In the 5-14-09 Trains News Wire it is reported that Rep. James Oberstar, D-Minn., chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee, has signaled that he wants to see parity in the way highways and transit projects are funded. Trains News Wire cited a report in Transportation Weekly. Trains News Wire is subscriber-only content (I'm a subscriber), so a link here would be useless (though several AU folks have tried it lately). Transportation Weekly is also apparently subscriber-only, and I can only find old articles posted online.
However, here is a brief paragraph from the Trains News Wire story which contains the meat of the issue:
"...states that want to build highways are eligible for federal funds to match them at an 80 percent/20 percent rate. Meanwhile, if a state wants to build a new transit project, it's generally eligible for only a 50/50 grant. While Oberstar hasn't spelled out how he'd like to see the federal and state governments split the bill, his outline calls for parity between the two. In other words, if the federal government funds highways at an 80/20 rate, it should also fund transit projects at an 80/20 rate."
This would be HUGE.
An item in "Logistics Management" touches on the impact funding parity (it uses the word "equity") would have on the shipping industry, meaning trucks. Though the article is oblique about it, and doesn't come right out and say trucks, what else could it be if one is talking about changes in highway funding?
Transportation infrastructure: Leaked copy of Oberstar transportation bill offers clues to new vision for transportation policy
"One thing for certain with the next bill, in regards to the 'transit equity' component, is that shippers and carriers can expect to be paying more in the form of consumption-based pricing, said Michael A. Regan, CEO of transportation rate analysts TranzAct Technologies."
However, here is a brief paragraph from the Trains News Wire story which contains the meat of the issue:
"...states that want to build highways are eligible for federal funds to match them at an 80 percent/20 percent rate. Meanwhile, if a state wants to build a new transit project, it's generally eligible for only a 50/50 grant. While Oberstar hasn't spelled out how he'd like to see the federal and state governments split the bill, his outline calls for parity between the two. In other words, if the federal government funds highways at an 80/20 rate, it should also fund transit projects at an 80/20 rate."
This would be HUGE.
An item in "Logistics Management" touches on the impact funding parity (it uses the word "equity") would have on the shipping industry, meaning trucks. Though the article is oblique about it, and doesn't come right out and say trucks, what else could it be if one is talking about changes in highway funding?
Transportation infrastructure: Leaked copy of Oberstar transportation bill offers clues to new vision for transportation policy
"One thing for certain with the next bill, in regards to the 'transit equity' component, is that shippers and carriers can expect to be paying more in the form of consumption-based pricing, said Michael A. Regan, CEO of transportation rate analysts TranzAct Technologies."
