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April 15th, 2009

America in Gridlock: [VIDEO] Clean Coal?
With carbon emissions caps on the Obama Administration's agenda, coal is at the center of the energy debate. NOW's Senior Correspondent Maria Hinojosa goes to Wyoming to report on the state's coal industry, and its assertion that it can produce "clean coal" -- coal that can be burned without releasing carbon into the atmosphere.

March 11th, 2009

America in Gridlock: [VIDEO] Transit in Trouble (1 of 2)
As the economy slumps, Americans have increasingly turned to mass transit, putting new pressure on the agencies that run our buses, trains and subways. In the first segment of a two part report for Blueprint America, correspondent Rick Karr looks at how to operate a transit system with no money. Already, 60 transit agencies nationwide have proposed fare increases, service cuts, or both.

March 11th, 2009

America in Gridlock: [VIDEO] Transit in Trouble (2 of 2)
With transit agencies running in the red, some have found themselves linked to complex financial deals -- in the hopes of creating new revenue sources -- that have since soured as a result of the Recession, potentially leaving cash strapped systems owing millions more in debt. In the final segment of a two part report for Blueprint America, correspondent Rick Karr looks at the fallout of these arrangements as, in many cases, it's not just money but the safety of riders at risk. (Part 2 of 2)

February 13th, 2009

America in Gridlock: [VIDEO] Stimulus Roadblock?
President Barack Obama's stimulus money is about to be distributed, but will it be spent in the way it is intended? One alarming example: Mass transit. Cities and states, strapped for money, are cutting back on mass transit even as it becomes more popular with Americans. At the same time, President Obama is calling for increased mass transit as a necessary step toward energy independence. Blueprint America -- with NOW on PBS -- reports from North Carolina to see what the future holds for the country's mass transit systems in these financial times.

January 15th, 2009

America in Gridlock: [VIDEO] Power Struggle
Will green energy happen? Blueprint America -- with NOW on PBS -- looks at the reality of renewables -- energy generated from natural resources such as sunlight, wind, and rain.

December 31st, 2008

Profiles from the Recession: [VIDEO] The Big Fix
In a Blueprint America special, David Brancaccio (NOW on PBS) interviews Nobel Laureate and The New York Times columnist Paul Krugman about President-elect Barack Obama's proposed stimulus package - how government spending on infrastructure projects will impact America's economy in these hard times.

December 16th, 2008

America in Gridlock: [VIDEO] The Wrong Track
About one in every three users of mass transit in the United States and two-thirds of the nation's rail riders live in New York City and its suburbs. And the cost to maintain one of the world’s most extensive mass transit systems is expensive. Each new subway car, for example, costs $1.4 million. Replacing and maintaining tracks runs the state's Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) about $303 million a year. In order to pay for subway maintenance and projects over the years, the MTA has had to borrow a lot of money for funding. So much so that the MTA is now the fifth biggest debtor in the United States – after the state of California, the state of Massachusetts, New York State, and New York City. Blueprint America looks at the costs of maintaining New York City's transportation system and the difficulties involved when making improvements.

November 21st, 2008

America in Gridlock: [VIDEO] Beneath the North Texas Dirt
A journalist who uncovered potentially fatal design flaws in the connections between natural gas pipes - and revealed that state regulators, along with local power companies, had known of the flaws for nearly thirty years.

October 26th, 2008

America in Gridlock: [VIDEO] More tolls, but better roads in Brazil
Blueprint America -- with Worldfocus -- travels to Rio De Janeiro to see how the government and private companies are partnering to fix Brazil’s highways. Public-private partnerships are also under consideration in America, where states are looking for ways to fund repairs to their roads.

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