Speaker Boehner, Chairman Mica Announce Plans for Five Year Transportation/Energy Proposal

House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman John Mica (R-Fla.), and other House Republican leaders announced at a press conference today their plans to soon introduce H.R. 7, the "American Energy & Infrastructure Jobs Act". The legislation will include a five-year reauthorization of the surface transportation programs and will allow for expanded offshore oil and gas drilling, oil shale production, and Arctic National Wildlife Reserve oil exploration. Speaker Boehner said the revenue made available from the increased domestic energy production would be linked to the Highway Trust Fund. Experts including Chairman Mica say the energy provisions will not fully fund the program. AGC is also urging the Super Committee to identify additional funding sources for the program during their deliberations. Boehner said the bill will be introduced in the coming weeks and moved through the House by the end of 2011. The following summary of the bill’s provisions were provided: Fund High-Priority Projects- The bill would remove federal requirements that currently force states to spend highway money on non-highway activities, helping to ensure that our nation’s highways and bridges are repaired and properly maintained and that federal dollars are spent on our most critical infrastructure needs. Speed Up Bureaucratic Approvals- The bill would speed up bureaucratic approvals and streamline the project delivery process – the real hurdles delaying improvements to highways, bridges, and other projects – with reforms like concurrent review that will cut the project review and permitting process in half. Eliminate Needless Programs- The bill would eliminate and consolidate nearly 70 surface transportation programs that are either duplicative or not in the federal interest. Embrace More Private-Sector Involvement- The bill would reform financing programs to increase private sector involvement in infrastructure. Enhance Safety Programs- The bill would strengthen safety programs and give states more flexibility to develop innovative safety initiatives that save lives. Include No Earmarks- Like every bill passed through the House since the American people entrusted Republicans with a majority, this one will have no earmarks in it. At a separate press conference T&I Committee and Subcommittee ranking Democrats Nick Rahall (W.Va.) and Peter DeFazio (Or.) said that the Republican plan is short on details and that the energy provisions do not generate sufficient revenues to support long term surface transportation funding needs. For more information, please contact Brian Deery at (703) 837-5319 or deeryb@agc.org.