The Transportation Clock is Ticking: Impacts, Risks, and Solutions
Channel: eesionline
Date: 2015-04-10

Learn more and download slides at www.eesi.org/040915trans
Table of contents: https://youtu.be/RoNfWaPlX0E?t=15s

The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) and the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) held a briefing about the looming expiration of the Transportation Bill. How does uncertainty over federal transportation funding put jobs and local economies at risk? What can be done to ensure stable, long-term federal investment in public transit, highways, and bridges? How can new information from APTA, which was released at the briefing, help us understand how the federal funding at risk impacts specific regions and the nation as a whole?

Speakers:

Paul Balmer
Legislative Assistant, Rep. Earl Blumenauer (Member, Ways & Means Committee).
View video presentation: 

Michael Melaniphy
President and CEO, American Public Transportation Association (APTA)
Download slides: http://www.eesi.org/files/Michael_Melaniphy_040915.pdf
View video presentation: https://youtu.be/RoNfWaPlX0E?t=6m45s

Emmett Jordan
Mayor, Greenbelt, MD
View video presentation: https://youtu.be/RoNfWaPlX0E?t=20m26s

Drew Preston
Manager, Congressional and Public Affairs, U.S. Chamber of Commerce
View video presentation: https://youtu.be/RoNfWaPlX0E?t=28m1s

Question & Answer Session
https://youtu.be/RoNfWaPlX0E?t=43m55s

The Transportation Bill, Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21), was signed into law in July 2012, and included many innovative bipartisan policy enhancements. Current federal fuel taxes are not adequate to sustain the Highway Trust Fund and Mass Transit Account. These user fees have not changed in 22 years and so have not kept up with inflation. Today, funding sources supporting the Highway Trust Fund no longer suffice to maintain the nation's infrastructure, let alone improve it. Moreover, use of the Highway Trust Fund for surface transportation investments has only been authorized through May 31, 2015.

Transit agencies and state DOT’s need funding to be in place so they can move forward with contract work during the upcoming construction season. They will not be able to do so unless they are certain that federal funding assistance will be available over the full life of those projects. Such delays have a considerable impact on the local and national economy.

The briefing was held in conjunction with Stand Up For Transportation Day. On April 9, over 140 communities across the nation—large and small, rural, suburban and urban—held events to trumpet the critical need for stable, long-term federal investment in public transit, highways and bridges.