Senators Seek Smaller, Targeted Transport Bill

Transportation interests are praising bipartisan efforts in the Senate to craft a new surface transport bill even though the measure is only about two-thirds the size of what President Obama proposed.

Janet Kavinoky, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s top transportation lobbyist, calls the talks by leaders of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee “significant progress” toward a new a bill, especially their plan to maintain current funding.

The plan is one of several under discussion in Congress in hopes of passing a final bill before the fiscal year ends June 30. But none include details on how to pay for new programs, and that is a major barrier to concluding any agreement in the face of sharp divisions on Capitol Hill over the federal budget.

Sens. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., and James Inhofe, R-Okla., who are the chair and ranking members of the EPW committee, this week outlined their potential legislation. They were joined by the chairman and ranking member of the EPW Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee, Sens. Max Baucus, D-Mont., and David Vitter, R-La.

They said the measure would keep funding transportation programs at current levels, in contrast to cuts sought in the House, would create programs more focused on freight movement and enhance a popular federal loan subsidy program for highway projects.

Boxer told reporters the EPW bill would total $339 billion, far below Obama’s proposed $556 billion plan but still above the yearly revenue from fuel taxes that fund highway and transit programs.

Kavinoky, urged the lawmakers to work with the Senate Finance Committee “to find the resources needed to not only prevent cuts in federal investment levels but to provide the additional investments needed to improve transportation system performance that will grow the U.S. economy.”

-- Contact John D. Boyd at jboyd@joc.com. Follow him on Twitter www.twitter.com/jboydjoc