T&I Committee Takes Up Infrastructure Issues

During his State of the Union address, President Barack Obama proposed a program of investing in infrastructure, particularly energy and transportation, as a way to create jobs and stimulate the economy.  The House Transportation and Infrastructure (T&I) Committee delved into the issue.

The committee held hearings yesterday the featured proponents from infrastructure advocates, business, and labor. Speakers included

•  Edward G. Rendell, Co-Chair of Building America’s Future and former governor of Pennsylvania,
• Thomas J. Donohue, President and CEO of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and
• Terry O’Sullivan, General President of the Laborers’ International Union of North America.

The T&I committee will be looking at three major bills, one to address waterways and ports, one to address railroads, and finally a reauthorization of the surface transportation programs (i.e. highways and related automobile, trucking and transit programs).  The last surface transportation reauthorization was only for two years, rather than the typical five-year plan.  The last Congress punted, largely for lack of will or imagination to deal with the predicted shortfalls in revenues for highway funding, for which they were criticized by departing Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.

Related posts and articles

At hearing on nation’s crumbling infrastructure, money is the theme (Halsey, A., Washington Post, Feb. 13, 2013)

The Federal Role in Infrastructure (Macheska, C., Save America’s Infrastructure, Feb. 14, 2013)

Hearing Highlights Federal Role in Infrastructure and Economic Importance of Transportation System (House T&I Committee news release, Feb. 13, 2013)

No easy funding fix for U.S. transportation woes –lawmaker (Palmer, D., Reuters, Feb. 13, 2013)

The State of the Union... and our Highways (Jones, P. D., Huffington Post, Feb. 13, 2013)