Last week, the AGC-led Transportation Construction Coalition (TCC) sent a letter to Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) and Ranking Member Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) urging them to address the pending Highway Trust Fund (HTF) revenue shortfall as they work to finalize a comprehensive tax reform package.
The FY 2015 Transportation and Housing and Urban Development (THUD) appropriations bill failed to move forward in both the House and Senate this week. Both bills provided AGC-supported funding levels for federal highway and transit programs and the Airport Improvement Program, but differed in their overall funding levels, with the Senate bill’s estimated funding nearly $10 billion more than the House bill.
AGC has prepared draft comments to submit to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) concerning the continuation of waivers from Buy America requirements for manufactured products that are not substantially made of steel or iron and for the minimal use of foreign steel products. Comments are due Friday, Aug. 9 and AGC chapters and members are urged to submit comments. The Federal Register Notice can be viewed here.
The House Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Highways and Transit held a hearing July 23 on the fiscal condition of the Highway Trust Fund. The subcommittee heard testimony from Polly Trottenberg, Under Secretary for Policy at the U.S. Department of Transportation and Kim Cawley with the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). CBO’s testimony provided a dire warning about the current status of the Highway Trust Fund saying that without additional revenue following September 30, 2014 the federal highway and transit programs dependent will be unable to allow any new funding obligations. While Ms. Trottenberg offered no new solutions to the trust fund problems, she instead repeated President Obama’s idea to take part of the “Peace Dividend” resulting from the drawdown from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and use it for transportation. This idea has little support in Congress.
By a vote of 265-155 the House on July 24, 2013 passed HR 2218, Coal Residuals Reuse and Management Act of 2013, which prevents the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from designating fly ash and other coal ash residuals from being classified as a hazardous waste. The legislation, introduced by Rep. David McKinley (R-W.Va.), establishes a regulatory structure for coal ash that would be controlled by states with little EPA oversight.
James H. Roberts, President and CEO of Granite Construction Inc., represented AGC at a hearing held July 24 by the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee to examine how the Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) was working in light of the large budget increase it received in MAP-21. Also testifying at the hearing was Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx making his first appearance before Congress since he was sworn in.
On Tuesday, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Highways and Transit held a hearing on the fiscal condition of the Highway Trust Fund (HTF). The subcommittee heard testimony from Polly Trottenberg, undersecretary for policy at the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and Kim Cawley with the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). In Cawley’s testimony, CBO provided a dire warning about what will happen to federal highway and transit programs dependent on Highway Trust Fund revenue – they will receive no new money. While Ms. Trottenberg offered no new solutions to the problems facing the trust fund, she instead continued to push for President Obama’s idea to take a piece of the savings from the drawdown from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan (an idea that has very little chance of happening).
James H. Roberts, president and chief executive officer of Granite Construction Inc., represented AGC at a hearing held on July 24 by the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee. The hearing was held to examine how the Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) is working in light of the large budget increase it received in MAP-21. Roberts began his testimony by pointing out that, “Our transportation investment needs are great and the funds to fix the problem are running short.” He emphasized the construction industry’s very real concern about the solvency of the Highway Trust Fund and urged the committee to address this problem sooner rather than later.
The Department of Transportation (DOT) released its Semiannual regulatory agenda this week, which gives a status report on a number of pending rules and regulations that the agency is working on. Many of the rules on the list are related to implementation of provisions in MAP-21.
New truck driving limits went into effect on July 1, 2013. AGC is hearing that these new requirements are having significant impacts on delivery of asphalt, concrete aggregates and other highway construction materials. AGC is seeking examples of these impacts to use in a petition to the federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) for an exemption from these rules.