Oberstar Says 57% Jump in Highways Spending Needed
Angela Greiling Keane | Bloomberg | June 18, 2009
The U.S. should boost spending on highways and transit by more than half to $450 billion the next six years, the chairman of the House transportation committee said, without saying where the money would come from.
Minnesota Democrat James Oberstar told reporters yesterday he'll propose legislation for the boost, from the current $286.5 billion, to fix roads and ease congestion. Authority to spend from the highway trust fund for transportation maintenance and construction expires Sept. 30. Fuel-saving cars and declines in driving have reduced gasoline-tax revenue for the fund.
Delays ahead: Ambitious plans for American transport run into reality
The Economist | June 18, 2009
The biggest shift in transport policy since the 1950s is due, supposedly, this summer. February’s stimulus package provided about $48 billion for transport, a pittance in comparison. As The Economist went to press on June 18th James Oberstar, the chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, was about to present a blueprint for a new transport bill. The old act expires on September 30th; the new one would span six years and authorise $500 billion in spending. More important, the money would be spent differently. The way Americans move and live might change too.
Panel Weighs $500B Authorization Bill
Darren Goode | Congress Daily | June 18, 2009
House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee leaders in both parties have outlined a blueprint for an ambitious $500 billion, six-year surface transportation reauthorization bill that they want to bring to the House floor before August. An 80-page outline -- expected to be one-tenth of the size of the 800-page bill -- was not available at presstime.
But Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman James Oberstar and Highways and Transit Subcommittee Chairman Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., held a briefing Wednesday on its parameters. It seeks to significantly restructure the Transportation Department and its scores of programs but does not spell out the thorny issue of how to finance a bill roughly two-thirds larger than current law.
Oberstar, Mica plan $500B, 6-year reauthorization
Josh Voorhees | Greenwire | June 18, 2009
The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee wants $500 billion over the next six years for the nation's roads, transit and high-speed rail, according to a blueprint of the bill that committee leadership hopes to pass before the current highway authorization expires at the end of September. Chairman James Oberstar (D-Minn.) was scheduled to outline the proposal this morning at a press conference, but the release was postponed until 2 p.m. today to accommodate a series of House votes.
But a copy of the 17-page proposal shows that Oberstar and ranking member John Mica (R-Fla.) are calling for a $337 billion investment in highway construction, $100 billion for public transit and $50 billion for President Obama's vision of a nationwide high-speed rail system. The remaining $13 billion is for a variety of smaller initiatives.
LaHood offers plan to fund highway programs
The Associated Press | June 17, 2009
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Obama administration on Wednesday offered a temporary finance plan that could put off an overhaul of federal highway programs -- and what is likely to be a politically sensitive vote to raise gas taxes -- until after next year's midterm congressional elections.
The plan, described by Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood in private meetings with lawmakers, undercuts efforts by Rep. James Oberstar, the chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, to get a six-year, $450 billion transportation bill approved this year.
Transportation Chief Wants Delay in Highway Bill
Christopher Conkey | The Wall Street Journal | June 17, 2009
Washington -- Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said Wednesday said he wants Congress to extend the current transportation-funding formulas for an additional 18 months, putting himself at odds with some senior congressional Democrats.
Mr. LaHood's proposal to put off a wholesale overhaul of federal transportation policy until after the 2010 elections is an acknowledgment that the administration is too tied up in legislative battles over health care, energy and financial overhaul to tackle the contentious issue of how to pay for an upgrade of the nation's roads, bridges and other transportation infrastructure.
With Highway Bill on the Distant Horizon, Reformers Eye Climate Measure to Make a Splash
Josh Voorhees | Greenwire | June 11, 2009
Transportation advocates, environmentalists and like-minded lawmakers see the upcoming highway and transit reauthorization bill as a vehicle to deliver Washington's promise to overhaul the nation's transportation system, complete with a focus on curbing greenhouse gas emissions and reducing fuel consumption.
But with little visible progress on that front, they are looking elsewhere -- particularly the House Democrats' energy and climate change bill -- for more immediate victories to set the stage for reform.
Oberstar: Highway Bill to Redesign DOT
R.G. Edmonson | The Journal Of Commerce | June 9, 2009
Future transportation policy will break down the Department of Transportation's "Stonehenge" structure — restructuring a group of monoliths — Rep. James L. Oberstar, D-Minn., said June 8.
Even the real Stonhenge has some monoliths connected by lintels, which is something the modal monoliths don't have at DOT, Oberstar told the Propeller Club of Washington.
New Vision on freight?
Peter Tirschwell | The Journal Of Commerce | June 8, 2009
Given less pressure on capacity and a focus on high-speed rail, goods movement advocates are unlikely to get everything they want out of the upcoming five-year reauthorization of the nation's highway spending plan. But there is something visionary and cheap Congress can do this year to support the movement of goods: Force the Department of Transportation's highway, rail, maritime and aviation agencies to work together to improve freight mobility.
With intermodal dominating freight movement, there are obvious opportunities for modal agencies within the DOT to cooperate. But although intermodal has revolutionized freight transportation over the last three decades, the federal agency responsible for transportation still epitomizes the term stovepipe.
Roads top officials' wish lists
Deb Price | The Detroit News | June 7, 2009
Washington -- Michigan lawmakers are fighting in Congress for a larger share of scarce transportation dollars that they hope will result in better roads, money for the planned Ann Arbor-to-Detroit commuter rail system and a bigger return on gas taxes that are going to other states.
The House Transportation Committee is crafting its multi-year transportation authorization bill that provides a blueprint for how federal transportation dollars will be spent. The final bill, likely covering fiscal years 2010-15, could be marked up by mid-June.
Most of the spending in the bill -- which could total roughly $450 billion -- will be doled out under a formula that is a disadvantage to Michigan. Michigan gets back about 92 cents for every $1 motorists pay in gas taxes to the federal government.