| Hill
News |
U.S. House Passes Bill To Restore $4.4 Billion In
Highway Funding
 Bipartisan
legislation which restores a minimum of $4.4 billion in
federal highway funding in Fiscal Year 2003 was
overwhelmingly approved by the U.S. House of
Representatives on May 14, 2002. H.R. 3694, the
"Highway Funding Restoration Act", passed the
House by a vote of 410 to 5. The bill, which had 317
cosponsors, including all 75 members of the
Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, increases
the guaranteed level of highway funding for fiscal year
2003 to at least $27.7 billion, the level authorized in
TEA 21.
The passage came after a
compromise between the House Transportation &
Infrastructure Committee and House appropriators left
the Revenue Aligned Budget Authority (RABA) mechanism in
place, while calling for its revision in the future. The
funding cut in the Bush Administration budget was
largely due to RABA. For an explanation of the
mechanism, see STPP’s Decoding Transportation Policy
and Practice at http://www.transact.org/decoders.htm.
For more informationon
H.R. 3694, click
here.
$59 Billion Rail Bill
Approved By Congressional Subcommittee
The U.S. House
Subcommittee on Railroads approved legislation May 9,
2002 that would provide a mix of grant and bond and loan
authority totaling $59 billion for high-speed rail and
rail infrastructure projects. Transportation Committee
Chair Don Young (R-Alaska) and Railroads Subcommittee
Chair Jack Quinn (R-NY) introduced the Railroad
Infrastructure Development and Expansion Act for the
21st Century (RIDE 21) - H.R. 2950. RIDE 21 establishes
authority for states or interstate compacts to issue $12
billion in federal tax-exempt bonds and $12 billion in
federal tax-credit bonds for infrastructure improvements
for high-speed passenger railroad infrastructure over 10
years.
"RIDE 21 is an
historic commitment from this Congress to improve and
expand our nation's rail infrastructure and develop a
viable high speed rail system," said Young.
"This bill addresses the increasing needs of our
passenger and freight rail systems and the growing
congestion problems that hinder our other transportation
systems."
For more information, click
here.
Rally in Support of Rail
Held in Washington, DC
 Hundreds
of citizens from across the country gathered May 8, 2002
to urge Congress to support passenger rail as an
integral part of the national transportation system and
to provide full funding for Amtrak in 2003 and beyond.
“Rally for Rail” participants represented many
businesses, labor unions, and state and local
governments, as well as millions of consumers and
citizens across America.
"Today’s event
demonstrates that people from all across America and
across the political spectrum want a stronger passenger
rail system in this country," said Fort Worth,
Texas Mayor Kenneth Barr, chairman of the Transportation
and Communications Committee of the U.S. Conference of
Mayors. "We are all united in the conviction that
it’s time to put Amtrak on a more stable foundation
for the future, and to have it play a growing role in
our country’s congested transportation system."
For more information, click
here.
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| NHTSA
Details High Costs of Motor Vehicle Crashes |
 On
May 9, 2002, U.S. Transportation Secretary Norman Y.
Mineta announced that the economic impact of motor
vehicle crashes on America's roadways has reached $230.6
billion a year, or an average of $820 for every person
living in the United States. The announcement was based
on a new research study released today by the U.S.
Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration (NHTSA).
The new report, based on
calendar year 2000 data, details how the economic costs
of motor vehicle accidents has grown to a level that is
2.3 percent of the U.S. Gross Domestic Product. This
total includes:
· $61 billion in lost
workplace productivity
· $20.2 billion in lost household productivity
· $59 billion in property damage
· $32.6 billion in medical costs
· $25.6 billion in travel delay costs.
To read the report, click
here.
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| New
Study Finds One in Four US Bridges Deficient |
 A
new report from the Road Information Program (TRIP), an
interest group of the transportation construction
industry, finds approximately one in four of the country’s
major, heavily traveled bridges is deficient and in need
of repair or replacement. The report warns that federal
and state funding shortfalls in 2003 could reverse
recent gains in bridge repair.
However, STPP's review of
state spending patterns shows that while most states
received an enormous increase in federal transportation
funds in 1998 through TEA-21, only a few increased the
portion of funds going to road and bridge repair. Four
of the states ranked in the bottom ten by TRIP for
bridge condition, (Oklahoma, Mississippi, Iowa, and
Missouri), actually spent a smaller portion of their
federal dollars on road and bridge repair at the end of
the 1990s despite overall federal funding increases
ranging from 42 to 58 percent. TRIP is recommending a 44
percent increase in federal investment in bridges.
For more information on
the TRIP report, visit www.tripnet.org.
For figures on state spending records, see STPP’s
Changing Direction.
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| AASHTO
TEA-21 Plan Expected to Tap General Fund For Highways |
The American Association of
State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) is
recommending the creation of a new Transportation
Finance Corporation, a federal corporation that would be
able to sell tax-credit bonds to support highway,
transit and railroad spending as a means for increasing
spending levels during the next reauthorization period
of TEA-21. The proposal, which seeks to maintain growth
in federal highway and transit spending in the
post-TEA-21 period, seeks to avoid calling on Congress
to raise taxes directly, but instead will rely on tax
spending to carry future increases in highway and
transit spending. These expenditures would be financed
by the 'general fund' rather than transportation taxes
that are now dedicated to transportation through the
Highway Trust Fund.
As outlined, the AASHTO
financing plan calls for a new federally-sponsored
financing agency modeled after the Federal National
Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae), with the new
corporation slated to raise about $59.5 billion over six
years. $16.9 billion of the money would be set aside to
create an investment fund to pay off the bond principal,
approximately $34.1 billion would go to highways, and
$8.5 billion would go to transit projects. An additional
$5 billion in federal support would be placed in a
revolving fund to support additional highway, transit,
and seaport projects.
The proposal is unclear
on what happens after the six-year period of TEA-21
renewal. The nearly $60 billion provided by the new
federal corporation cannot be sustained in the period
after the next cycle of TEA-21, which could result in a
$60 billion hole in the baseline of funding for the
successor law due in 2009.
For more information, click
here.
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| CA
Emissions Bill Delayed; Would Regulate Greenhouse Gases |
 The
California State Assembly on May 14, 2002 delayed a
final vote on a bill that would create the nation’s
first restrictions on carbon dioxide and other
automobile emissions that contribute to global warming.
A.B. 1058 was initially approved by both the state
Assembly (on January 30th) and Senate (on May 2nd).
Before the bill can be sent to Governor Davis for his
signature, however, the Assembly must approve several
amendments that were added in the Senate that would
ensure that the regulations provide environmental and
economic benefits without limiting consumer choice. The
bill would limit CO2 emissions, a combustion byproduct
that can only be reduced through greater fuel efficiency
or less driving. The auto industry has been turning up
the pressure on key Assembly members to change their
original votes and has launched a $3 million campaign
against A.B. 1058.
For more information on
California's Clean Car Legislation from the National
Resources Defense Council, click
here.
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| Rural
Residents Face Increased Automotive Fatality Rate |
 According
to a recent study, people living in rural areas face a
higher risk of dying a violent death -- defined as a
fatal car crash or homicide by someone other than a
spouse, relative or friend -- than persons who live in a
city. William H. Lucy, author of the study and professor
of urban and environmental planning at the University of
Virginia, focused on eight urban areas (Pittsburgh,
Baltimore, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Milwaukee,
Minneapolis-St. Paul, Philadelphia and the suburbs and
counties surrounding them) for three to four years to
test theories that dictate where people live and how
they decide what is safe.
Although homicide rates
are generally higher in the cities than in rural areas,
Lucy argues that the danger presented by an increased
level of fatal car crashes can make rural areas more
dangerous than urban areas, supporting the premise that
people tend to overestimate the risks of crime while
underestimating the risks of driving.
To read an article on the
report, click
here.
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| In
Other News |
APTA Calls For
Grant Proposals
The American Public
Transportation Association (APTA) has announced their
2002 guidelines for local transit coalition grants.
These small grants (under $5,000) are to support
projects and activities oriented toward federal
reauthorization efforts.
For more information, click
here.
Atlanta Smog Reprieve
Granted
The Environmental
Protection Agency extended Atlanta's deadline to meet
federal clean air standards to 2004, stating that
nitrogen oxides generated elsewhere are drifting into
metro Atlanta. Alabama is the primary source of the
pollution, along with Tennessee, Kentucky, South
Carolina and North Carolina. For more information, click
here.
Call for Papers
A call for papers has
been issued for the Fourth International Conference on
Walking in the 21st Century. The deadline for proposals
and abstracts is July 1, 2002. Please visit http://americawalks.org/walk21/
for more details.
Internship Opportunity
at STPP
This position will
conduct strategic research and grassroots organizing to
support the organization of the Alliance for a New
Transportation Charter. Activities will generally
consist of gathering information to support STPP's model
campaigns, assisting with outreach to add members to the
Alliance and support for our grassroots network in
conducting activities such as candidate education. See a
complete job description at www.transact.org.
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In
Brief... |
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Internship
Opportunity at STPP
This
position will conduct strategic research and grassroots organizing to
support the organization of the Alliance for a New Transportation
Charter. See a complete job description at www.transact.org.
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Calendar |
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House Schedule
May 16: T&I Over-the-Road Bus Security and Safety Act markup
May 21: T&I hearing on relieving highway congestion through capacity enhancements and increased efficiency (tentative)
Date TBA: T&I
Intermodalism hearing (postponed from May 15)
Senate Schedule
May 15: Banking Committee affordable housing hearing
May 15: EPW Transportation Planning and
Smart Growth hearing
(listen
online now)
Transportation and University Communities Conference
June 15-18, 2002: Amherst, MA
National Leadership Summit to Eliminate Racial & Ethnic Disparities in Health
July 10-12, 2002
BikeFest 2002
August 2-4, 2002; Amherst, MA
Pro Bike / Pro Walk 2002
September 3-6, 2002; St. Paul, MN
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