November 29, 2007

State Legislatures Told to Seize Opportunity And Shape National Transportation Policy

Transporation Secretary Encourages Bold and Grand Ideas From States

PHOENIX – America’s state legislators have a “once in a lifetime opportunity” to shape national transportation policy, according to the nation’s top transportation official.

U. S. Department of Transportation Secretary Mary Peters told state legislators from across the country that she believes states will play an important role in creating “bold, grand ideas” to solve the nation’s transportation challenges.

“It is a fact of life across every mode of transportation today, we’re seeing increasing levels of congestion,” she told attendees at the National Conference of State Legislatures’ Fall Forum. “Congestion is clogging our highways. It’s choking our cities.”

Peters noted that while state legislators have taken part in White House legislative transportation summits, she believes state policymakers need to be more vocal in expressing their opinions during the current period where transportation reauthorization is being considered.

“This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for (state legislatures) to step up and have an important, integral role in where this next reauthorization period goes,” she said. “No one knows better the solutions that will work for you in your states than you do.”

NCSL has taken a lead role in the reauthorization legislation, creating a Surface Transportation Reauthorization Working Group to make sure the concerns of states are heard.

Just as states took the lead role years ago in pushing welfare reform when Congress was gridlocked, she said states should take the opportunity to bring fresh ideas to today’s transportation problems.

“The more I think about the big challenges that we face in transportation, the more convinced I am of the need to move forward with new ideas, bold, grand ideas to solve those transportation challenges,” she said. “I think the bold ideas that we need to move transportation forward are going to come from the statehouses around this nation.”

States should have the ability to prioritize their projects with less interference from Washington, D.C., she said.  “It is your money. This money is collected from the constituents you represent through federal gas tax when it comes to surface transportation. I want (states) to have the opportunity to prioritize, to leverage with private investment, where you choose to.”

She acknowledged difficulties with funds states receive from Washington, D.C. “Federal funds comes with all kinds of strings that add time and add costs to transportation projects.” She added, “Washington mandates have increasingly overridden state transportation priorities. These misdirected mandates saddle states with building projects that may or may not be your priorities. What I want to do, and what President Bush wants to do, is to give states more flexibility to innovate.”

Peters said the current transportation budget approved by the House demonstrates another problem that takes away money from states – earmarks. “The House included over 2000 earmarks that divert funds from priority purposes such as bridge repairs and highways to pay for among other things, museums, zoos, gardens, gymnasiums and even golf courses.”

In addition, Peters says she expects a $4.3 billion shortfall in the highway trust fund in fiscal year 2009 and could be driven up further, which “would mean substantially less dollars” for state projects.

She encouraged states to look more into private sector investment in transportation projects, noting that foreign countries routinely do this. As projects, such as toll roads, become more common, she believes there is more public acceptance when citizens see the projects are completed more efficiently and quickly. She noted that the California governor and Chicago mayor recently made public statements encouraging more private sector involvement in transportation projects. States are fertile ground to promote these types of public-private partnerships, she said.

States hold the keys, Peters say, to the future of transportation policy in America and encouraged them to promote innovative solutions. “When states provide this type of leadership, Washington will follow.”

NCSL is the bipartisan organization that serves the legislators and staff of the states, commonwealths and territories. It provides research, technical assistance and opportunities for policymakers to exchange ideas on the most pressing state issues and is an effective and respected advocate for the interests of the states in the American federal system.

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