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2009 Federal Transportation Bill
In 2009, the United States Congress will be due for passage of another 6-year bill authorizing federal transportation spending. The federal transportation bill sets both funding targets and federal transportation policy. Rather than a simple reauthorization of existing policy, the 2009 bill is expected to be a turning point for new policies and funding formulas, in recognition of the urgency of national needs -- obesity prevention, escalating fuel prices, the need for energy independence from Middle East oil, and perhaps most important, the battle against global climate change.
Transportation for America Leading the Charge
Transportation for America
is a coalition formed specifically to advocate for the best 
federal transportation bill possible, given the amount of funding involved and the critical juncture at which transportation policy now stands. They emphasize rail, transit, bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure, smart-growth communities, and road repair instead of highway expansion.
Transportation for America’s Blueprint for Reform sets concrete performance targets that federal transportation legislation should meet. For example, they recommend [12]:
- reducing vehicle-miles traveled by 16 percent in 20 years
- tripling walking, biking and transit use
- reducing to zero the percentage of population exposed to at-risk air pollution levels
- moving beyond the federal gas tax to find a reliable revenue stream to fund transit
Oberstar’s Draft
As chairman of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, Rep.
James Oberstar
(D-MN) will play a central role in shaping the federal transportation reauthorization. His draft of the bill, released in June 2009, is a six-year prescription for improving transportation safety, mobility, connectivity and access, with positive impacts on the environment, public health and community livability. It weighs in at $450 to $500 billion, nearly twice the cost of the 2005 bill.
Even a cursory glance shows that Oberstar’s vision is less car-oriented than the Bush-era
SAFETEA-LU
[1]. It lists several non-highway programs, including the Nonmotorized Transportation Pilot Program, the
Safe Routes to School
program and an Office of Livability. It also features a major section on rail.
The bill offers several important breaks with
SAFETEA-LU
. For example, it:
- Links transportation policy to climate protection
- Emphasizes road and bridge maintenance over highway expansions
- Eliminates “reduced travel time” as the top criteria for funding transit projects and instead considers the many other important benefits that transit may bring [2]
- Allows metropolitan areas to plan their own transportation projects directly, using federal dollars [2]
Transportation for America
and others praised many aspects of this first draft [2].
However, this version omits funding sources as well as specific dollar amounts for each program. It was criticized for being too open-ended, not setting national goals and not holding states and MPOs accountable for progress toward green transportation [2, 7]. Because this is a work in progress, livable streets advocates are hopeful that many of these issues can be easily resolved, even with simple language edits.
In short, the Oberstar bill does not seem to be the wholesale reform that is needed. Shelley Poticha, co-chair of Transportation for America noted, “Our nation’s transportation program has not been significantly upgraded since the 1950’s….Now is the time for our lawmakers to upgrade and transform our infrastructure. If we want to be competitive in today’s economy this bill must offer Americans innovative solutions that give people options and connect our cities, regions, and rural areas. Americans will likely not get that unless we improve this bill now.” [3]
The Obama Administration’s Vision
The Obama Administration prefers an 18-month extension that would allow for some revisions to the old bill. This long prelude period, which they refer to as Stage 1 Reauthorization, would keep the Highway Trust Fund solvent while laying the groundwork for reforms that could be expanded upon when a full reauthorization is passed in 2011. The White House is particularly interested in
regional access+
and livability [4]. They also want to see state and local planning organizations provide full transparency as well as accountability (i.e., proof of tangible results) for transportation programs implemented with federal dollars.
In October 2009, there was talk that a second stimulus package, and the transportation-related spending it would include, could move the White House toward an earlier transportation bill, possibly in 2009. [11]
Continued Delay in 2009
Hope is fading that a federal transportation bill will pass in 2009.
Throughout the summer, both the Senate [5] and the Obama Administration [6] sought to delay the federal transportation reauthorization for 18 months. This timeline would allow transportation policy to continue under the Bush era SAFETEA-LU, and delay real reform until 2011.
However, many in Congress find a delay of this length unacceptable. Chairman James Oberstar notes that “The difficult decisions that we face today will not be any easier in 18 months, and the American people will pay the price for our inaction through lost jobs, decreased mobility, diminished productivity, and continued high levels of traffic fatalities and injuries” [8].
In late September, as the 2005 federal transportation bill (SAFETEA-LU) was set to expire, a debate emerged on whether to buy time with a short 3-month extension or to impose the 18-month waiting period [9]. The House passed a 3-month extension — extra time that seems to be needed to determine a funding source for the anticipated $500 billion dollar bill. House Republican leaders prefer the long-term extension to rule out any possibility of federal gas tax hike. However, on September 30, the Senate instead passed a 1-month extension, and may during that time period agree to match the House’s 3-month extension [10].
ALSO ON THE LIVABLE STREETS NETWORK
REFERENCES
Each source is referred to by the same number every time it is cited. Please keep citation style consistent.
[1] SAFETEA-LU. Fedreal Highway Administration. U.S. Department of Transportation
[2] Davis, Stephen Lee. How does the new transporatation bill draft measure up? Transportation for America, June 24, 2009.
[3] Davis, Stephen Lee. Transportation Bill Lays Groundwork for Reform, But… Transportation for America, June 23, 2009.
[4] Davis, Stephen Lee. Administration Releases Their Principles for an 18-Month Transportation Bill. Transportation for America, July 1, 2009.
[5] Schor, Elana. Boxer and Inhofe Agree: Transportation Policy Reform Can Wait. Streetsblog Capitol Hill, June 25, 2009.
[6] Schor, Elana. LaHood Asks for 18-month Extension of Four-Year Old Transpo Law. Streetsblog Capitol Hill, June 17,2009.
[7] Schor, Elana. Oberstar’s Transportation Bill: The Early Word. Streetsblog Capitol Hill, June 22, 2009.
[8] Schor, Elana. Déjà Vu: Congress Could Put Off Deal on Transport Bill Until Next Month. Streetsblog Capitol Hill, September 24, 2009.
[9] Schor, Elana. House Voting Today on Transpo Law… Or Not?? Streetsblog Capitol Hill, September 23, 2009.
[10] Transportation bill expires; emergency extension passed. Transportation for America Blog, October 1, 2009.
[11] Schor, Elana. Is a Bigger Transportation Bill — This Year — Back on the Table? Streetsblog Capitol Hill, October 6, 2009.
[12] The Route to Reform: Blueprint for a 21st Century Federal Transportation Program. Transportation for America.
PICTURE REFERENCES
[1] Transit stop. Photo by Dan Burden via the Pedestrian and Bicycle Image Library.
[2] Route to Reform Blueprint. Web banner by Transportation for America.
[3] Rep. James Oberstar. Photo by Brendan Smialowski via Zimbio.com.
FURTHER READING
- James Oberstar’s draft of the federal transportation bill (pdf), via Transportation for America.
- The Route to Reform: Blueprint for a 21st Century Federal Transportation Program. Transportation for America.
- Transportation for America Platform
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