What Changes Will the New Congress Bring?

Emil Frankel was recently invited to submit an entry on the International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association (IBTTA) official blog Talking Points discussing ‘What Changes Will the New Congress Bring?’

Given the new landscape on Capitol Hill, as a result of the recent mid-term elections, Emil suggests that debates over all domestic programs and initiatives are likely to be dominated by a push for fiscal constraint, expenditure freezes or caps, reductions in annual general fund deficits, and the ballooning national debt.

Transportation has typically been an issue that cuts across partisan and ideological lines, and in his blog Emil expresses hope that these conditions will continue in the new Congress. The likelihood of bipartisan support for passage of a surface transportation bill in 2011 rests on leaders of both parties recognizing that investment in transportation infrastructure is not only possible, but is essential, in a time of economic and fiscal constraint.

Check out Emil’s full blog entry, as well as that of other transportation experts here.

Transportation and Climate: A Path to Recovery and Economic Growth

NTPP's Joshua Schank discussed Transportation and Climate: Economic Growth and Implications of the Midterm Elections on Future Policy at an event co-hosted by the Bipartisan Policy Center and the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, as part of the Joint Center's ongoing series on Critical Issues in Climate Change.

The session was moderated by Carolyn Green, Founder and Managing Partner at EnerGreen Capital Management. Other panel participants included the Honorable Mayor William Euille from the City of Alexandria, Virginia, James Corless, Director at Transportation for America, and Jim Tymon, Staff Director for the Subcommittee on Highways and Transit of the U.S. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.

The discussion focused on the impact that federal transportation policy has on our economy, climate and on the well-being of communities. Panelists reiterated that reforming federal transportation policy can help ensure long-term, sustainable economic growth, energy security and environmental protection. During the discussion panelists considered the historical impacts of transportation investments and discussed policy options for ensuring that future investments take a more systematic approach.

Listen to a full recording of the panel discussion here.

After the Election, What If?

This week's National Journal Transportation Expert Blog poses a question, assuming Republic gains in Congress next year and potential Republic control of the House, how would the debate around transportation change? What kind of attention would federal transportation legislation receive given this new Congressional reality?

Many experts who posted blog entries addressing this question concur that our future national reality, the context in which future transportation investments will be negotiated, is one of constrained resources; one in which the public seems to be calling for a narrowing of the federal scope. There is a corresponding call for defining what is truly in the national interest. This issue of a well defined national transportation system was a key discussion topic at NTPP’s workshop on transitioning to a performance-based federal surface transportation policy.

It is clear that given a constrained resource environment and numerous competing demands on the federal budget the transportation sector, like many other sectors, must look long and hard at the various options for funding the system. It is beginning to be recognized by transportation policy experts that the days of an ever-expanding federal-aid transportation program may have come to an end.

Emil’s entry on the National Journal Blog this week presents the case that in an environment of severely limited resources it is essential to apply outcome-based, performance-driven, accountability principles to policy. These principles are part of the driving force behind NTPP’s Performance Driven report. It is clear that wiser investment decisions are needed; carefully thought through in terms of return on investment.

Check out Emil’s full blog entry, as well as the entries and opinions of other leading transportation policy stakeholders, here.

NTPP Co-Chair Dennis Archer Briefs President Obama

Today, NTPP Co-Chair, BPC board member and former Mayor of Detroit Dennis Archer joined mayors, governors and current and former transportation secretaries for a discussion with President Obama on how best to advance a national infrastructure investment plan. Mayor Archer stressed, as NTPP recommends, that going forward all transportation investments need to be held accountable for demonstrating results toward five national goals: economic growth, national connectivity, metropolitan accessibility, energy security and environmental protection, and safety. This approach would ensure the most “bang for the buck”.

This meeting was complimented by the release of a report from the Treasury Department, An Economic Analysis of Infrastructure Investment concluding that now is the optimal time to invest in public works projects. NTPP’s recommendations concur with the motivations behind this report, such as the need to strengthen America’s global competitiveness, the desire to consolidate transportation programs, the need to reform outdated formula programs, and the desire to focus more on competition, innovation and on the economic benefits of infrastructure investments.

NTPP will continue to be actively engaged in these conversations; given our bipartisan, consensus-driven approach we are a valuable resource to the debate, especially, in what is likely to be, a Republican majority Congress convening in January. The recommendations issued in our 2009 Performance Driven report are highly relevant today, as such we will continue working to ensure that these recommended reforms are incorporated into future legislation.