Highway Trust Fund Running Out of Money

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) predicts that the Highway Trust Fund will be empty by 2014. Federal gas taxes support the fund and are greatly outpaced by spending. These predictions of the trust fund demise are getting to be a regular thing.

Link to the CBO report

Additional posts and articles
Boxer Files Highway Trust Fund Extension
CBO reports highway trust fund headed for bankruptcy in 2014
Highway Fund in Continued Trouble; Empty by August
Returning to Dust: Our Aging Infrastructure

Infrastructure & Environment Roudup

Drinking Water Supplies Threatened by Dry Weather

The Associated Press put together a nice, short summary the problem of shrinking water supplies.  You can read it at the NBC News site and see video of a related story.

Earthquake Preparedness: The Great Shakeout

February 7 will be the Great Central U.S. Shakeout.  If you’re a fellow Missourian, find more information at the Missouri Division of Geology.  If you live elsewhere in the central United States, check out the Shakeout Web site (participating states are Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Mississippi, and Tennessee).

Highway Trust Fund Out of Money by 2015

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has released projections of funds available in the Highway Trust Fund.  They expect it to have insufficient funds to meet obligations by fiscal year 2015.

The Highway Trust Fund is the primary source of money for the federal-aid highway system.  Revenues to the fund come primarily from the federal gas tax.

You can see the CBO projections here→.

Related posts and articles

Highway Trust Fund Running Out of Money (Infrastructure Watch, Feb. 9, 2012)

Hydropower Bill Reported Out of Committee

The Hydropower Regulatory Efficiency Act of 2013 (H.R. 267) was reported out of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.  The bill would expand hydropower development.

Mississippi River Affected by Drought

We’ve been following stories about the effects of the prolonged drought on the Mississippi River.  Our posts have mostly related to barge traffic and the effort to keep the river open downstream of St. Louis.

NPR has posted an article about the effects at the mouth of the river.  One of the issues is salt water intrusion, which as the potential to change the water quality in that part of the river and has already reached the intake of one drinking water system in Louisiana.  Of course, barge traffic is an issue for New Orleans, too, because the port there is where goods move from river barges to ocean-going vessels.

Recently, barge traffic has been back up by an oil spill on the river, too.  Cleanup of the spill near Vicksburg, Mississippi, continues.

Related posts and articles

Mississippi River barge backup shrinks, oil cleanup continues (Plume, K., Reuters, Feb. 1, 2013)

Rock clearing on drought-hit Mississippi River nears completion (Plume, K., Reuters, Jan. 29, 2013)

Work to Keep Mississippi River Open Continues (Infrastructure Watch, Jan. 29, 2013)

New Staff Leader Announced for Senate Environment & Public Works Committee

Sen. Barbara Boxer (CA), chair of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, announced that Jeremy Symons will join the committee staff as Deputy Staff Director. He will focus on environmental issues, including clean water, air quality, wildlife, and climate change.  Symons currently serves as the Senior Vice President for Conservation and Education at the National Wildlife Federation (NWF). Previously, he was Executive Director of NWF's Climate Change Campaign, held positions in the Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Air and Radiation, and served in Sen. Ron Wyden's (OR) office.

You can read the original news release here→.

Secretary Chu Leaving Energy

Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced he will be resigning his post.  Other officials who announced their resignation include Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson.

Related posts and articles

Outgoing Energy Secretary Warns Of Dangers Of Climate Change (Shogren, E., NPR, Feb. 1, 2013)

Oberstar Proposes to Float Loan to Highway Trust Fund

For some time now, projections have indicated that the Highway Trust Fund will shortly run out of money. The fund, which gets revenues from federal fuel taxes, is one of the primary sources of federal funding for highway projects.

Rep. James Oberstar (MN), chair of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, proposes loaning $130 million to the fund from the general treasury. The Highway Trust Fund would have to repay the loan beginning in the fifth year of the loan.

Related posts and articles:
Highway Fund in Continued Trouble; Empty by August
Oberstar proposes federal loan to fill highway funding gaps

Highway Funding

Infrastructure Watch previously posted about the dwindling Highway Trust Fund.  One of the reasons this fund has shrunk is that it is supported by taxes on gasoline.  Improvements in fuel efficiency and changes in driving habits have reduced revenues from gas taxes.

This is issue for states as well as the federal government.  Like the Highway Trust Fund, most state highway revenues come from gas taxes.  At all levels of government, people are looking for alternative sources of revenue.  Some of the proposals include increasing gas taxes, sales taxes, miles-traveled taxes, increasing fees, and new or increased tolls.

Increased Gas Tax

One approach is to simply increase the tax on gas.  In 13 states, it has been 20 years or more since the gas tax has changed.

Sales Tax

Some states are looking at supplementing highway funding with a sales tax.  Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell has gone so far as to propose eliminating his states gas tax and replacing it with a sales tax to support transportation.  Though no other state has considered going so far, many have looked at increased or new sales taxes to supplement funds for highways.

Miles-Traveled Tax

The gas tax has some relation to road use because the more you drive the more gas you use.  Several states have looked at the possibility of directly taxing for roads based on use.  The difficulty of such a tax is that there needs to be a mechanism of tracking and reporting miles traveled.

Fees

Most states have fees for motor vehicle registration.  Some are considering increasing these fees and dedicating them completely to transportation.  It seems unlikely that these fees alone could replace losses in gas tax revenue.

Tolls

Tolls are a longstanding method of road funding.  One suggestion for raising road revenues is to increase toll and institute tolls on free roads.

Related posts and articles

Highway Trust Fund Running Out of Money (Infrastructure Watch, Feb. 9, 2012)

New tax hikes eyed for roads, transit (Copeland, L., USA Today, Jan. 28, 2012)

Time to tweak gas taxes? States weigh options (Copeland, L., USA Today, Jan. 28, 2012)

Quick Hits: Highway Funding (Infrastructure Watch, Jan. 22, 2013)

President Calls for Transportation Funding to Stimulate Jobs Growth

In a recent speech, President Barack Obama indicated he plans to fund highway and bridge repair and rehabilitation as a way to increase jobs. He has called for this to be implemented legislatively through a six-year highway bill. Representative John Mica (FL), chair of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, has indicated his willingness to consider a short-term reauthorization of the current highway bill. The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee has approved a bill to extend Federal-aid highway programs (S. 1525).

The president is not the only one to use the Labor Day holiday as an opportunity to call for infrastructure investment with an eye for increasing jobs. The American Institute of Architects and the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) released a joint statement calling for investment in a variety of infrastructure. AGC, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, and the American Road and Transportation Builders Association called specifically for a six-year transportation bill.

Related posts and articles:
Another Temporary Extension as House and Senate Confront Their Differences
Boxer Files Highway Trust Fund Extension
Congress of Deadlines
Congress to Take Up Transportation Bill, Infrastructure Bank
GOP Questions Highway Plan
Highway Extension Bill Clears Senate Committee
Highway Fund in Continued Trouble; Empty by August
Oberstar Proposes to Float Loan to Highway Trust Fund
Returning to Dust: Our Aging Infrastructure
Senate EPW Approves Transportation Extension

Highway Fund in Continued Trouble; Empty by August

Concern over the Federal Highway Trust Fund continues. The latest estimate is the fund will run out of money by August. The fund is the primary source of funding for federal highway projects (mainly managed as grants to states), and is paid for with federal fuel taxes. Federal gas tax revenues have been declining in recent years.

Related posts and articles:
Administration: Highway fund to go broke in August
Senator: Highway fund will go broke in August
U.S. fund for highways near empty: Senator
U.S. Highway Fund Low on Cash Again

Move Made to Eliminate Transportation Earmarks

Rep. Jeff Flake (Arizona) has introduced the Resist Offsetting with Additional Debt (ROAD) Act (H.R. 6472). The bill would eliminate funding where there are unobligated balances for earmark projects under SAFETEA-LU, the present transportation funding law. The bill would also prohibit transfers from the General Fund of the Treasury to the Highway Trust Fund.

Shortfalls in the Highway Trust Fund are projected to occur within the next few years. You can find more about this here.

Book Review: The Big Roads by Earls Swift

Swift, Earl.  The Big Roads: The Untold Story of the Engineers, Visionaries, and Trailblazers Who Created the American Superhighways.  Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2011.

The American interstate system is often thought to be a product of the Eisenhower administration.  It’s named for him.  However, the nearly 47,000 miles of interstate were conceived largely before Eisenhower’s presidency.  Even as he observed the Army’s 62-day, cross-country convoy of 1919, engineers were laying the political and technical foundations of national highways.  Earl Swift tells this longer history of the interstates in The Big Roads.

When Americans began calling for better roads, the typical road was mud.  The loudest calls for better roads at the beginning of the 20^th Century were cyclists, especially the colorful Carl Fisher.  Fisher’s most famous work is the Indianapolis Speedway, where a popular 500-mile race continues to be run.  His promotion of the Lincoln Highway, the first coast-to-coast highway (at least on paper), provided an important antecedent to the interstates.

The Lincoln Highway Association operated on a system that informed later highway development.  Rather than build a huge new highway, it selected existing roads for improvement, joining them together in a highway.  New roads were built only if necessary.  The association, a private organization that raised private funds for road improvement and route promotion, was a model for later systems in another way.  The Lincoln Highway was built and improved in pieces by a number of local and state agencies.  The association provided a route, coordination, promotion, encouragement, and sometimes funding, but the road improvements were mostly local works.

Thomas MacDonald, an Iowa highway engineer, was using a similar model as he worked for that state.  He worked with city and county road departments to coordinate improvements leading to a statewide system of decent roads.  When he became director of the Office of Public Roads, he brought this model to the federal highway program, institutionalizing it in the Federal Aid system that began in 1916.

Of course, the U.S. highways that developed under this system were not like modern interstates.  They were open to anyone along them.  In rural areas, they might have been and often still are long ribbons of pavement crossed by the occasional farm road.  In cities, they became crowded with business, especially restaurants and gas stations, that slowed traffic to a crawl.  This problems gave rise to the concept of a limited-access highway, first proposed by Benton MacKaye, the conservationist who conceived the Appalachian Trail.

MacDonald and his engineers began working the concept.  His office produced a report, authored primarily by Hubert Sinclair Fairbanks, that laid out most of the current interstate system in 1938.  Fairbanks supported that idea that better roads might solve problems related to slums and blight in cities.  The recommendations of this report and a follow-up commission were largely implemented in law in 1944, when the term “interstate” first appeared in legislation.

The plans for an interstate system languished during World War II and the years immediately following.  Eisenhower comes into the picture at this time because he strongly supported funding for the interstate system.

Highway engineers saw themselves as providing a good and giving the people what they wanted.  Along the way, as Fairbanks suggested, they could clean up the cities.  As they began to implement their plans in earnest, opposition arose.

Swift gives particular attention to two interstate opponents.  Critic Lewis Mumford provided the intellectual and philosophical foundation for the Freeway Revolt.  Joe Wiles, a black professional and veteran, organized opposition to Interstate 70 in Baltimore which resulted in changes to the plan and help unite the white and black communities in that city.  The federal and state governments began to take seriously the possibility that interstates could have a negative impact on the communities near them

The intestate system, finally completed in the 1990s, is the largest public works project in history.  Now that it is built, it needs to be maintained.  It will be expensive: $225 billion a year for the next 50 years to keep it in good shape.  That is more than twice what we’re spending.  In addition, improved fuel efficiency and reduced driving prompted by the economic downturn has reduced gas tax revenues for the Highway Trust Fund.  In the near future, we may need to find new ways to pay for maintaining our transportation marvel.

The Big Roads: The Untold Story of the Engineers, Visionaries, and Trailblazers Who Created the American Superhighways

If you’re interested in this book, you may also be interested in

The Brooklyn Bridge by Judith St. George

Canals and Their Architecture by Robert Harris

Dreams of Iron and Steel by Deborah Cadbury

The Great Bridge by David McCollough

On the Mainlines by William B. Claycomb

This review of The Big Roads by Earl Swift appears courtesy of Keenan’s Book Reviews, where you can reviews of other books related to engineering and technology.

Around America

American Infrastructure Investment Fund Act

Senators Jay Rockefeller (WV) and Frank Lautenburg (NJ) have introduced the American Infrastructure Investment Fund Act. This would create a transportation infrastructure bank. Streets Blog has some more information on the proposal.

Bills Pile Up While the Bills Pile Up

The Highway Trust Fund Reform Act of 2013 (H.R. 711) would eliminate federal prevailing wage requirements for federal-aid highway and public transportation projects. If this passes, expect it to have almost no effect on the cost of highway projects.

The Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act of 2013 (S. 335) would authorize the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to make loans to entities for the improvement of drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure. Only large projects would be covered, with minimum loans for $20 million.

The Water Infrastructure Resiliency and Sustainability Act of 2013 (H.R. 765) would establish a grant program in EPA to assist water systems (broadly defined) with the protection of water resources.

Georgia Eyes Tennessee River

A bill in the Georgia state legislature could be the first step in the state’s effort to move it’s border with Tennessee to gain access to the Tennessee river. The border is in dispute because the line laid by surveyors is south of the border specified by Congress, though Georgia’s interest lays more in a desire for more water. You can read more about it in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Mississippi River Floods Caused $2.8 Billion in Damages in 2011

In 2012 and  2013, we’ve been following developments of drought impacts in the Mississippi River. Back in 2011, the news was flooding. ABC New reports that flooding caused $2.8 billion in damages in Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri and Tennessee

Sequestration

Do you have questions about the sequestration? A place to start may be the Q&A posted by the Congressional Budget Office.

Texas Rainy Day Fund May Pay for Water Resources Projects

We previously posted about a bill in the Texas Legislature that would provide $2 billion for the construction of projects in the state water plan, and how many mayors are supporting it. The Associated Press has a story on the subject, which you can read in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.

In Congress

Congress rolls on, after its fashion, even when a blog pauses. Here is a summary of what our senators and representatives have been up to over the last few weeks.

Acronym Mongers Active in Legislature
The Farmers Undertake Environmental Land Stewardship Act (H.R. 3158) would set limitations for rules the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) might implement to control spills at animal feeding operations. Another bill would constrain EPA (S. 1702) would limit the agency’s regulation of emissions from stationary internal combustion engines used for electric power generation or water pumping, though it doesn’t have a clever name.

The Resources and Economic Sustainability, Tourist Opportunities, and Revived Economies of the Gulf Coast Act of 2011 (H.R. 3096) would create a Gulf Coast Restoration Trust Fund to be funded from penalties from the Deepwater Horizon incident. The fund would support restoration efforts in the coastal states on the Gulf of Mexico. The bill would also create five centers for excellence for the study of effects of the spill and the restoration of the Gulf.

Agency Potentially Under the Ax

The EDA Elimination Act of 2011 (H.R. 3090) would repeal the Public Works and Economic Development Act of 1965, which created the Economic Development Agency. The bill has been referred to various committees.

American Jobs Act
The American Jobs Act of 2011 (H.R. 12) rolls together a lot proposals into an omnibus, dare it be spoken, stimulus bill. A significant portion of the bill deals with employment tax relief, other tax reform and supporting education jobs and facilities. Only part of the bill deals with the kind of infrastructure we normally cover at Infrastructure Watch.

-Transportation appropriations. The bill would appropriate $39 billion to air, rail, port and highway transportation programs. In most cases, normal matching requirements would be waived.

-Infrastructure Bank. The bill incorporates the BUILD Act, the main purpose being the creation of a national infrastructure bank.

-Redevelopment. The bill appropriates $15 billion to the Department of Housing and Urban Development to make grants for the redevelopment of abandoned and foreclosed properties.

A version of this bill was also introduced in the Senate (S. 1660). There are several other bills intended to create jobs and stimulate the economy.

The Jobs Through Growth Act (S. 1720) would, among other things, limit EPA’s rulemaking authority and ease the way for energy exploration in the continental shelf. The Rebuild America Jobs Act (S. 1769) would fund transportation projects and create an infrastructure bank, and increase taxes on people with incomes of $500,000 or more (I wish I had that kind of problem).

Appropriations
Appropriations acts, the only thing Congress really has to do every year, are making their way through the process.

-The Continuing Appropriations Act, 2012 (H.R. 2608) passed both houses.
-The Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2012 (S. 1596) was introduced to the Senate.

Bill Would Suspend Requirements for Highway Projects
Rep. Randy Forbes (VA) has introduced the 414 Plan Act of 2011 (H.R. 2924). The bill would suspend several federal requirements for federal-aid highway projects and highway safety construction. The suspension would last for five years. It would also repeal several laws relating to biking and pedestrian traffic.

Coal Combustion Product Regulation
The House of Representatives passed the Coal Residuals Reuse and Management Act (H.R. 2273). This bill would put regulation of coal combustion products under Subpart D of the Solid Waste Disposal Act, essentially putting regulation in the hands of the states and heading off a potential determination from EPA that may have brought it under a federal regulatory program.

Congress Passes Bill to Extend Transportation Programs
Both houses have Congress have passed a bill (H.R. 2887) to extend several surface and air transportation programs through March 31, 2012. Long-term reauthorization is underway (S. 1786).

Related posts and articles
Congress of Deadlines
Congress to Take Up Transportation Bill, Infrastructure Bank
House Passes Transportation Bill

Energy Bill Has Unusual Name, Other Energy Proposals
In spite of its name, the Rebuild American Roads Act (H.R. 2983), would expedite plans for energy resource exploration and drilling in the continental shelf, especially in the Gulf of Mexico. The bills was introduced by Rep. Shelly Moore Capito (WV). The POWER Act (H.R. 2360) would make U.S. laws applicable on energy structures on the outer continental shelf.

The Bureau of Reclamation Small Conduit Hydropower Development and Rural Jobs Act of 2011 (H.R. 2842) would smooth the way for the development of hydropower generation projects in Reclamation water conveyances. The Public Lands Renewable Energy Development Act of 2011 (S. 1775) would establish means to permit solar and wind energy projects on public lands and extend existing geothermal development programs.

Missouri River Priorities Contested
Rep. Sam Graves (MO) has introduced a bill (H.R. 2993) that would strike wildlife protection as priority for the Corps of Engineers’ Missouri River management plan and make flood control the top priority. S. 1795 would direct the Corps to address flood control specifically by increasing storage.

National Infrastructure Bank Bill
Sen. Sherrod Brown (OH) has introduced the National Infrastructure Bank Act of 2011 (S. 1550). The bank would be board-governed and make loans and loan guarantees of up to half the project cost to public sponsors of a variety of infrastructure projects. The bill would authorize appropriations of up to $5 billion annually through 2015 to capitalize the bank.

The American Jobs Act of 2011 (S. 1549) also includes an infrastructure bank proposal. That bill would establish the American Infrastructure Finance Authority to make loans and loan guarantees for transportation, water and energy infrastructure projects. This provision appears to be very similar to the BUILD Act.

A version of this bill was also introduced into the House of Representatives (H.R. 3259).

Related posts and articles
Calls for Infrastructure Bank Continue
Congress to Take Up Transportation Bill, Infrastructure Bank
President Proposes New Recovery Plan
President Sends Jobs Plan to Congress

Water Resources Infrastructure Bill Hits Senate
The Senate version of the Water Infrastructure Resiliency and Sustainability Act of 2011 (S. 1669) has been introduced. A similar bill was previously introduced in the House.

Related posts and articles
Water News: Water Resources Resilience Bill Introduced

Congress Debates Infrastructure, Jobs Bills

Two similar bills with very similar are being brought up for debate in the House of Representatives. The first is the American Energy and Infrastructure Jobs Act of 2012 (H.R. 7). It is mostly a reauthorization of transportation programs. As usual, it is reauthorization with plenty of tweaking. Some groups have expressed disapproval of changes that would weaken or reduce funding to public transit program.

The American Energy and Infrastructure Jobs Financing Act of 2012 (H.R. 3864) extends taxes and authorizations related to the Highway Trust Fund. It also shuffles some money into the fund that might have gone elsewhere.

Bill Watch - 112th Congress

Amended July 28, 2013

H.R. 1—Full Year Continuing Appropriations Act, 2011
Continuing Resolution Moves to Senate
House Passes Appropriations Bill

H.R. 7 - American Energy and Infrastructure Jobs Act of 2012

Congress Debates Infrastructure, Jobs Bills

H.R. 8 – American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012

Infrastructure in the Fiscal Cliff Deal

H.R. 267 – Hydropower Regulatory Efficiency Act of 2013

Infrastructure & Environment Roundup: Hydropower Bill Reported Out of Committee

H.R. 328 - Safety, Efficiency, and Accountability in Transportation Projects Through Public Inspection Act of 2011
Bill Would Require Public Employee Inspection of Federally-Funded Transportation Projects

H.R. 389 - End the Stimulus Advertisement Act
Still Trying to Axe the Plaques

H.R. 505 – The Balancing Act

In Congress: Balancing Act

H.R. 711 – Highway Trust Fund Reform Act of 2013

Around America: Bills Pile Up While Bills Pile Up

H.R. 765 – Water Infrastructure Resiliency and Sustainability Act of 2013

Around America: Bills Pile Up While Bills Pile Up

H.R. 855 – Grand Canyon Watersheds Protection Act of 2011
Environment & Infrastructure Bills Introduced in Congress

H.R. 892 – Stop Asian Carp Act
Environment & Infrastructure Bills Introduced in Congress

H.R. 910 - Energy Tax Prevention Act of 2011
In Congress

H.R. 935 – Reducing Regulatory Burdens Act of 2013 

News Brief: Bill Would Limit Water Discharge Permitting of Pesticides

H.R. 945 - Streamlining America’s Various Energy Needs Act
Energy Bills Introduced

H.R. 947
Bill Would Authorized Reimbursement to States for International Water Projects

H.R. 952 - Energy Critical Elements Renewal Act of 2011
Energy Bills Introduced

H.R. 1079 - Airport and Airway Extension Act of 2011
In Congress

H.R. 1123 - TIFIA Expansion Act of 2011
In Congress

H.R. 1189 – Clean Water Affordability Act of 2011
Bill Would Make Water Project Financing More Affordable

H.R. 1705 - Transparency in Regulatory Analysis of Impacts on the Nation Act of 2011
Activity in Congress

H.R 1872 - Employment Protection Act 2011
Activity in Congress
In Congress

H.R. 2018 - Clean Water Cooperative Federalism Act of 2011
Activity in Congress

H.R. 2055 – Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2012
Bill Quickies

H.R. 2594 - European Union Emissions Trading Scheme Prohibition Act of 2011T&I Committee Marks Up, Approves Bills

H.R. 2738 - Water Infrastructure Resiliency and Sustainability Act of 2011
Water News

H.R. 2845 - Pipeline Safety, Regulatory Certainty, and Job Creation Act of 2011
T&I Committee Marks Up, Approves Bills

H.R. 2887 - Surface and Air Transportation Programs Extension Act of 2011
Congress Passes Bill to Extend Transportation Programs
House Passes Transportation Bill

H.R. 2924 – 414 Plan Act of 2011
Bill Would Suspend Requirements for Highway Projects

H.R. 3259 - National Infrastructure Bank Act of 2011
National Infrastructure Bank Bill

H.R. 3638 – Act for the 99%
Bill Quickies

H.R. 3680 - Hydropower Regulatory Efficiency Act of 2011
Bill Quickies

H.R. 3864 - American Energy and Infrastructure Jobs Financing Act of 2012

Congress Debates Infrastructure, Jobs Bills

H.R. 4348 – Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21^st Century Act (MAP-21)

A Look Back, 112 Congress Passed Transportation Bills

S. 335 – Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act of 2013

Around America: Bills Pile Up While Bills Pile Up

S. 402 – National Infrastructure Development Bank Act of 2011
A Real National Infrastructure Bank Proposal

S. 471 – Stop Asian Carp Act
Environment & Infrastructure Bills Introduced in Congress

S. 630 - Marine and Hydrokinetic Energy Promotion Act of 2011
Activity in Congress

S. 652 – Building and Upgrading Infrastructure for Long-Term Development
The BUILD Act
In Congress

S. 1108 - 10 Million Solar Roofs Act
Bill Quickies

S. 1115 - Green Infrastructure and Clean Water Act of 2010
Activity in Congress

S. 1142 - Geothermal Exploration and Technology Act of 2011
Bill Quickies

S. 1292 - Employment Protection Act 2011
Activity in Congress
In Congress

S. 1343 - Energy and Water Integration Act of 2011
Congress Keeps Rolling

S. 1510 - Clean Energy Financing Act of 2011
Bill Would Create Clean Energy Deployment Agency

S. 1525 – An original bill to extend Federal-aid highway programsPresident Calls for Transportation Funding to Stimulate Jobs Growth

S. 1549 – American Jobs Act of 2011
American Jobs Act

S. 1550 – National Infrastructure Bank Act of 2011
National Infrastructure Bank Bill

S. 1720 – Jobs Through Growth Act
American Jobs Act

S. 1775 - Public Lands Renewable Energy Development Act of 2011
Energy Bill Has Unusual Name, Other Energy Proposals

S. 1786 – Long-Term Surface Transportation Enhancement Act of 2011
Congress Passes Bill to Extend Transportation Programs

S. 1795 – A bill related to Missouri River management
Missouri River Priorities Contested

S. 3388 – Sewage Overflow Community Right-to-Know Act

Sewer Overflow Bill Introduced

S. 3626 – Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act of 2012

In Congress

Bill Watch—111th Congress

Stimulus Funds Making Their Way to Transportation Projects

In remarks to the National League of Cities in Washington, Transportation Secretary Roy LaHood said his department has moved quickly to release funds to state offices and transit agencies. In addition to the currently allocated funding, there soon will be additional opportunities to compete for discretionary funds for transportation projects. A team of senior officials across the department – the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) team – is tracking every dollar spent in order to ensure accountability and transparency.

LaHood added that the new authorization bill for highway and transit programs will soon be taken up by Congress. The new authorization must address the need to look beyond the Highway Trust Fund and find new ways to finance surface transportation programs, such as a national infrastructure bank, public-private partnerships and tolling on newly built highways.

You can read the original DOT news release here.

Related articles and posts:
Transportation Secretary Discusses Economic Stimulus Package
U.S. Transportation Dept. Releases Budget Framework

In Brief

AIR & WATER

Deposition of Air Pollutants Pollutes Water

Though our pollution control laws are structured around different media, such as air and water, pollutants can move around and have different effects to different degrees in different parts of the environment. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) describes in a report how deposition of air pollutants can affect water quality. In addition, it shows how the media-specific approach to pollution regulation makes it difficult for the Environmental Protection Agency to address this issue.

ENERGY

Coal Here to Stay

GAO published a study of changes coming to coal-fired electrical power generation. Though aging facilities and environmental regulations will be changing it, coal is expected to remain part of the American energy portfolio.

Coal energy is an issue that demonstrates that politics is local. President Obama has faced opposition from his own party for Congressmen and Senators that represent areas that benefit from burning coal for energy (see this article from The Daily Caller).

Senate Committee Hears Navy Energy Nominee

The Senate Armed Services Committee questioned retired Vice Admiral Dennis McGinn as a nominee for Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Energy, Installations and Environment. Naval alternative energy programs were one of the issues of concern.

Related artice: Navy Energy Chief Likely to Be Confirmed After Smooth Hearing (Tracy, R., Wall Street Journal, July 25, 2013)

TRANSPORTATION

Government Looks at Milage Fees

IW has posted several items about the dwindling Highway Trust Fund. One idea that has been floated for raising revenues for highways is to switch from fuel taxes to fees on miles driven. GAO studied the concept for Congress. It’s report includes a review of milage fee program in several countries and pilot programs in the United States.

Google

Congressional Budget Office Presents Testimony on Transportation Spending

Earlier this month, Mr. Robert A. Sunshine, Deputy Director of the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) presented testimony on federal spending on surface transportation infrastructure. This report was prompted by events anticipate for 2007: the expiration of SAFETEA-LU and spending form the Highway Trust Fund outpacing revenues.

Most government spending on surface transportation infrastructure is by state and local governments (about three-fourths). The great majority of federal spending is on capital (92 percent). The majority of state and local spending is on operations and maintenance (64 percent).

The CBO points out that Congress will need to find ways to decrease spending (or at least the growth in spending), increase revenues, or some combination of these. Fully funding the projected spending by raising fuel taxes could result in an increase of 5 cents per gallon.

The CBO suggested alternatives to fuel taxes.
-Mileage fees. Fees based on the number of miles traveled by a vehicle. This would include tolls.
-Weight-distance fees. Annual fees based on the mileage and type of vehicle.
-Congestion fees. Fees based on road choice and travel timing.
State and local governments are using or have experimented with these alternatives. They are advantageous and more economically efficient in that they link particular infrastructure resources to their users and type of use. The present fuel tax system is advantageous in that it is relatively inexpensive to administer and hard to evade.

Government Accountability Office Issues Report on Surface Transportation Programs

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has issued a report (GAO-08-400) on the state of federal surface transportation programs. The report dealt with both the effectiveness of programs and the sustainability of present funding schemes.

GAO found that, as federal involvement in highways has grown since the 1950s, the government has produced a hodge-podge of programs with vague goals and uncertain federal roles that are sometimes contradictory (the agency put it somewhat more gently than that). The result is programs that don’t effectively address current issues like congestion and heavy freight traffic. They recommend that Congress undertake creating more clear definitions of the role of federal transportation agencies, desired results of programs, and outcomes expected from recipients of federal aid.
GAO also addressed projected shortfalls in federal transportation trust funds. Deficits in some of these funds may begin as early as next year for the major federal highway fund. (Last fall, the Congressional Budget Office issued a report on this shortfall.)