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Randal O'Toole
Senior Fellow
Randal O'Toole is a Cato Institute Senior Fellow working on urban growth, public land, and transportation issues. O'Toole's research on national forest management, culminating in his 1988 book, Reforming the Forest Service, has had a major influence on Forest Service policy and on-the-ground management. His analysis of urban land-use and transportation issues, brought together in his 2001 book, The Vanishing Automobile and Other Urban Myths, has influenced decisions in cities across the country. In his most recent book, The Best-Laid Plans, O'Toole calls for repealing federal, state, and local planning laws and proposes reforms that can help solve social and environmental problems without heavy-handed government regulation. O'Toole is the author of numerous Cato papers. He has also written for Regulation magazine as well as op-eds and articles for numerous other national journals and newspapers. O'Toole travels extensively and has spoken about free-market environmental issues dozens of cities. An Oregon native, O'Toole was educated in forestry at Oregon State University and in economics at the University of Oregon.
Media Contact: 202-789-5200
To Book a Speaking Engagement: 202-789-5226
E-Mail: rotoole@cato.org
Books and Book Chapters
"Housing Policy," Chapter 22 of the Cato Handbook for Policymakers, 7th edition.
"Interior Department and Public Lands," Chapter 23 of the Cato Handbook for Policymakers, 7th edition.
"Surface Transportation Policy," Chapter 24 of the Cato Handbook for Policymakers, 7th edition.
The Vanishing Automobile and Other Urban Myths: How Smart Growth Will Harm American Cities, (2001)
Cato Studies
"A Matter of Trust: Why Congress Should Turn Federal Lands into Fiduciary Trusts," Policy Analysis no. 630, January 15, 2009.
"High-Speed Rail: The Wrong Road for America," Policy Analysis no. 625, October 31, 2008.
"Rails Won't Save America," Briefing Paper no. 107, October 7, 2008.
"Roadmap to Gridlock: The Failure of Long-Range Metropolitan Transportation Planning," Policy Analysis no. 617, May 27, 2008.
"Does Rail Transit Save Energy or Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions?," Policy Analysis no. 615, April 14, 2008.
Articles and Newsletters
"Why Government Planning Always Fails," Cato's Letter, vol. 6, no. 1, Winter 2008.
Opinion and Commentary
"High Speed Spending," Gainesville Sun, June 18, 2009
"A High-Speed Rail Mirage," USA Today, May 20, 2009
"High-Speed Rail Is No Solution," Cleveland Plain Dealer, May 4, 2009
"Trains Are for Tourists," National Public Radio, March 19, 2009
"Save Washington's Metro by Privatizing the System," DC Examiner, February 26, 2009
Cato @ Liberty Blog Posts
"Washington Metro's Problem: Too Much Money," June 24, 2009
"Turning Transportation Funding Upside-Down," June 19, 2009
"Which Is Greener?," June 8, 2009
"Secretary of Behavior Modification," May 28, 2009
"Obama's Fuel-Economy Standards," May 20, 2009
Events
"Cato University," July 26-31, 2009 [Conference]
"Transportation Reauthorization: Looking Beyond the Recession," March 12, 2009 [Capitol Hill Briefing]
"The Housing Crisis: Causes and Cures," May 28, 2008 [Capitol Hill Briefing]
"Relief from Gridlock: Surface Transportation Reauthorization in 2009," May 27, 2008 [Policy Forum]
"The Best-Laid Plans: Congress Should Repeal Planning Requirements in Federal Surface Transportation Law," January 25, 2008 [Capitol Hill Briefing]
Multimedia
Randal O'Toole discusses several issues on Radio America's' The G. Gordon Liddy Show June 24, 2009 [Flash Audio, 04:45]
"Billions for Moderate-Speed Rail" featuring Randal O'Toole, June 19, 2009 [Flash Audio, 06:48]
Randal O'Toole discusses declining urban cities on NPR Affiliate KCRW's To the Point June 12, 2009 [Flash Audio, 12:27]
Randal O'Toole discusses high speed rail on WTIC's Mornings with Ray Dunaway April 23, 2009 [Flash Audio, 06:16]
Randal O'Toole discusses high speed rail on NPR Affiliate WPR April 20, 2009 [Flash Audio, 20:14]