Power Breakfast: DOT finance mess, Pepsi, bankruptcy, solar

Business leaders often rank transportation as the most important issue facing metro Atlanta. Well, here our two disconcerting news stories on the topic today.

A federal report has concluded that the Georgia Department of Transportation’s transit program is riddled with financial management problems, writes AJC reporter Ariel Hart.

The problems were so severe that the federal government has frozen DOT’s transit grants, which average about $28 million a year.

Mass transit, of course, is one of the ways out of the congestion mess we’re in.

On the airline front, Hartsfield-Jackson ranked 17th in the nation for on-time arrival performance in June. That’s down from the No. 4 spot a year ago, writes AJC reporter Kelly Yamanouchi.

Meanwhile, Delta had the highest rate of consumer complaints reported to the federal government in June among airlines ranked, with 1.61 complaints per 100,000 passengers boarding planes.

The airport and Delta have been key selling points for the region over the years. And one month’s numbers are not a trend.

But it would be nice to get some good transportation news for a change. That’s been hard to come by lately.

Also in the AJC:

• Pepsi to buy two largest bottlers for $7.8 billion
  
• Bankruptcy filers seek to hold on to homes
  
• Georgia Power may buy more solar energy
• Post Properties loses $50.7 million in quarter
• Atlanta Dream owner seeks to sell majority stake in franchise
  
• Neighbors don’t want new nightclub in Midtown

In other media:

• More funding for ‘cash for clunkers’ looks likely
• Health lobbying heats up as Congress goes on break
• Banks’ performance shifts with accounting rule changes
• For health insurers’ lobbyist, good will is tested