Far West

Moody's Investors Service has rated Oregon's upcoming issue of $412 million of lottery revenue bonds Aa2. The bonds for capital projects around the state are expected to price Jan. 8.

State and local governments are the underdogs in influence peddling in Congress mostly because they spend little to nothing on lobbyists, in contrast to the millions of dollars spent by the big securities, banking and investment groups.

Hawaii's next finance director, Wesley Machida, says his appointment is a sign that the new governor is serious about lowering the state's unfunded pension liabilities.

Fairfax and Loudoun counties in Virginia formally closed on $600 million of federal loans for Silver Line rail project to Dulles Airport.

Citing a recent debt restructuring, Moody's Investors Service upgraded the San Joaquin Hills Transportation Corridor Agency two notches to Ba2.

Standard & Poor's removed California's Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board, operator of Caltrain service between San Jose and San Francisco, from credit watch on Monday citing improved budget operations.

Costs for Oahu's $5.26 billion rail project are on pace to exceed the budget by at least $500 million, according to the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation.

The U.S. Department of Interior disbursed $13.4 billion generated by energy production on federal land to states and tribes in fiscal year 2014, a 5.6% decrease from the previous year, officials said.

Muni bond issuers in Texas posted updated disclosures to correct previous omissions under the Securities and Exchange Commission's MCDC initiative.

Increasing interest in public-private transportation partnerships due to constraints from $3.6 trillion of state and local outstanding debt, Brookings Institution said.