yeah, and you started the first one in America.

Earl Blumenauer:

No, we, we started the first modern.

Earl Blumenauer:

Yeah, modern

Paul Comfort:

one.

Paul Comfort:

Right.

Paul Comfort:

Yeah, because I know they go way back to, yeah, San

Earl Blumenauer:

Francisco, Charles street line, uh, in, uh, New Orleans.

Earl Blumenauer:

Right.

Earl Blumenauer:

It was still functioning.

Earl Blumenauer:

Yes.

Earl Blumenauer:

Um, but, uh, we had the first modern street car.

Earl Blumenauer:

That's amazing.

Earl Blumenauer:

Now there's 22.

Earl Blumenauer:

22.

Paul Comfort:

That's, that's great, man.

Earl Blumenauer:

Thank you for that.

Earl Blumenauer:

That's wonderful.

Earl Blumenauer:

It's exciting to watch.

Earl Blumenauer:

Uh, because this is, this is something, another difference here, as opposed

Earl Blumenauer:

to heavy rail or even light rail.

Earl Blumenauer:

The streetcar system is something that you can build relatively quickly.

Earl Blumenauer:

At one point in downtown Portland, we were building streetcar,

Earl Blumenauer:

a block every three weeks.

Earl Blumenauer:

Wow!

Earl Blumenauer:

And, and people can see this.

Earl Blumenauer:

Yeah.

Earl Blumenauer:

It doesn't take decades.

Earl Blumenauer:

Uh, it takes a couple of years and you can see the handiwork.

Paul Comfort:

That's something.

Paul Comfort:

So you did that for 10 years, then you went into the, what happened

Paul Comfort:

then after you were in the city?

Earl Blumenauer:

Uh, well I, I ran for Congress.

Earl Blumenauer:

Okay.

Earl Blumenauer:

Uh.

Earl Blumenauer:

And what year was that?

Earl Blumenauer:

This was in a special election in 1996.

Earl Blumenauer:

Alright.

Earl Blumenauer:

it was a time of a little turmoil, not unlike We have now, it was, uh, but it was

Earl Blumenauer:

an opportunity, to be able to re engage.

Earl Blumenauer:

I felt and continue to feel passionately that the federal government needs

Earl Blumenauer:

to be a better partner in promoting the livability of our community.

Earl Blumenauer:

We actually had a movement we called the Livable Communities.

Earl Blumenauer:

We had a caucus in Congress.

Earl Blumenauer:

We worked with, uh, administration, A livable community is one where people are

Earl Blumenauer:

safe, healthy, and economically secure.

Earl Blumenauer:

And that's something the federal government can have a profound

Earl Blumenauer:

impact on in so many different ways.

Earl Blumenauer:

And it's been, uh, it's been a very rewarding part of my career,

Earl Blumenauer:

uh, watching this take place.

Earl Blumenauer:

Not just in terms of streetcar, but what we do with transit, our efforts in terms

Earl Blumenauer:

of water, in, uh, dealing with disaster.

Earl Blumenauer:

I mean, these are a series of things.

Earl Blumenauer:

That the federal government has profound impact.

Earl Blumenauer:

People at some point say, well, you know, this really isn't your space.

Earl Blumenauer:

The federal government shouldn't be involved with the

Earl Blumenauer:

decisions of a city council.

Earl Blumenauer:

They don't really impact day to day activities in land use and zoning.

Earl Blumenauer:

To which my answer is, you know, the federal government has been involved

Earl Blumenauer:

with land use since we started taking land away from Native Americans

Earl Blumenauer:

and giving it to white settlers.

Earl Blumenauer:

what we did in terms of the railroads, these had profound effects on the

Earl Blumenauer:

shape and nature of our communities.

Earl Blumenauer:

And we need to be more intentional about that.

Earl Blumenauer:

And we are, I think, making some progress, but we've got a long way to go.

Paul Comfort:

That's something.

Paul Comfort:

So then let's continue the story.

Paul Comfort:

You joined Congress, you were in this group, Livable Communities.

Earl Blumenauer:

What we tried to do is have people focus on these opportunities.

Earl Blumenauer:

The federal government is the largest landlord.

Earl Blumenauer:

landowner, and employer in the United States.

Earl Blumenauer:

And many of our problems would be, if not solved completely, would be

Earl Blumenauer:

dramatically improved if the federal government played that role right.

Earl Blumenauer:

So we have been working using federal agencies.

Earl Blumenauer:

The Department of Defense.

Earl Blumenauer:

largest consumer of energy in the world, and there's an opportunity,

Earl Blumenauer:

uh, in terms of its facilities around the country to be a better partner.

Earl Blumenauer:

I served for 10 years on the Transportation and Infrastructure

Earl Blumenauer:

Committee, which was, uh, delightful.

Earl Blumenauer:

I really loved that assignment.

Earl Blumenauer:

I was, uh, persuaded in part by my friends Jim Obestar and Peter DeFazio

Earl Blumenauer:

that maybe I could leave the committee.

Earl Blumenauer:

They'd let me come back if I wanted, but in the meantime, maybe I could go to the

Earl Blumenauer:

Ways and Means Committee and raise some money for them to spend on these projects.

Earl Blumenauer:

And that has been a major focus of my work in Congress since

Earl Blumenauer:

then, is to deal with resources.

Earl Blumenauer:

for transportation and infrastructure.

Paul Comfort:

That's good.

Paul Comfort:

And so you were a big player in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act, right?

Paul Comfort:

Tell us about that.

Paul Comfort:

Yeah.

Paul Comfort:

I mean, we're still living off that money.

Earl Blumenauer:

Well, we will for some time.

Earl Blumenauer:

Yeah.

Earl Blumenauer:

Well, both the IRA, the Inflation Reduction Act, and the subsequent

Earl Blumenauer:

infrastructure bill we had is putting tens of billions of

Earl Blumenauer:

dollars Where it's needed most.

Earl Blumenauer:

We're talking an infusion of funds unparalleled in our history.

Earl Blumenauer:

That's right.

Earl Blumenauer:

Yeah, and it's the largest Program For Renewable And energy and

Earl Blumenauer:

climate reduction not just in our history but anywhere in the world.

Earl Blumenauer:

That's amazing.

Earl Blumenauer:

So we've got these, these pieces here, and for the first time in

Earl Blumenauer:

my career, I've worked with five presidents, varying degrees of

Earl Blumenauer:

enthusiasm for the built environment.

Earl Blumenauer:

But Joe Biden, uh, is the first one who is totally committed to rebuilding

Earl Blumenauer:

and renewing America and spending the money necessary to do that.

Earl Blumenauer:

and it's, it's been transformational.

Earl Blumenauer:

Secretary Buttigieg, is a gifted communicator, um, the Deputy

Earl Blumenauer:

Secretary Pauly Trottenberg.

Earl Blumenauer:

Yeah.

Earl Blumenauer:

Uh, from, New York.

Earl Blumenauer:

Well, and back to, uh, Congress, right.

Earl Blumenauer:

Is uh, is a, is gifted in her own right.

Earl Blumenauer:

and we're hard at work to be able to realize the promise of all

Earl Blumenauer:

these legislative initiatives, focusing on things that are.

Earl Blumenauer:

Low carbon and equitable, is truly transformational.

Earl Blumenauer:

As you know, because you've traveled the country, you've dealt with the

Earl Blumenauer:

consequences, so much of what the United States has done over the

Earl Blumenauer:

decades with federal infrastructure policy was actually destructive.

Earl Blumenauer:

Dropping interstate freeway segments in established neighborhoods without

Earl Blumenauer:

regard to the context, is bordering on criminal and we're seeing the

Earl Blumenauer:

consequences of that across the country and we're watching in this

Earl Blumenauer:

administration using these unprecedented resources as a way to try and heal

Earl Blumenauer:

and put communities back together.

Paul Comfort:

So, um, let's talk about the tax credit that you were able to

Paul Comfort:

get into the Inflation Reduction Act for the electric vehicle charging

Paul Comfort:

station credit for two and three wheeled electric vehicles, scooters, bikes, all.

Paul Comfort:

Tell us about that.

Paul Comfort:

That's pretty exciting.

Earl Blumenauer:

Well, it's, it is an opportunity for us

Earl Blumenauer:

to try and promote, e bikes.

Earl Blumenauer:

You know, the, I love e bikes, man.

Earl Blumenauer:

Oh, yeah.

Earl Blumenauer:

The e bike, as you know, makes any cyclist Into a bike commuter, right.

Earl Blumenauer:

I mean it is the difference between night and day.

Earl Blumenauer:

Yeah.

Earl Blumenauer:

It is, uh, something that people can choose to the degree of assist

Earl Blumenauer:

they get, but they're able to be able to really extend their reach.

Earl Blumenauer:

Makes a big difference in terms of weather and.

Earl Blumenauer:

Broaden the range of people who participate.

Earl Blumenauer:

This is something that I have been obsessed with because the cycling should

Earl Blumenauer:

not be the province of Hard bodied.

Earl Blumenauer:

Yeah,

Paul Comfort:

young guys, right?

Paul Comfort:

Yeah, what do they call those triathletes?

Earl Blumenauer:

Cut us some slack being able to use The most efficient form

Earl Blumenauer:

of urban transportation ever designed.

Earl Blumenauer:

Yeah.

Earl Blumenauer:

Ever designed.

Earl Blumenauer:

And the e bike does that, dramatically.

Earl Blumenauer:

Yeah.

Earl Blumenauer:

I like the scooters, too, to be honest with you.

Earl Blumenauer:

I love the scooters.

Earl Blumenauer:

They all have a role to play, although I will say that They

Earl Blumenauer:

gotta be managed, though.

Earl Blumenauer:

I am That is very important.

Earl Blumenauer:

Uh, and, and frankly, some of, uh, the stewards Uh, fall down

Earl Blumenauer:

in their responsibility, leaving scooters all over the place.

Paul Comfort:

I remember seeing one up in a tree.

Paul Comfort:

I won't say which city it was, but my buddy Gary is CEO

Paul Comfort:

of the transit system there.

Paul Comfort:

And uh, when I first went there, I was like, oh man.

Paul Comfort:

So, but a lot of cities have gotten a handle on it now.

Paul Comfort:

And the technology, where they bring them back at night.

Earl Blumenauer:

of safety.

Earl Blumenauer:

Yeah.

Earl Blumenauer:

Um, because there are some folks, and this is a broader concern I think we have

Earl Blumenauer:

these days in terms of having the behavior of the motorists or the people using the

Earl Blumenauer:

technology to be responsible about it.

Earl Blumenauer:

Yes.

Earl Blumenauer:

moving into space that, at speeds that are inappropriate, uh,

Earl Blumenauer:

but we've got a larger concern.

Earl Blumenauer:

Frankly, we're watching a breakdown in terms of behavior

Earl Blumenauer:

of motorists, yeah, civility.

Earl Blumenauer:

Yeah.

Earl Blumenauer:

Well, and it's, it's life and death.

Earl Blumenauer:

Yeah.

Earl Blumenauer:

We have a huge spike in terms of, uh, people being killed

Earl Blumenauer:

and named, on the roadways.

Earl Blumenauer:

but what we did with the e bike and some of this, uh, infrastructure is a

Earl Blumenauer:

part to try and put the pieces in place.

Earl Blumenauer:

That's great.

Earl Blumenauer:

So that there's greater application.

Earl Blumenauer:

we've also in the legislation done a, in terms of the infrastructure

Earl Blumenauer:

for electric vehicles.

Earl Blumenauer:

Yes.

Earl Blumenauer:

you know, it's all a part of.

Earl Blumenauer:

Charging stations, those things, yeah.

Earl Blumenauer:

A transition to electrification of the transportation systems, and

Earl Blumenauer:

it's exciting, uh, electric buses.

Earl Blumenauer:

electric cars, e bikes.

Earl Blumenauer:

It's part of an opportunity for us to save energy and to be able to enhance the

Earl Blumenauer:

technology and extend it to more people.

Paul Comfort:

Yeah.

Paul Comfort:

What do you think of hydrogen powered vehicles?

Earl Blumenauer:

It's part of the future.

Paul Comfort:

Yeah, I think so too.

Paul Comfort:

Yeah.

Paul Comfort:

I, uh, I'm, I'm high on, I'm high on hydrogen.

Paul Comfort:

I think, uh, I think it's an up and coming technology.

Paul Comfort:

It's about 10 years behind battery electric.

Paul Comfort:

But I think we need, uh, all the solutions, especially here in America

Paul Comfort:

where now we're down to 2 12 to 3 working electric bus manufacturers

Paul Comfort:

since one of them was pulled out and, and, uh, the issues with the other one.

Paul Comfort:

And, uh, so, yeah, I think we need to look at all those options.

Paul Comfort:

Let's talk about, the, uh, Safe Streets and Roads for All program.

Earl Blumenauer:

Well, I had the first legislation, the Vision Zero, you

Earl Blumenauer:

know, this notion that we don't have to accept carnage on the roadways.

Earl Blumenauer:

You know, back in the day, as you know, we used to have mixed use, uh, in our

Earl Blumenauer:

roadways, uh, and it naturally, uh, provided a disincentive for speeding.

Earl Blumenauer:

People were accommodating, but, you know, part of what I talked about in terms of

Earl Blumenauer:

the conspiracy that got rid of streetcars.

Earl Blumenauer:

Uh, you know, auto interests.

Earl Blumenauer:

created a new crime, jaywalking.

Earl Blumenauer:

For centuries, people shared the space.

Earl Blumenauer:

Right.

Earl Blumenauer:

And if they were with a chariot or a wagon or a horse, you accommodated that.

Earl Blumenauer:

But the auto interests developed the notion that basically the automobile

Earl Blumenauer:

ought to have right of way and pedestrians were sort of an afterthought.

Earl Blumenauer:

Well, they criminalize natural transportation behavior as

Earl Blumenauer:

pedestrians, and it's not been a smooth ride ever since.

Earl Blumenauer:

We've introduced legislation that says we don't have to accept that.

Earl Blumenauer:

There are things that we can do to literally reduce the carnage, to zero,

Earl Blumenauer:

efforts in terms of road design, uh, in terms of enforcement, engineering,

Earl Blumenauer:

are opportunities for us to make sure that we change that paradigm.

Earl Blumenauer:

And as you know so well, the victims tend to be elderly, poor, right?

Earl Blumenauer:

The young, and that's not fair, no.

Earl Blumenauer:

So, uh, we've had, some, significant success putting together resources to

Earl Blumenauer:

implement, traffic safety, there's an extra billion dollars in there to try and

Earl Blumenauer:

move it forward, but we're also moving in terms of other efforts with resources that

Earl Blumenauer:

are being allocated under these programs.

Earl Blumenauer:

To be able to extend the opportunities to make them safer, the notions in this to

Earl Blumenauer:

have road and transportation investments to actually heal communities, provide

Earl Blumenauer:

resources to put them back together.

Earl Blumenauer:

Whether they were, when they were divided, using these unprecedented

Earl Blumenauer:

resources, uh, to connect them, you know, part of the problem that we've

Earl Blumenauer:

got, some of our pedestrian and, uh, cycle infrastructure, that we've got a

Earl Blumenauer:

pathway here that, a segment in there, they don't fit together neatly, and

Earl Blumenauer:

so part of what we want to do is to make this seamless to promote safety,

Paul Comfort:

That's great.

Paul Comfort:

So I want to move into, in our last few minutes, some fun questions.

Paul Comfort:

But first I wanted to say thank you for all you've done for this industry,

Paul Comfort:

and for the people of this country in helping us improve public transit.

Paul Comfort:

I mean it.

Paul Comfort:

Thank you so much for the work you've done.

Earl Blumenauer:

Well, nothing has given me greater satisfaction than watching the

Earl Blumenauer:

changes take place, the rebirth of transit systems, alternative transportation,

Earl Blumenauer:

walking, biking, pedestrian.

Earl Blumenauer:

This has been a quiet revolution.

Earl Blumenauer:

That I think is starting to crest.

Paul Comfort:

So, um, now into the fun questions.

Paul Comfort:

So, walking and running, you mentioned.

Paul Comfort:

So, Phil Knight, uh, and Nike, I mean, I read that book, Shoe Dog, uh, which

Paul Comfort:

is a great, uh, business autobiography.

Paul Comfort:

Do you know Phil?

Paul Comfort:

Have you met him and all that?

Paul Comfort:

I'm sure, right?

Paul Comfort:

Yeah.

Paul Comfort:

Yeah, what a great, uh, a great thing for your city to be known for.

Paul Comfort:

Your city itself has, uh, a great reputation for an amazing transit system.

Paul Comfort:

Uh, Sam DeSue, who I mentioned to you earlier before we went on

Paul Comfort:

the air, uh, is the GM CEO there.

Paul Comfort:

And, uh, he and I are old friends from when he was in Kansas City before that.

Paul Comfort:

Um, but he asked me to ask you a couple questions.

Paul Comfort:

So if you don't mind, I'll ask you them.

Paul Comfort:

And the first is, uh, what do you feel like your biggest accomplishment has

Paul Comfort:

been over the last over 25 years in Congress as it relates to transit?

Paul Comfort:

Do you have like one that you're, um, most proud of or that you think

Paul Comfort:

is your biggest accomplishment?

Earl Blumenauer:

No, I am, I'm pleased that we've been able to

Earl Blumenauer:

develop a constituency for transit.

Earl Blumenauer:

This conference that we're having a conversation at is part of the effort

Earl Blumenauer:

to try and broaden the range of people who are involved with transit advocacy.

Earl Blumenauer:

I'm proud of, uh, being sort of the initiator of the

Earl Blumenauer:

modern streetcar movement.

Earl Blumenauer:

Yes.

Earl Blumenauer:

Uh, support for light rail.

Earl Blumenauer:

trying to integrate it into a political mainstream.

Earl Blumenauer:

I'm proud to have played a little role in doing that.

Earl Blumenauer:

It's a lot has happened in the last 27 years and I'd like to

Earl Blumenauer:

think that we hope move that along.

Paul Comfort:

That's great.

Paul Comfort:

And what will you miss most in Congress?

Earl Blumenauer:

Well, people, the many of the people I serve with are

Earl Blumenauer:

really outstanding human beings.

Earl Blumenauer:

There are some that I'm not going to miss and I'm not going to miss the dysfunction.

Earl Blumenauer:

I love what we do working to try and help people with the federal government being a

Earl Blumenauer:

partner, as I mentioned, to make families safe, healthy, and economically secure.

Earl Blumenauer:

Being able to take some of these elements and move them to fruition where we're

Earl Blumenauer:

using those federal opportunities.

Earl Blumenauer:

To make things better, to solve problems rather than create new ones.

Paul Comfort:

That's great.

Paul Comfort:

And last question is, what's next for you on your journey, especially

Paul Comfort:

as it relates to Portland?

Paul Comfort:

That's what Sam wanted me to ask.

Earl Blumenauer:

Well, uh, one of the things that I'm really looking

Earl Blumenauer:

forward to, in 14 months, is not being on a plane for 14 hours every week.

Earl Blumenauer:

And, and You do it every week?

Earl Blumenauer:

I go home every week.

Earl Blumenauer:

Uh, uh, well that's home and that's Yeah.

Earl Blumenauer:

We've got Things to do there.

Earl Blumenauer:

Right.

Earl Blumenauer:

I won't miss the airplanes.

Earl Blumenauer:

I won't miss the contentious way that it is developed, particularly with, this.

Earl Blumenauer:

Republican majority that can't even figure out why they're trying to

Earl Blumenauer:

impeach Joe Biden, uh, the dysfunction.

Paul Comfort:

Politics has gotten very divisive, hasn't it?

Earl Blumenauer:

it is ugly.

Earl Blumenauer:

and, to watch the level of dysfunction and discord.

Earl Blumenauer:

all right.

Paul Comfort:

So what are you going to do though?

Paul Comfort:

Do you have plans?

Paul Comfort:

Do you know what you're going to do?

Paul Comfort:

Can you say, or you don't want to say yet?

Earl Blumenauer:

Well, mostly what I'm interested in doing is continuing

Earl Blumenauer:

the work that I do without being encumbered by day to day politics,

Earl Blumenauer:

without having to run a campaign.

Earl Blumenauer:

I mean, I could run for reelection.

Earl Blumenauer:

I would win, but I'd, I'd burn a lot of time and energy.

Earl Blumenauer:

and then you're caught up in the, uh, Political rituals, right?

Earl Blumenauer:

Yeah.

Earl Blumenauer:

I, I, I've done that for 50 years.

Earl Blumenauer:

I don't need any of those caucus meetings and the Yeah.

Earl Blumenauer:

Fundraising efforts and the pointless, you know, meetings that add no

Earl Blumenauer:

value to my life or anybody else's.

Paul Comfort:

So you're gonna basically just keep the fight going I wanted and

Earl Blumenauer:

not continue the work.

Earl Blumenauer:

Yeah.

Earl Blumenauer:

And not be bogged down.

Earl Blumenauer:

by the politics.

Earl Blumenauer:

Yeah.

Earl Blumenauer:

And I'm quite confident that the things that we've worked on, uh,

Earl Blumenauer:

in infrastructure, uh, one of my crusades is to have the United

Earl Blumenauer:

States stop sponsor, subsidizing a diet that makes Americans sick.

Earl Blumenauer:

Thank you.

Earl Blumenauer:

Reforming agriculture.

Earl Blumenauer:

we've done works in, in terms of, uh, healthcare reform and there are

Earl Blumenauer:

any number of things that they're not really low hanging fruit.

Earl Blumenauer:

It's just a matter of picking it up off the ground.

Earl Blumenauer:

And I'm looking forward to being able to concentrate time and energy

Earl Blumenauer:

on things that interest me, um, and being able to do it more directly.

Paul Comfort:

That's great.

Paul Comfort:

Well, we wish you great success as you do that.

Paul Comfort:

And thank you for your years of service to this country and for what you've meant

Paul Comfort:

to the public transportation industry.

Earl Blumenauer:

Thank you, Paul.

Paul Comfort:

Yeah, absolutely.

Tris Hussey:

Happy New Year.

Tris Hussey:

This is Tris Hussey editor of the Transit Unplugged podcast and thank you for

Tris Hussey:

listening to our first podcast of 2024.

Tris Hussey:

With our special guest Congressman Earl Blumenauer.

Tris Hussey:

Now coming up next week on the show, we have Ken Divers and Flora Castillo

Tris Hussey:

talking about the SEPTA scope program.

Tris Hussey:

Which has helping vulnerable populations get the help they need

Tris Hussey:

and make transit safer for everyone.

Tris Hussey:

Hey.

Tris Hussey:

Did you know, we have a brand new newsletter for Transit Unplugged.

Tris Hussey:

Go to transitunplugged.com to sign up and you'll always know what's going on

Tris Hussey:

with the podcast and the TV show and be able to catch up on past episodes.

Tris Hussey:

If you have a question, comment, or want to be a guest on the show?

Tris Hussey:

You can email us anytime.

Tris Hussey:

At info at transit unplugged.

Tris Hussey:

Dot com.

Tris Hussey:

Transit Unplugged is brought to you by Modaxo.

Tris Hussey:

At Modaxo we're passionate about moving the world's people.

Tris Hussey:

And it Transit Unplugged, we're passionate about telling those stories.

Tris Hussey:

So until next week.

Tris Hussey:

Ride safe and ride happy.

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Transit Unplugged
Leading podcast on public transit hosted by Paul Comfort, SVP Modaxo.

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