MAP-21 mapped out

After 33 months of wrangling, Congress finally agreed late last week on a transportation package to replace SAFETEA-LU. It's called MAP-21 -- Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act -- and will direct $105 billion worth of federal surface transportation funding for the next 27 months, through October 2014.

MAP-21 addresses multiple issues. Although there is general relief that something has been passed, not everyone is happy with the result. For summaries and perspectives, try the following:

• Easy-to-digest summary posted by a Washington, DC blogger
• Cheat Sheet part 1 & part 2 and MAP-21 Learning Center supplied by Transportation Issues Daily (TID)
• US Department of Transportation MAP-21 web portal
• Quotes from Congressional leaders (TID) about the compromise
• Joint Explanatory Statement from Congress describing the final bill negotiations
• Chart comparing final Conference Report version to original Senate and House versions (Politico)
• Congressional Budget Office (CBO) cost estimate
• The Secretary of Transportation says that "this is a good bill that will create jobs, strengthen our transportation system, and grow our economy"
• National Journal asks transportation experts whether it's "an early Christmas present or a lump of coal"
• Rails-to-Trails Conservancy suggests the bill is "a step back"
• Transportation for America says it's "a clear step backwards"

More opinions and perspectives are bound to be issued in the coming days, weeks, and months as the details of the package are poured over and the implications are put into play once signed by President Obama.


What's your take?

Update on Federal transport issues

Transportation remains a hot topic of debate on the national level.

The White House released its Fiscal Year (FY) 2013 budget proposal, which includes significant implications for transportation policy and investment. The US Department of Transportation issued a press release regarding the budget proposal and the Secretary of Transportation blogged about it.

The new urbanism/smart growth advocacy group Better! Cities & Towns shared its perspective on the budget proposal: “Though hardly anyone has noticed, the proposed 2013 budget of the US Department of Transportation (DOT) promises a remarkable advance: It takes livability mainstream.”

Congress continues to debate disparate visions for transportation policy and investment in the Senate and House versions of surface transportation re-authorization.

The Transportation for America campaign provides its take on the latest developments, including the House abandoning the idea of a 5-year bill in favor of the shorter timeframe propsed in the Senate through the MAP-21 legislation.

The Transportation Issues Daily blog advocates supporting passage of the House bill, "even if you hate it."

Through a transport policy blog sponsored by the National Journal, transportation experts discuss whether we'll ever see a long-term surface transportation re-authorization.

Interesting times indeed in the word of transportation...

New Transportation package still on hold

According to this story, the White House continues to prefer extensions to SAFETEA-LU rather than take up a new 6-year transportation investment package. This isn't sitting well with Rep. James Oberstar (D-Minn), Chair of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. Apparently, the Surface Transportation Authorization plan proposed by Oberstar in the spring of 2009 is in line with the administration's policies; the debate is over how to fund the investments (and how this plays out in an election year).

Transportation Secretary on biking, walking, and "what Americans want"

In an April 5 interview with the New York Times, Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood talks about the recently updated United States Department of Transportation Policy Statement on Bicycle and Pedestrian Accommodation. Secretary LaHood continues to characterize the policy update as a "sea change." He also states that the support for bicycle and pedestrian investments is "what Americans want."

April 14 Note: "Transportation's Bicycle Policy Hits Potholes"
The Seattle Times / Associated Press reports some backlash from "some conservatives and industries dependent on trucking" concerning the recent announcements of Secretary LaHood.

"The Transportation Prescription"

A coalition consisting of PolicyLink, Prevention Institute and Convergence Partnership has published a report entitled, The Transportation Prescription: Bold New Ideas for Healthy, Equitable Transportation Reform in America that accompanies an edited volume of detailed transportation and health policy advocacy.

The policy perspective addresses a wide variety of issues and choices in the broad field of transportation, while continually returning to public health as a focal point.

The Foreward to the report is contributed by Congressman James Oberstar, Chair of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. Congress is currently considering a successor to the current surface transportation legislation, last enacted in 2005. This legislation will directly affect the investment of billions of dollars in transportation infrastructure and programs.

“Environmental sustainability, access, and our collective well-being must combine with mobility and safety as the cornerstones of our transportation investments. The following report represents an important contribution to our emerging understanding of the connections between transportation and public health and is an invaluable resource for policymakers and all those interested in building healthy communities. With a greater recognition of the strong linkage between public health and transportation, I believe we can build a network that supports our mobility and creates access and economic strength while promoting equity, sustaining our good health and quality of life.”

Representative Jim Oberstar

Chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee

USDOT Transportation Secretary addresses energy & the transportation sector

The US Secretary of Transportation, Ray LaHood, spoke to the Council on Competiveness National Energy Summit & International Dialogue on September 23 about the role of the transportation sector in our energy challenges, and the steps the US Department of Transportation is taking to address those challenges.

See Secretary LaHood's blog entry about the event.

Thumbnail updates of his "Welcome to the Fast Lane" blog, as well as other transportation-related blogs, appear on the right side of this blog. Scroll down to see the list.

Time for some CLEAN-TEA

On March 11, 2009, the Clean Low-Emissions Affordable New Transportation Equity Act, known as CLEAN-TEA for short, was introduced in Congress as the next transportation Federal aid package.

Senators Carper (D-DE) and Specter (R-PA) and Reps. Blumenauer (D-OR), Tauscher (D-CA), and LaTourette (R-OH) are the lead sponsors of S. 575 in the Senate and H.R. 1329 in the House. CLEAN-TEA would be the latest in a line of Federal aid transportation packages that began with the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956, and have included recent reauthorizations known as ISTEA (1991, pronounced "ice tea"), TEA-21 (1998), and SAFETEA-LU (2005), the current act which expires on September 30, 2009.

Some had speculated that the next package would be called "GREEN-TEA," but it looks like "CLEAN-TEA" won out in the end.)

Read the press release from Representative Blumenauer for the perspective of one of the sponsors.

Alternatively, there is a one-page PDF summary from the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) and a two-page factsheet from Smart Growth America that focuses on the relationship between CLEAN-TEA and reductions in emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG). (From their website: "Smart Growth America is a coalition of national, state and local organizations working to improve the ways we plan and build the towns, cities and metro areas we call home.")

You can follow the Senate version here and the House version here as the bills go through the legislative process.

In leading up to development of a new transportation package, a National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Study Commission released a report concerning the challenges we face as as nation with respect to maintaining and improving our transportation infrastructure.

Whatever the final Federal transportation aid package, it will have significant effects on the national , state and local transportation system for years to come.