Tell Congress to Go Big on Transportation
November 17th, 2015 | By: America's Infrastructure Report Card
The House and Senate are currently meeting to decide a big question when it comes to the future of the nation’s surface transportation program: Should funding levels be increased in order to improve and modernize the nation’s roads, bridges and transit system, or should funding levels stay flat for the next six years while the conditions of our aging infrastructure only further deteriorate? ASCE’s answer is pretty clear in a letter we sent to Capitol Hill today: Congress has the means and capability to increase funding levels and they should not squander this opportunity.
While we disagree with his hesitancy to hold a vote in the House on increasing the federal motor fuels tax – the correct way to fund the current highway and transit bill – credit goes to House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) for working to include a provision in the House bill that provides an additional $40 billion to the program. ASCE, along with other groups like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, believes that the additional money should go towards crafting a five-year program that includes significant funding increases, rather than a six-year bill that only maintains the status quo.
Status quo funding:
• Is what results in our nation’s roads and transit systems receiving a “D” grade and our bridges receiving a “C+”;
• Costs the average American family $1,060 per year each year until at least 2020 due to inadequate roads, bridges and transit systems; and
• Will cost the American economy more than 876,000 jobs, and suppress the growth of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by $897 billion in 2020.
Funding increases would allow the House and Senate to produce a bill that would:
• Maintain a strong TIFIA program that can help leverage billions of dollars in private sector capital for investment in our nation’s infrastructure;
• Create a dedicated freight program to help ensure federal investments are targeted at improving U.S. economic competitiveness;
• Improve innovation, which is vital to extending the life cycle of infrastructure assets and making our transportation infrastructure more efficient; and
• Deliver some of the major infrastructure projects that have currently been sitting on the sidelines due to a lack of funding.
The time is now to send a message to Congress regarding the need for increased investment. Call your House member and Senators, and use the hashtag #FixTheTrustFund on social media to urge them to increase funding for transportation in the coming days.
Five Year Highway & Transit Bill with Funding Increases Better Option
November 16th, 2015 | By: America's Infrastructure Report Card
Last week, transportation stakeholders sent a letter to the House and Senate surface transportation conference committee in support of a robust five year highway and transit bill that would increase investment levels. The House-passed bill includes a $40 billion offset which could help increase investment levels if the duration of the bill were reduced from six years to five. A budget analysis conducted by the Eno Center for Transportation estimates that if the money is evenly distributed between highway and transit programs, that a five year bill with a seven percent funding increase in fiscal year 2016 and a three percent annual funding increase thereafter would be the result. On Monday, ASCE along with a larger coalition sent a letter to conferees in support of increase funding for the federal TIFIA program. The TIFIA program provides federal credit assistance in the form of direct loans, loan guarantees, and standby lines of credit to finance surface transportation projects of national and regional significance. The Federal Highway Administration’s Office of Innovative Program Delivery notes that for every dollar in federal investment through TIFIA, the program can deliver ten dollars in credit assistance which can be leveraged into thirty dollars in overall transportation infrastructure investment. The House and Senate have named most of their conferees, with the remaining House members likely to be named by the time the first public conference committee meeting takes place this week. Monday, the House unveiled a two week extension of the current law until December 4 to allow the conference committee time to complete their work. Until the conference committee produces a final bill, ASCE remains engaged in a targeted advocacy push to educate member of the committee on ASCE’s key positions. Please continue to check this blog regularly for issue updates over the coming days.House Passes Six-Year Highway & Transit Bill
November 6th, 2015 | By: America's Infrastructure Report Card
Yesterday, newly-minted House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) shepherded through his first piece of major legislation with bipartisan passage of a six-year, $325 billion surface transportation reauthorization bill. The Surface Transportation Reauthorization & Reform (STRR) Act of 2015 cleared the House by a vote of 363-64. A last-minute amendment was added to STRR that secured an additional $40 billion in revenue from an unused Federal Reserve account. This means that while the House bill is now funded for a full six-years, it still does not increase highway and transit funding levels over the current amount.
Following the bill’s passage, ASCE President Mark W. Woodson, P.E., F.ASCE, released a statement saying, “While the House-passed bill provides six years of stability for the nation’s road, bridge, and transit programs, it fails to increase funding to levels that are adequate to properly maintain our infrastructure.” Mark went on to state that, “ASCE is disappointed that House leadership prevented a vote on raising the federal gas tax – a policy solution that would have provided long-term funding and certainty that states desperately need to move forward with their transportation projects.” ASCE endorsed multiple amendments that were offered to raise the gas tax, including one by Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), however none of those amendments were allowed to receive a full vote on the House floor.
An amendment that was defeated, which ASCE weighed-in against, was a sense of Congress resolution introduced by Rep. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) in support of the concept of devolving the federal transportation program to the states.
Some highlights of the House bill include:
• Multi-year program certainty that will help states and localities better plan and deliver projects;
• Accelerated project delivery reforms aimed to improve collaboration between agencies and create deadlines for agency action(s);
• Providing grants to states for continued and expanded pilot testing of future road user fee collection systems;
• A new competitive grant to address bus and bus facility needs;
• Increased focus on funding for roadway safety infrastructure and on the safety needs of rural roads; and
• An option for localities to bundle small projects such as bridges to increase efficiency.
The House vote follows previous Senate action in July on its surface transportation bill, which provided only three years of funding although at much higher levels. Now the House and Senate will work to negotiate a compromise before the looming November 20 deadline. ASCE will be reviewing the House and Senate bills to determine which provisions we favor to be included in any final agreement. On funding, ASCE urges a final bill be multi-year with sizable funding increases for highway and transit programs. Be sure to check this blog regularly in the coming days and weeks to get more updates on how you can help our advocacy effort to #FixTheTrustFund.
House Readies for Action on Surface Transportation Bill
October 29th, 2015 | By: America's Infrastructure Report Card
Yesterday, Congress enacted a short-term extension of current highway and transit program authority before the looming deadline of October 29. The current authorization and solvency of the federal Highway Trust Fund will now expire on November 20, which gives Congress about three more weeks to conclude a few important remaining steps in the process of completing work on a surface transportation bill:
- Next week the House will take-up and likely pass its own six-year transportation bill which provides flat-line funding for the next three years;
- Immediately thereafter, the House and Senate will convene a conference committee and work quickly to produce a compromise bill;
- The House and Senate will then have to pass an identical bill through each chamber before it can be sent to President Obama for his signature, hopefully before the November 20 deadline.
House Unveils Surface Transportation Bill
October 19th, 2015 | By: America's Infrastructure Report Card
On Friday, the U.S. House of Representatives’ Transportation & Infrastructure Committee unveiled a six-year surface transportation reauthorization bill. The bipartisan legislation, titled, the Surface Transportation Re-authorization and Reform Act (STRRA) of 2015, contains three years of flat-level funding for highway and transit programs and will be marked-up by the committee this Thursday. In rolling out their bill, legislative sponsors have stated the importance of its provisions to reform existing programs, refocus those programs on national priorities, provide more flexibility and certainty for state and local partners, and emphasis on transportation innovation.
ASCE believes that status quo funding levels for surface transportation, as is provided in STRRA, are inadequate. Currently this underinvestment costs the average American family about $1,000 from their budget each year from now until 2020 due to the current road, bridge and transit conditions. ASCE believes that members of the House should utilize every available opportunity to attempt to increase funding levels for highway and transit programs beyond where they currently exist in STRRA.
Despite the inadequate funding levels, STRRA does contain policy items that ASCE supports, including:
- Multi-year program certainty that will help states and localities better plan and deliver projects;
- Accelerated project delivery reforms aimed to improve collaboration between agencies and create deadlines for agency action(s);
- Providing grants to states for continued and expanded pilot testing of future road user fee collection systems;
- A new competitive grant to address bus and bus facility needs;
- Increased focus on funding for roadway safety infrastructure and on the safety needs of rural roads; and
- An option for localities to bundle small projects such as bridges to increase efficiency.
Water Infrastructure Tested as Transportation Funding Deadline Approaches
October 16th, 2015 | By: Olivia Wolfertz
Flash floods, water main breaks and lingering damage from dam failures in South Carolina due to flooding have drenched the news headlines this week. Meanwhile, on Capitol Hill, the House is scrambling to come up with a plan for reauthorizing the surface transportation bill before the Oct. 29 deadline. Yesterday, the House Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure (T&I) announced their latest bill, The Surface Transportation Reauthorization and Reform Act of 2015, and scheduled the committee mark-up of the bill for Oct. 22. In response to the rapidly-approaching deadline, Rep. John Delaney wrote a letter to House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Rep. Bill Shuster cautioning him that “continuing baseline funding levels will only lead to a further deterioration of our already failing infrastructure.” According to a new poll from AAA, 70 percent of Americans believe the federal government should invest more than it currently does for roads, bridges and mass transit systems. Likewise, only 38 percent of Americans believe that Congress is taking the necessary steps to meet the needs of our nation’s roads, bridges and transit systems. Meanwhile, flood damage in South Carolina and mudslides in California have dominated the headlines. In response to the widespread devastation in South Carolina two weeks ago, SCDOT reemphasized the state’s need for infrastructure funding. In California, extreme flooding caused by El Nino triggered a mudslide about 30 miles from Los Angeles. This incident shines a light on California’s vulnerable dams. According to the US Army Corp of Engineers, California has 1,594 dams and more than 50 percent are listed as high-hazard dams. The mudslide also resulted in road closings which inconvenienced drivers. Traffic headaches caused by overflowing water are not limited to natural disasters, as a water main break this week outside of Washington, D.C. demonstrated. The event flooded nearby roads with gallons of water, also causing 250 local residents to lose power. Whether dams or water mains, clearly the nation’s water infrastructure is aging and needs investment. With the October 29 deadline looming, Congress must work together to pass a long-term surface transportation bill and #Fix the Trust Fund.It’s Off to the Races on a House Highway & Transit Bill
October 14th, 2015 | By: America's Infrastructure Report Card
Today, the chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure (T&I) Bill Shuster (R-PA) announced that his committee would be holding a mark-up of a surface transportation authorization bill on October 22. The bill, text of which has not yet been finalized is titled, the Surface Transportation Reauthorization and Reform Act of 2015. In making the announcement, Shuster noted that the bill would, “reform programs, refocus those programs on national priorities, provide more flexibility and certainty for state and local partners, and welcome innovation.” The markup is set to begin at 10:00AM ET next Thursday and will be livestreamed here .
The announcement comes after legislative progress this summer by the U.S. Senate which passed the DRIVE Act that provides three years of increased funding and six years of policy for federal road, bridge and transit programs. This funding increase is supported by a large majority of Americans as demonstrated in a recent public survey by the motor club AAA. The survey found that 70% of respondents believed that the federal government should invest more than it does now for roads, bridges and mass transit systems. The survey also found that only 38% of Americans believe that Congress is taking the necessary steps to ensure that our roads, bridges and transit systems will meet the needs of the nation.
Please let your House members know you support them moving forward quickly on legislation that provides multi-year certainty and increased funding levels for highway and transit programs.
How long can 2015 infrastructure live off 1993 dollars?
October 2nd, 2015 | By: Olivia Wolfertz
With the passage of short-term FAA funding reauthorization, New York releasing its state infrastructure report card and more states prioritizing their infrastructure needs, Congress must now turn its attention to passing a long-term transportation bill before Oct. 29. This week, Congress approved a six-month extension of current aviation funding and policy that will keep projects moving, maintain revenue collection and keep Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) employees on the job until a long-term bill can be enacted. While an extension is certainly not ideal, it is better than letting the funding expire. At the state level, New York this week released its inaugural infrastructure report card. While the Empire State received a C- overall, roads and bridges, received a D- and D+ respectively, illustrating the need for significant investment and repair. According to the report, “New York City-area drivers, which account for half the state’s population, each spend 53 hours per year just sitting in traffic.” New York isn’t the only state with infrastructure woes. In Arizona, budget shortfalls are resulting in the state’s inability to invest in its transportation needs. According to a recent article published in the Arizona Daily Star, The Arizona Department of Transportation will need about $88.9 billion in its 25-year plan to ensure “minimum acceptable conditions” for the state highway system. In Texas, funding for roads has become a priority in their upcoming election, as Proposition 7 would dedicate $2.5 billion of the general sales and use tax and 35 percent of the vehicle sales tax to the construction and maintenance of non-toll highways. With the deadline for renewing the Highway Trust Fund quickly approaching and more states realizing their need for long-term surface transportation funding, publications like Bloomberg and The Hill have emphasized the importance of the federal gas tax to generate funding. October 1 marked 22 years since the last federal gas tax increase. In July, the Senate passed a bill that provides six years of policy reforms and three years of funding to improve the nation’s roads, bridges and transit systems. Now it’s time for the House to act. You can help by reminding your members of Congress to act quickly to #Fix the Trust Fund before the Oct. 29 deadline.Transit and Water Needs Capture Media Attention
September 25th, 2015 | By: Olivia Wolfertz
With the Pope making his way across our northeastern cities, the topic of traffic congestion was a popular one, highlighting our nation’s transportation needs. The Onion even joked that the Pope even tried to improve the nation’s ailing infrastructure. While not directly related to the Pope’s visit, this week in D.C., the subway system suffered an electrical fire and outage, resulting in the evacuation of passengers and extreme delays. While traffic increases are predictable during major events, our existing transit systems should be able to handle increased ridership without breaking down. Fortunately, the number of recent incidents in the D.C. subway system have prompted the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) to approve a correction action plan to make the system more reliable. Water infrastructure needs have been gaining more spotlight lately due to increased media attention. In Iowa, Des Moines Water Works, which is critical to providing water for to the Central Iowa region, is showing signs of aging and is in great need of repair. “We’re reaching the end of the life cycle of some of the most critical assets we’ve got,” said Bill Stowe, CEO and general manager of the utility. Water infrastructure needs are also evident in New Hampshire, where the cost needed to repair aging systems, including pipes and treatment plants, could be as much as $1 trillion. In response to these needs, water providers, agencies, utilities, elected officials, corporations and environmental advocates across the country are joining together to educate the public about the challenges facing water and wastewater systems, and the need for investment. A nationwide event, Imagine a Day Without Water, will be held Oct. 6-8 in events across the country to emphasize how essential water is and the importance of maintaining water and wastewater infrastructure. Meanwhile, additional states are taking action to repair their surface transportation infrastructure. Tennessee, Texas, New Jersey, Oregon and Alaska are considering raising their state gas tax, among other options, to fund their transportation. Whether it’s improving transit, maintaining water infrastructure or re-paving our roads, federal funding is essential. As we await the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee’s mark-up of its multi-year surface transportation bill, write your members of Congress and urge them to pass a long-term transportation bill by the October 29 deadline.Highway Fund in Trouble by November 20th
September 23rd, 2015 | By: America's Infrastructure Report Card
GRAPH: Cash balance estimates of the Highway Account of the federal Highway Trust Fund; courtesy of the Federal Highway Administration
- October 29, which, following a July extension, is the new date to pass a renewal of the HTF authorization; and
- November 20, which is the projected date when federal funding will slow and be reduced to states.
