The House and the Senate have different versions of the transportation reauthorization bill and both leaders are opposed to each other’s bill. Funding proposals have emerged this winter. Below you will find a summary of Chairman Mica's proposal, although no language emerged in 2011. The Senate version, MAP-21 has a strong impact on MPOs in Illinois.
House
The House Transportation & Infrastructure Chairman submitted his
framework on July 7, 2011. The
22- page summary paints broad policy
reforms, but no details. Chairman Mica has an energy production proposal
(
Journal of Commerce article), but will not take action until February 2012. House delays long-term transportation plan over funding, timing (
Washington Post)
Senate
The Environmental & Public Works Committee passed
S1813 – Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century (MAP-21) on November 9 on a
unanimous vote. Amendments were immediately filed and adopted by the
Committee. The 16-page summary can be found
here. Performance
based planning is the main theme of the bill. Possible
revenue changes to fill the $12B funding gap was proposed early December by Republican members of the Senate Finance Committee.
The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation passed a few pieces of legislation on December 14, 2011 which will eventually be adopted into S1813. Senator Frank Lautenberg, Chair of the Surface Transportation Subcommittee introduced: S 1950, the Federal Motor Carriers Safety Administration Act of 2011; S 1952, Hazardous Materials Transportation Safety Improvement Act of 2011, and S 1953, the Research and Innovative Technology Administration Reauthorization Act of 2011. Senator Mark Pryor introduced S 1149 the Motor Vehicle & Highway Safety Improvement Act of 2011.
Designation of Metropolitan Planning Organizations
The MAP-21 language increases the population threshold from 50,000 to 200,000 for the designation of MPOs. The language creates Tier 1 (1 million and over)
and Tier II MPOs (200,000 and over). MPOs between 200,000 and 1 million
can request Tier I designation with the Governor’s approval. MPOs
under 200,000 may request designation for Tier II, two years after
planning rules are published.
Impact on Illinois MPOs
Nationwide, nearly
a third of the MPOs would be eliminated ff this new threshold passes. In Illinois, eight of the MPOs would not immediately be designated as either Tier I or Tier II, and therefore would be automatically terminated unless continuing designation is requested and approved. As stakeholders, MPOs work in cooperation with the state and other
transportation providers and are responsible for developing transportation plans
and programs for their respective metropolitan area.
Illinois
MPOs
under 100,000 population: Danville Area Transportation Study,
DeKalb-Sycamore Area Transportation Study, Kankakee Area Transportation
Study, Stateline Area Transportation Study
Illinois MPOs between 100,000 and
200,000 population: Champaign Urbana Urbanized Area Transportation
Study, Decatur Urbanized Area Transportation Study, McLean County
Regional Planning Commission, Springfield Area Transportation Study
Illinois MPO Advisory Council members adopted the P
rinciples of Transportation Reauthorization on April 29, 2010. Specifically, the five principles of reauthorization include:
- Increase the planning resources available to MPOs to handle the current and new planning requirements placed upon them.
- Reduce the number of transportation programs and grant MPOs the planning and programming flexibility to address their specific regional needs.
- Call for the use of comprehensive planning factors beyond transportation benefits in the evaluation and selection of transportation infrastructure investments.
- Address the specific challenges faced by smaller MPOs with limited resources and increased burdens.
- Identify sustainable revenue sources that can finance our transportation system for the next 10 years.
Smaller MPOs face their own set of specific challenges that are often overlooked in the statewide system. As state DOTs address the intricacy and scale of intercity, interstate, and interregional travel demands, the equally important needs of smaller cities and regions often go unnoticed. The Advisory Council supports the “grandfathering” of any existing MPO should the current MPO population threshold be raised above 50,000.
American Energy & Infrastructure Jobs Act
House Republicans announced on November 17, they intend to file language to create the American Energy & Infrastructure Jobs Act. The bill is supported by House Speaker John Boehner and a host of GOP members. The bill endeavors to expand American energy production to high-priority infrastructure projects. Click
HERE for the press release.
Specifically, 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 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 and consolidate nearly 70 surface transportation programs that are either duplicative or not in the federal interest.
- Reform financing programs to increase private sector involvement in infrastructure.
- Strengthen safety programs and gives states more flexibility to develop innovative safety initiatives that save lives.
- Include no earmarks.
Invest In American Jobs Act
This legislation was introduced two weeks ago. Congressman Rahall stood with labor leaders and a U.S. manufacturer. It is being reported that Rahall would like this language to be added to any transportation reauthorization bill. Secretary Ray LaHood has praised the legislation as well. Click
HERE for the 16-page summary and
HERE for Rahall’s press release.
Specifically, the bill endeavors to:
- Strengthen existing Buy America requirements for investments in highway, bridge, public transit, rail, and aviation infrastructure and equipment to ensure that all of the steel, iron, and manufactured goods used in these projects are produced in the United States;
- Applies Buy America requirements to other transportation and infrastructure investment, including rail infrastructure grants, loans, and loan guarantees, Clean Water State Revolving Fund grants, and Economic Development Administration (EDA) grants; and
- Requires Federal agencies to justify any proposed waiver of the Buy America requirements and ensures that the American public has notice of and an opportunity to comment on any proposed waiver prior to it taking effect.
