US House & Senate preparing divergent transportation strategies

Oil for transpo vs. reform

Jay Blazek Crossley, Nov 09, 11.

The US Senate has passed an appropriations bill that would fund federal transportation projects at existing levels with a series of reforms, according to DC Streetsblog. However, the US House is reportedly hoping by the end of the year to pass a competing bill that would use expanded domestic natural resource extraction to pay for transportation spending beyond that available in the Highway Trust Fund, according to AASHTO.

A Senate committee has also passed a 2-year transportation authorization bill that would end earmarks forever, but cut bicycle and pedestrian spending, according to DC Streetsblog. This proposal would put all such funds - at lower amounts - into the locally controlled Congestion Mitigation & Air Quality programs, allowing local governments to spend the funds on road expansion instead of sustainable transportation, as was done by the Transportation Policy Council earlier this year in the Houston region.