Engineering Inc. - September/October 2007 - (Page 8) LEGISLATIVE ACTION FROM ACEC’S GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT ‘VISION’ REPORT ON TRANSPORTATION; MORE FUNdINg, QBS URgEd FOR FAA REAUTHORIzATION ACEC Announces New Transportation ‘Vision’ with AASHTO, Industry Partners Just days prior to the collapse of the I-35 bridge in Minneapolis, ACEC joined with the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) and other industry partners at a press conference in Washington, D.C., to unveil a report on safety and other issues facing the nation’s transportation system. “We have a woefully inadequate transportation system in this country. It doesn’t meet 21st-century needs,” ACEC President Dave Raymond told the assembled media at the National Press Club. “We have a very good mid-20th-century transportation system, but if we’re going to compete effectively in the 21st century, a lot more needs to be done.” Raymond’s comments were broadcast on radio stations in the Washington, D.C., area. The report—A New Vision for the 21st Century—was presented to the National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Study Commission. The Commission was created by Congress to examine options for improving the nation’s transportation network. In addition to the events in Minneapolis, recent budget projections released by the Bush administration further underscored the need for additional investment. A mid-year budget review revealed a projected shortfall in the highway account of the Highway Trust Fund in F.Y. 2009 that would trigger a cut of $16 billion to the states. ACEC, AASHTO and other industry organizations have offered Congress a number of short-term solutions to head off devastating cuts in 2009. The recommendations in the Vision report also address longer-term challenges. “The Vision document provides a straightforward roadmap to achieve a transportation system that’s safer [and] less congested, and one that will enable us to compete in the global marketplace,” said Raymond. “It’s important now that policymakers act on these recommendations. The more we wait, the more lives we lose on unsafe roadways and the more jobs are lost because of infrastructure that cannot support a growing economy. The time to act is now.” ACEC Urges More Funding, QBS in FAA Reauthorization Bill Congress will continue work on reauthorizing and expanding Vision 100, the federal airports construction program, when it returns from the August recess. ACEC is actively lobbying to boost funding for airport con ENGINEERING INC. SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2007 struction projects around the nation, as well as expand the use of Qualifications-Based Selection (QBS) for all airport projects. Adopted in 2003 and set to expire at the end of September, Vision 100 authorized $14 billion for airport improvements over four years. The measure also included ACEC-backed provisions to streamline the process for approving airport capacity-enhancement projects. The Federal Aviation Administration estimates that air travel will grow to 1 billion trips per year by 2015. Funding has not kept pace with traffic growth, prompting ACEC and other industry partners, as well as Congress, to seek new ways to finance airport improvements. Reauthorization legislation (S. 1300) has been introduced in the Senate, which would authorize $15.8 billion through F.Y. 2011 for airport improvement projects. Included in the measure, which has been approved by the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, is a new $25-per-flight Rep. Jim Oberstar (D-Minn.) surcharge on all flights using controlled airspace. If the surcharge becomes law, the money collected would be placed into a new trust fund dedicated to modernizing the air traffic control system. Similar legislation was approved recently by the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. H.R. 2881 authorizes $15.8 billion for airport projects under the Airport Improvement Program and increases the current $4.50 Passenger Facility Charge to $7, which would raise an additional $1.1 billion per year for airport projects nationwide. According to the bill’s sponsor, Rep. Jim Oberstar (D-Minn.), the measure represents “the largest authorization in the history of the program.” ISSuES ON ThE MOVE Airport funding legislation 3 percent withholding mandate Water resources legislation Energy legislation WhAT’S NExT Floor action in the house in September house vote to delay implementation in the fall Final Senate action in early September Conference action in the fall
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