AASHTO Journal, 20 March 2015
A high-profile congressional hearing and a televised public forum kept highway and transit infrastructure issues in front of U.S. policymakers, as advocacy groups press Congress to enact long-term legislation before Highway Trust Fund programs expire May 31.
On March 17, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, which will write the House version of any new highway bill, held a reauthorization hearing that drew state and city officials who testified about their needs for Congress to pass a strong federal program.
Cox at T&I hearing.North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory spoke as a member of the executive committee of the National Governors Association. He assured the panel that among governors there is “strong bipartisan support” for a surface transportation program reauthorization that gives states long-term certainty about funding and more flexibility in how state officials spend their federal shares.
McCrory also said while many states are increasing their own infrastructure investment and governors are emphasizing their transportation needs, “we could greatly augment our effectiveness if we had reliable, long-term funding from the federal government.”
Wyoming Department of Transportation Director John Cox was there representing state DOTs, in his role as this year’s president of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. “Our country needs a federal transportation program providing robust investment levels coupled with long-term funding stability,” Cox said.
Cox and the other witnesses, along with some T&I members, criticized proposals to essentially end the federal program and devolve transportation infrastructure funding and investment decisions back to states. (See related story on devolution in this week’s Journal.)
Cox said the Wyoming DOT depends on federal funds for 68 percent of its spending, and needs the federal partner to help maintain highways heavily used by interstate traffic.
Representing local governments was Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker, who is president of the National League of Cities. He told the committee that “uncertainty at the federal level is causing discord in the intergovernmental partnership, and driving up the risk and costs associated with transportation finance and innovation.”
Like the others, Becker urged Congress to pass a long-term bill and rejected devolution ideas. He also asked lawmakers to shift control of significantly more funds from the highway program to local governments and out of state DOT hands.
Cox, however, said unless Congress were to greatly increase surface transportation spending, any shift of funds away from state DOTs would leave that much less for investment in the federal-aid road and bridge network.
T&I Chairman Bill Shuster, R-Pa., reiterated that he still wants to pass a long-term bill before the May 31 reauthorization deadline.
On March 18, Shuster told reporters time is running short to craft a long-term bill and settle the funding issues that come with it. He said lawmakers would need to decide soon after their Easter recess in April whether to instead produce a short-term extension this spring.
He also repeated his view that Congress will probably fund a long-term bill through some version of a repatriation tax on foreign earnings that U.S. firms bring back home, while he sees no chance Congress will hike motor fuel taxes.
Foxx confers with state DOT officials Feb. 25 at the Washington Briefing, flanked by Wright (left) and Cox.The next day, Shuster joined U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx in a televised National Journal forum. Shuster said he has never before seen the current level of press attention given to transportation infrastructure needs.
Both officials made arguments familiar to transportation advocates, including that the federal government has a constitutional obligation to build and maintain infrastructure and that Congress needs to come together on a long-term bill.
Foxx said he also understood that a gas tax increase is not viable in Congress, and touted the administration’s proposed “Grow America Act” that would fund highway, transit and rail programs for six years through a mandatory tax on foreign earnings.
Shuster said he fears such a mandatory tax would prompt more U.S. companies to relocate abroad, but that some voluntary version of repatriation can work.
Shuster also rejected proposals to remove transit program funding from the Highway Trust Fund, saying “it’s there to stay.”
A panel of industry officials followed in that forum, including AASHTO Executive Director Bud Wright and Pete Ruane, president of the American Road & Transportation Builders Association.
They discussed a number of issues, from the simplicity of covering a long-term bill’s costs through a fuel fee increase to the need to communicate with average voters the value of additional transportation spending.
Wright said advocacy groups need to communicate with the public the “bargain” that would come in transportation improvements, relative to any small average fee increase.
And when asked if emerging smart-car technologies would improve transportation systems in the future, Wright said even vehicles that drive themselves and communicate with each other will need a reliable road system to drive on, or they would face the same congestion and road damage problems drivers now deal with.