Highway Trust Fund Battles

Posting his most recent entry on the National Journal Transportation Expert blog, BPC’s Director of Transportation Policy, Emil Frankel took the opportunity to reinforce the strength and applicability of the NTPP performance-driven framework. The framework put forth by NTPP in 2009 is not only applicable in today’s discussions about how to most effectively and efficiently address national fiscal and economic challenges, but is a useful guide for how to both generate and clearly demonstrate maximum return on investment.

Emil highlights the importance, and in fact necessity, of tying transportation policy and funding decisions to the current domestic policy debates around budget deficits, national debt, and economic growth. Our nation faces huge fiscal challenges and, as Emil points out, the transportation sector will not, nor should it, be immune from having to grapple with these realities.

Emil answered the question ‘what’s the solution?’ posed by the blog moderator, emphasizing both austerity and investment going forward. He explicitly calls for more resources to be invested in transportation infrastructure, so long as these scarce public resources are invested wisely and efficiently. This is a statement that echoes similar sentiments expressed in the recently released joint statement between NTPP and the National Surface Transportation Infrastructure Financing Commission.