NATIONAL NEWS
The Hill: Five ways to fix the Highway Trust Fund
Lawmakers are scrambling to find ways to plug a $20 billion hole in the Highway Trust Fund before a projected bankruptcy this fall.
The Hill: DOT chief launches bus tour to push for transport funding
Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx is launching a national bus tour to push lawmakers to approve a new round of road and transit funding.
WNYC: Obama Administration Faces Tough Sell On Transportation Spending
http://www.wnyc.org/story/obama-administration-faces-tough-sell-transportation-spending/
The federal highway trust fund is heading toward insolvency in late summer. The fund distributes about $50 billion annually to maintain and rebuild aging transportation infrastructure: crumbling bridges, pothole-pocked roadways. The debate over how to replenish it is about to begin.
E&E News: IPCC authors find transportation emissions on track to double by 2050
http://www.eenews.net/stories/1059997683
On the current trajectory, greenhouse gas emissions from cars, trains, ships and airplanes may become one of the greatest drivers of human-induced climate change, according to a draft of the forthcoming U.N. fifth assessment report on mitigation of climate change.
Bloomberg Businessweek: Parking Lots Demolished in Cities’ Revenue Bid as Driving Wanes
After decades of copying sprawling suburbs by accommodating the automobile, U.S. cities are starting to tear up their slabs of asphalt.
STATE NEWS
Washington Post: Metro agrees federal grant rules were violated, blames a previous management team
Metro officials on Thursday issued their formal written response to a draft federal report that raised serious questions about the authority’s handling of billions in federal grant funds.
Atlanta Journal-Constitution: MARTA to increase rail service in May
http://www.ajc.com/news/news/local/marta-to-increase-up-rail-service-in-may/nfWGJ/
Commuters rejoice! Soon you’ll be spending less time waiting for MARTA trains and buses.
Star-Ledger: NJ voters support state worker wage freeze but oppose gas tax hike, poll shows
A poll released today shows more than half of New Jersey's registered voters support a wage freeze for state workers to rein in the state budget, while an even larger share oppose raising the gasoline tax.
St. Louis American: Loop Trolley gets $25M federal grant, Kwame has contract
The Loop Trolley Transportation Development District received approval from the Federal Transit Administration for a $25 million Urban Circulator Grant to build a fixed-route electric trolley system in the City of St. Louis and University City. The grant is the major funding source for the $43 million project.
The Oregonian: Portland Street Seats program expands, turning more parking spots into restaurant space
http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2014/04/portland_street_seats_program.html
A Portland Bureau of Transportation program that converts parking spots into seating for restaurants will expand this summer.
POLITICO MORNING TRANSPORTATION
By Adam Snider | 4/11/14 5:53 AM EDT
Featuring Kathryn A. Wolfe and Kevin Robillard
ROADMAP TO THE NEXT TRANSPORTATION BILL: The Senate EPW Committee’s “big four” have agreed in principle on how to proceed with the next transportation bill — now it’s just up to the Finance Committee to find the tens of billions of dollars needed to keep the Highway Trust Fund afloat. At a Thursday morning presser in the Capitol, EPW Chair Barbara Boxer, ranking member David Vitter and transportation panel leaders Tom Carper and John Barrasso laid out an ambitious goal: a six-year bill that adjusts current spending levels for inflation, maintains existing formula programs, better utilizes local resources and improves information-sharing for federal grantees. Despite broad agreement on the need to act, the money hunt will be difficult — a six-year bill will cost around $100 billion, even more if lawmakers want to avoid leaving the trust fund broke again at the end of the six years.
A fork in the road: Lawmakers have two different big transportation issues to address in the coming months — the Highway Trust Fund is set to go broke this July, with road and transit policy expiring at the end of September. Boxer wants to deal with those two issues together in one bill that gets passed before the fund goes insolvent, saying that “we don’t have a Plan B for our committee” and that leaders “are moving fast in order to avoid any kind of patch.” But House Transportation Chairman Bill Shuster is approaching things differently. “Yeah, definitely two separate issues,” he said when MT asked him for his thoughts. “We’re trying to figure out how to do it. We’ve been talking to leadership but nothing’s been resolved.” Shuster added that he “would love a longer-term, multiple-year bill, certainly longer than two years,” but that it all comes down to how much money can be raised.
Pessimism vs. optimism: South Dakota Sen. John Thune, the top Republican on the Commerce Committee that controls a slice of the bill, told MT that “it’s hard to see that it gets done this year.” Most of the blame for Thune’s pessimism lies with the needed offset, he said, stressing that general fund transfers are “not a sustainable formula for the future.” EPW member Jim Inhofe, who played a huge rule in MAP-21 as the panel’s ranking member two years ago, said that lawmakers “should be optimistic” about the bill, adding that “it should be enjoying the highest priority of anything we’re dealing with, second only to national defense.” But that’s not the case, is it, senator? “I’m afraid it’s not.” Kathryn and your morning host combine forces for the Pro story: http://politico.pro/1gdCmJf
FOXX’S ROAD TRIP: Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx starts an eight-state, five-day road trip next week to “showcase the importance of transportation investment” as the trust fund stares down bankruptcy. Dubbed “Invest in America, Commit to the Future,” the tour will start in Columbus, Ohio, and end in Dallas. In between, Foxx will stop by cities of all sizes: Dayton, Cincinnati, Louisville, Nashville, Atlanta, Anniston, Birmingham, Demopolis, Jackson, Madison Parish and Shreveport. He’ll be visiting “manufacturers, bridges, freight facilities, and highway projects” to boost awareness of the “infrastructure deficit” caused by falling Highway Trust Fund balances and increased needs, according to DOT. You can track the progress of the road-trip with a handy map (http://1.usa.gov/1hmnLfu) or read more from Foxx himself on his DOT blog (http://1.usa.gov/1kwMUXX).
HAPPY FRIDAY! Thanks for reading POLITICO’s Morning Transportation, your daily tipsheet on trains, planes, automobiles and ports, where on this in 1921, Iowa became the first U.S. state to implement a cigarette tax. Please be in touch: asnider@politico.com and @AdamKSnider on Twitter.
“Tonight we're taking my fast car, we’re gonna go down to the cowboy bar…” http://bit.ly/1g2jcpQ
**A message from POWERJobs: Jobs on our radar this week: Manager — Transportation Programs at Deloitte, Director, Public Affairs and Grassroots Advocacy, National Association of Manufacturers, Supply Chain Bus Systems Manager, METRO. Interested? Apply to these jobs and more at www.POWERJobs.com; finally, a career site made for YOU!**
TOTAL RECALL: General Motors is expanding its previous recall for faulty ignition switches to include the entire ignition lock cylinder, saying the part can “allow removal of the ignition key while the engine is running, leading to a possible rollaway, crash and occupant or pedestrian injuries.” The automaker said it knows of “several hundred” complaints of keys coming out of the ignition, but has found only one crash and one injury related to the problem, with no fatalities. The move will cost GM even more money than it previously thought — it upped its recall cost estimate to $1.3 billion, well above the $750 million price tag it predicted less than two weeks ago. Automotive News has a good diagram of the assembly: http://bit.ly/1i5VDwV
On leave: Two GM engineers involved in approving a faulty ignition switch that led to at least 13 deaths have been placed on paid leave, CEO Mary Barra said yesterday in the automaker’s first internal disciplinary action in the wake of the recall of millions of cars around the world. “This is an interim step as we seek the truth about what happened,” Barra said in a statement. “It was a difficult decision, but I believe it is best for GM.” Barra also announced a “Speak Up For Safety” program designed to reward employees that point out safety problems or offer other ideas to make GM cars safer.
Reaction from the Hill: Sen. Claire McCaskill praised GM’s move. “It’s about time,” she said in a statement. “Of the many frustrating moments in our hearing last week, an especially surreal one was learning that the GM employee who had obviously committed perjury hadn’t even been suspended and was still on the job in a role with a direct impact on the safety of GM’s products.” Fellow Commerce member Richard Blumenthal wasn’t satisfied, though, saying that discipline didn’t go far enough and that the automaker needs to tell owners to stop driving the vehicles in question (http://politico.pro/1gQUMeY). “This minor disciplinary step sadly neglects drivers still in serious danger,” he said. Rep. Diana DeGette said the announcement “shows they continue to take this investigation seriously, and I take this news as a sign of progress.”
HOUSE DEMS TARGET TSA’S BEHAVIORAL PROGRAM: Four key House Democrats want to know why the TSA is expanding part of its controversial SPOT behavioral detection program that has drawn strong opposition on the Hill. The lawmakers asked about the “Targeted Conversation” program, under which travelers who refuse to answer questions from behavior detection officers are forced to undergo secondary screening. The program “represents an intrusion into the privacy of the flying public through a process TSA has not scientifically validated,” the members wrote to TSA Administrator John Pistole. The letter was signed by Homeland Security ranking member Bennie Thompson, transportation security panel ranking member Cedric Richmond, Judiciary Committee top Dem John Conyers and Oversight and Government Reform’s Elijah Cummings. Read it: http://1.usa.gov/1iz6mfS
THE AUTOBAHN (SPEED READ)
— February’s winter weather was bad news for airlines — on-time rates were 10 percentage points below the same month a year ago. The AP: http://bit.ly/1qlGLNI
— Federal Air Marshal Service head Robert Bray resigns amidst a probe into a plan to acquire guns for personal use. Fox News: http://fxn.ws/1i6WWMc
— Lufthansa Technik announces it will build a new aviation facility in Puerto Rico. The AP: http://abcn.ws/1gfVTc2
— The American Automotive Policy Council threatens to oppose a major trade deal that doesn’t include “a strong enforceable currency provision.” POLITICO Pro: http://politico.pro/1hnKDvc
— WMATA files a formal, written response to an FTA reporting finding major problems with grants. http://bit.ly/1lUoGqC
THE DAY AHEAD: 9:30 a.m. — Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board holds a meeting of the Rail Vehicles Access Advisory Committee on revising and updating accessibility guidelines issued pursuant to the Americans with Disabilities Act for transportation vehicles that operate on fixed guideway systems, April 10-11. Access Board Conference Room, 1331 F Street NW, Suite 800.
5 p.m. — Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx, with Education Secretary Arne Duncan, delivers remarks at the National Youth Leadership Council's annual National Service Learning Conference on the importance and benefits of young people's civic engagement. Wardman Park Marriott, 2660 Woodley Road NW.
THE COUNTDOWN: MAP-21 expires and DOT funding runs out in 173 days. FAA policy is up in 538 days. The mid-term elections are in 207 days and the 2016 presidential election is in 942 days.
CABOOSE — Subway maps: There’s a range of styles of subway maps out there — so one amateur cartographer created a standardized system and made maps for systems around the world that make it look like you could connect all the systems of the world like pieces of a puzzle. The Atlantic Cities: http://bit.ly/1kafXhr
**A message from POWERJobs: Tap into the power of POWERJobs for the newest job opportunities in the Washington area from the area’s top employers, including Boeing, METRO, Financial Services Roundtable and SAIC. Powered by names you trust — POLITICO, WTOP, WJLA/ABC-TV, NewsChannel 8 and Federal News Radio- POWERJOBS is the ultimate career site with more than 2 million job searches and nearly 17,000 applications submitted this year so far. Connect through Facebook or LinkedIn, search jobs by industry and set up job-specific email alerts using www.POWERJobs.com, the site for Washington’s top talent.**
Stories from POLITICO Pro
EPW leaders agree to outlines of bill
U.S. Chamber, auto group clash on currency in TPP
EPW leaders agree to outlines of bill back
By Kathryn A. Wolfe and Adam Snider | 4/10/14 1:30 PM EDT
Leading senators from both parties on the Environment and Public Works Committee agreed Thursday to the broad principles of a long-term transportation bill and are moving aggressively toward a post-recess markup, hoping it spurs tax-writers to find a way to fund the program before summer.
But it immediately became clear that the goal faces some major roadblocks.
As both chambers were speeding through their business in anticipation of heading out of town, Sens. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), David Vitter (R-La.), Tom Carper (D-Del.) and John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) sketched out broad agreement on their parts of the bill. The four hold the top Democratic and Republicans slots on both the full committee and its subcommittee overseeing transportation.
However, the senators repeatedly stressed that finding the needed revenues lies in the hands of the Senate Finance Committee.
The four have agreed that a long-term — preferably six-year — bill is the goal, with funding set at current levels of spending plus inflation.That means the tax-writing committees would have to find about $16 billion a year in revenues beyond what the Highway Trust Fund can support, for however long the bill runs.
Also part of the agreement: maintaining formulas for existing core programs, expanding rural opportunities, “leveraging local resources” to accelerate transportation projects and requiring better information sharing on federal grants.
Boxer and Vitter said they had talked to their counterparts on the Senate Commerce and Senate Banking committees, which both have a piece of the bill. Commerce Chairman Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) doesn’t have a specific timeline for his panel’s part of the bill but said in an interview that it would be ready in time.
“The goal is for all of us to be acting together soon after this recess and build momentum and send our portions of the bill to the Finance Committee,” Vitter said.
But considering that the bill’s entire legislative slate is at present a blank in both chambers, pushing it through to enactment before July or August would be a herculean — some would say impossible — task. But that’s when the HTF is estimated to start running short of funds.
South Dakota Sen. John Thune, the top Republican on the Commerce Committee, said that “it’s hard to see that it gets done this year.” Thune said most of the blame for his pessimism lies with the difficult money hunt, stressing that general fund transfers are “not a sustainable formula for the future.”
When asked whether lawmakers are prepared to do a short-term patch, perhaps through a general fund transfer if a long-term bill can’t be enacted by July or August, Boxer said there’s no backup plan.
“We don’t have a Plan B for our committee. We’re moving and we’re serious,” she said. “We are moving fast in order to avoid any kind of patch.”
Boxer might want to work on a back-up plan, however. House Transportation Chairman Bill Shuster (R-Pa.) indicated that Congress should deal with the looming Highway Trust Fund bankruptcy separately from the broader policy bill.
“Yeah, definitely two separate issues,” he said when asked about his approach to the two matters. “We’re trying to figure out how to do it. We’ve been talking to leadership but nothing’s been resolved.”
Shuster said he “would love a longer-term, multiple-year bill, certainly longer than two years.” But he said the big hurdle is finding the needed money — which in the House is up to Ways and Means, with heavy input from Republican leadership.
Boxer said she’d already been in discussions with Finance Chairman Ron Wyden (D-Ore), “who really understands this [infrastructure] completely.”
When it comes to funding, Boxer said that “what seems to be coming forward as a consensus is a piece of tax reform,” rather than doing a general fund transfer or raising the gas tax.
When pressed on whether Congress was willing or able to do any part of a corporate tax overhaul this year, Boxer said that “you never know what’s going to move and what’s not,” and that “some people have surprised us before.”
Congress hasn’t paid enough attention to transportation infrastructure this year, former EPW leader Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) said, which is partly the reason for the current rush to act.
“It should be enjoying the highest priority of anything we’re dealing with, second only to national defense,” Inhofe said in an interview. But when asked if that’s how things stand now, the Oklahoma conservative was blunt: “I’m afraid it’s not.”back
U.S. Chamber, auto group clash on currency in TPP back
By Doug Palmer | 4/10/14 6:02 PM EDT
Detroit automakers will not support the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement unless it contains meaningful new disciplines on currency manipulation, the president of the American Automotive Policy Council said Thursday.
“As an association, we won’t support an agreement that doesn’t include a strong enforceable currency provision,” Matt Blunt, who is also a former Missouri governor, said at a discussion organized by the Washington International Trade Association on the proposed TPP pact.
Blunt’s group represents Ford, General Motors and Chrysler on trade policy issues. The AAPC says currency rules are needed because Japan has a history of manipulating the yen to boost auto exports and discourage imports. The group also worries that China could one day be allowed into the TPP pact.
So far, U.S. trade officials have shown no sign that they intend to seek enforceable currency rules in the agreement despite letters signed by a majority of lawmakers in both the House and Senate in favor of such a provision.
Blunt argued it was still possible to include the measure despite efforts to finish the four-year-old negotiations this year. Obviously, Detroit-based automakers would have preferred the White House to begin pushing the issue earlier, he said.
But Tami Overby, vice president for Asia at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, said other TPP countries seem to have no interest in a currency provision. She expressed concern that pushing the issue could endanger efforts to conclude the pact.
“I just don’t think there’s enough gas to get through with enforceable currency provisions,” she said.
Former Rep. Jim Kolbe backed Overby on that point.
“Other countries are not pushing for this, and I think at this point it’s very difficult to do,” he said.
Kolbe said he hoped Detroit-based automakers would decide in the end to support an agreement based on whatever concessions the United States can get from Japan to remove certain nontariff barriers and phase out the 2.5 percent U.S. tariff on passenger cars and 25 percent U.S. tariffs on trucks.
But Blunt said nothing they could get in those two areas would be enough to win his group’s support.
“There’s lots of other things that need to be done, obviously, in the final agreement,” Blunt said. “But we see (currency) as a critical provision to really address the greatest impediment to real free trade.”
Overby said concerns in Congress about currency manipulation underscore the need for the White House to negotiate a strong enough agreement to win approval without enforceable currency rules.back