National Association of Regional Councils

 *New* On June 22, 2009, the Chairman released the full legislative proposal to accompany his blueprint, which can be found here. NARC's summary of the full proposal can be found here. The Committee held a mark-up of the legislation on June 24, 2009 in the Highways and Transit Subcommittee, and is anticipated to move to a full committee mark-up in late July, 2009.

On June 18, 2009, Chairman James Oberstar (D-MN), House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, along with Ranking Member John Mica, Highways and Transit Subcommittee Chairman Peter DeFazio, and Ranking Member John Duncan, Jr. released the plan for a new approach to surface transportation authorization, “The Surface Transportation Authorization Act of 2009: A Blueprint for Investment and Reform.”

This blueprint for a six-year, $500 billion bill is designed to overhaul the U.S. Department of Transportation, expedite projects, coordinate planning for different modes of transportation and tie federal funds to measurable benchmarks. The bill incorporates many recommendations from the Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Commission’s final report as well as White House policy priorities. It is designed to achieve the following specific national objectives:

• reduce fatalities and injuries on our nation’s highways;
• unlock the congestion that cripples major cities and the freight transportation network;
• provide transportation choices for commuters and travelers;
• limit the adverse effects of transportation on the environment; and,
• promote public health and the livability of our communities.

The plan highlights include:

1. Undersecretary of Intermodalism ensuring that transportation modal agencies work together.
   
2. Office of Expedited Project Delivery monitoring the progress of projects to ensure timely completion.
3. Office of Livability ensuring transportation projects are tied to housing and economic development initiatives.
4. National Infrastructure Bank providing funding for projects of national significance and supplement transportation investments.
5. Metropolitan Mobility and Access to provide funding and require major metropolitan areas to develop comprehensive regional plans with local strategies that improve transportation congestion.
6. Freight/Goods Movement to create a new funding formula that allocates funding for States to improve the flow of goods through planning.

The general plan recommendations are:

• Redefining the Federal role and restructuring Federal surface transportation by consolidating or terminating more than 75 programs and consolidating the majority of highway funding in four, core formula categories:

(1)   Critical Asset Investment

(2)   Highway Safety Improvement

(3)   Surface Transportation

(4)   Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement (CMAQ)

• Focusing the majority of transit funding in four core categories to bring urban and rural public transit systems to a state of good repair; provide specific funding to restore transit rail systems; provide mobility and access to transit-dependent individuals; and plan, design, and construct new transit lines and intermodal facilities;
  

• Directing Federal highway safety investments to specific activities demonstrated to reduce fatalities and injuries on our roads;

• Establishing new initiatives to address the crippling congestion in major metropolitan regions, and eliminate bottlenecks in freight transportation;

• Allow USDOT to review the rural consultation process by eliminating a carry-over provision from TEA-21.

• Creating a National Transportation Strategic Plan, based on long-range highway, transit, and rail plans developed by States and metropolitan regions, to develop intermodal connectivity of the nation’s transportation system and identify projects of national significance;

• Reforming the U.S. Department of Transportation to require intermodal planning and decision-making; ensure that projects are planned and completed in a timely manner; and ensure that DOT programs advance the livability of communities;

• Requiring States and local governments to establish transportation plans with specific performance standards; measure their progress annually in meeting these standards; and periodically adjust their plans as necessary to achieve specific objectives;

• Improving the project delivery process by eliminating duplication in documentation and procedures;

• Establishing a new high speed rail program to finance planning, design, and construction;

• Creating a National Infrastructure Bank to better leverage limited transportation dollars;

• Providing funding of $450 billion over six years, the Surface Transportation Authorization Act looks to:

–       Double the investment in highway and motor carrier safety to $12.6 billion;

–       Provide $337.4 billion for highway construction investment, including at least $100 billion for Capital Asset Investment to begin to restore the National Highway System (including the Interstate System) and the nation’s bridges to a state of good repair;

–       Provide $87.6 billion from the Mass Transit Account of the Highway Trust Fund and $12.2 billion from the General Fund for public transit investment to restore the nation’s public transit systems to a state of good repair, and provide access and transportation choices to all Americans from large cities to small towns;

–       Provide $50 billion for Metropolitan Mobility and Access to unlock the congestion that chokes major metropolitan regions; and,

–       Provide $25 billion for Projects of National Significance to enhance U.S. global competitiveness by increasing the focus on goods movement and freight mobility.

–       Providing $50 billion to develop 11 authorized high-speed rail corridors linking major metropolitan regions for projects that: encourage intermodal connectivity; produce energy, environmental, and other public benefits; create new jobs; and leverage contributions from state and private sources.

The Blueprint includes reforms in an effort to “increase the ability of metropolitan and local governments to access and benefit from both suballocated STP funding and transportation enhancement funds.”

1. MPO Reform

–       Population threshold for mandatory MPO creating is increased from 50,000 to 100,000, but allows existing MPOs in regions under 100,000 to be "grandfathered" in

–       Increased participation by public transit officials in all MPOs

–       Reforms MPO certification process by requiring proportional voting on MPO boards as well as performance targets, and applies certification requirements to all MPOs with 100,000-plus population

2. New Performance Targets

–       A national MPO database will be established for USDOT to collect information on MPO performance

–       USDOT to set transportation planning performance measures for MPOs with minimum requirements

–       MPOs to develop performance targets to meet the performance measures

–       MPOs to annually report on meeting performance measures

–       Performance measures to be linked to the MPO certification process

3. Strengthened Planning Process for Largest Metropolitan Areas

–       Metro areas with population of more than one million (or 500,000 if want to receive Metropolitan Mobility funding) are required to perform “Blueprint” alternative planning

–       Techniques include:

o       Land use to support improved mobility and reduced dependency on single occupant vehicle trips

o       Adequate supply of housing for all income levels

o       Limited impacts on valuable farmland, natural resources and air quality

o       Reductions in greenhouse gas emissions

o       Increase in water and energy conservation and efficiency

o       Increase in livable communities

1.      Strengthened Role of Rural Agencies in Statewide Process

–       Recognize RPOs that currently exist within the States

–       Direct States to coordinate with existing RPOs and local officials in statewide transportation planning process

–       Eliminates TEA-21 provision that prohibits DOT from reviewing rural consultation process

2.      Establishes New Performance Targets (for States)

• Affirms national interest to reduce fuel consumption, reliance on foreign oil, impacts on the environment and greenhouse gas emissions; and, encourage livability, sustainability, coordination and connectivity.
• Planning process to require consideration of projects and strategies that will:
  • increase sustainability, connectivity and livability;
  • reduce transportation-related greenhouse has emissions, reliance on foreign oil, and the impacts of climate change;
  • improve public health; and,
  • promote consistency among transportation, housing and land use.
• Create an emissions reduction process with:
  • USDOT and EPA to set national emissions reduction goals, as well as standardized methodologies and models;
  • States and MPOs to develop emissions reductions targets and strategies to meet national goals;
  • States and MPOs to set minimum requirements for reductions targets and strategies; and,
  • Links emissions reduction requirements to performance measures and MPO certification.

Click here for the plan’s executive summary.

Click here for the full Blueprint plan.

Click here for program consolidation and termination information.

Click here for the High Speed Rail map and click here for descriptions.

On May 14, 2009, the “Federal Transportation Policy and Planning Act of 2009,” (S 1036) was introduced by Senators Rockefeller (D-WV), chairman of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, and Lautenberg (D-NJ), chairman of the Subcommittee on Surface Transportation, to address the current and future needs of our economy, health, energy security, and environment, including tackling global warming emissions from the transportation sector. The measure looks to establish a unifying mission for the federal surface transportation program and sets performance targets, including goals to increase system safety, to repair and maintain existing assets, and to reduce congestion and carbon emissions through increased use of transit, rail, marine, and non-motorized transportation.

The following goals, which are enumerated in the bill, are indicated as benchmarks for future transportation policy:

• Reduce national per capita motor vehicle miles traveled on an annual basis;
• Reduce national motor vehicle-related fatalities by 50 percent by 2030;
• Reduce national surface transportation-generated carbon dioxide levels by 40 percent by 2030;
• Reduce national surface transportation delays per capita on an annual basis;
• Increase the percentage of system-critical surface transportation assets that are in a state of good repair by 20 percent by 2030;
• Increase the total usage of public transportation, intercity passenger rail services, and non-motorized transportation on an annual basis;
• Increase the proportion of national freight transportation provided by non-highway or multimodal services by 10 percent by 2020; and,
• Reduce passenger and freight transportation delays and congestion at international points of entry on an annual basis.

In order to meet these goals, the bill would require the development of:

• Performance criteria and data collections systems;
• Annual evaluations of programs;
• Determined changes or improvements to programs;
• Alignment of funding to meet the goals and criteria;
• Reviews and updates of planning requirements to ensure regional, State, and local transportation planning is consistent with the national goals; and,
• Annual reporting on the use of funds.

The bill would also require the development of a national surface transportation performance plan to accomplish the items listed above. This would be done by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation in consultation with local, State and tribal governments, public and private transportation companies, non profits representing transportation employees, and other interested parties.

Click here to access the bill text.

On Wednesday, June 17, 2009, the Obama administration proposed a short-term, 18-month reauthorization of surface transportation programs. In announcing the administration’s proposal, U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary LaHood said the first imperative is to shore up the federal Highway Trust Fund, which is projected to run a shortfall of $5 billion to $7 billion by later this summer.

“The first step is making sure that the Highway Trust Fund is solvent,” LaHood said in a statement. “The next step is addressing our transportation priorities over the long term.” LaHood said the short-term reauthorization would “replenish the Highway Trust Fund.”

LaHood said additional time is needed to pursue “critical reforms,” including investments guided by cost-benefit analysis, a shift of investment to metropolitan areas and spending designed to “promote the concept of livability to more closely link home and work.”

“I recognize that there will be concerns raised about this approach,” LaHood said. “However, with the reality of our fiscal environment and the critical demand to address our infrastructure investments in a smarter, more focused approach, we should not rush legislation.”

In the President’s fiscal year 2010 budget request, the following was proposed for U.S. Department of Transportation:

• Total department budget request = $73.3 billion ($71.5 billion was enacted in FY09)
  • $3.5 billion Airport Improvement Program (AIP) (level funding)
  • $175 million Essential Air Service (EAS) program (up $52 million from FY09)
  • $1 billion Capital Assistance High Speed Rail Corridors & Intercity Passenger Rail Service (up $970 million from FY09)
• $36.1 billion Federal-Aid Highways** ( reduced $4.7 billion from FY09)
• $1.8 billion Transit Capital Investment grants ** (up $1.8 billion from FY09)
• $1.5B Amtrak Subsidies (up $14 million from FY09)
• $5 billion National Infrastructure Bank (new)
• No funding for: Small Community Air Service program, Rail Line Relocation Grant Program and Surface Transportation Priority earmarks