Facing a July 31 deadline for the
expiration of Federal Highway Trust Fund appropriations, only one of the five
key Congressional committees charged with legislating U. S. surface
transportation policy seems capable of any action during this session. Senate
Environment and Public Works Chair James Inhofe (R-Ok) and Ranking Member
Barbra Boxer (D-Cal) have agreed on and passed out of their committee the DRIVE
[Developing a Reliable and Innovative Vision for the Economy] Act, which
proposes a six year, $350 billion surface transportation appropriation, and the
Senate Banking Committee, in charge of transit construction appropriations, and
the Senate Commerce Committee, in charge of rail and bus appropriations, are
expected to add on as much $90 billion more to the dream pot of gold.
The problems, however, are in the
Senate Finance Committee, which will refuse to increase motor fuel taxes to
bring sufficient Highway Trust Fund revenue to fund this ambitious package, and
in the House Ways and Means Committee, where Chair Paul Ryan (R-Wi) refuses to
consider a motor fuel tax increase, and offers no alternative sources of
revenue.
Congress has already pumped $62
billion in general revenue into the Highway Trust Fund to make up for money
lost to CAFÉ’s increasing fuel mileage requirements for cars and trucks, to
hybrid and electric vehicles, and to the fact that general economic woes have
cut into everyone’s miles driven per year. The Congressional Budget Office
estimates another $11 billion in general revenues will be needed next year just
to keep federal surface transportation funds flowing to the states at current
levels. Look for the 35th successive band aid, short term
legislative fix to push this issue out beyond the next federal electioin cycle.
