CAGTC Members,
Wednesday, the House Subcommittee on Highways and Transit held a hearing titled “FAST Act Implementation: State and Local Perspectives.” Witnesses included Mr. J. Michael Patterson, Executive Director, Oklahoma Department of Transportation; on behalf of the American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials (AASHTO); Mr. Gary Thomas, President and Executive Director, Dallas Area Rapid Transit; on behalf of the American Public Transportation Association (APTA); and The Honorable Kasim Reed, Mayor of Atlanta, Georgia; on behalf of the United States Conference of Mayors (USCM).
A full hearing summary can be found here. Top takeaways from the hearing are:
- Witnesses agreed that more transportation funding is needed across the board, and there was a good deal of discussion focused on freight system needs.
- Witnesses and Members of Congress were mostly in agreement that public-private partnerships are only one tool in a tool box and that direct federal funding is necessary to improve and expand the system – moreover, any new transportation bill produced by the Administration must include direct federal investment. Both Mr. Patterson and Mayor Reed supported the idea of an increase in the gas tax or, or perhaps a different user fee, to raise money.
- Referencing recent comments by Transportation Secretary Chao, Democratic Members of Congress criticized the idea that permit reform is more important for transportation projects than funding. Members of Congress and witnesses emphasized that many of the permit reform measures created by both MAP-21 and the FAST Act have not yet been implemented.
Thank you,
Katie Cross
Manager, Member Communications & Policy
Coalition for America’s Gateways and Trade Corridors
1444 Eye St N.W.
Suite 1100
Washington, DC 20005
(202) 828-9100
tradecorridors.org