The US Senate's approval of the three-month MAP-21 extension and the ongoing work in the US Senate to pass a long-term surface transportation authorisation bill has received a cautious welcome from many US transportation authorities.
Intelligent Transportation Society of America (560 ITS America) president and CEO Regina Hopper commented: “While the country is in desperate need of a long-term transportation initiative, we remain hopeful that the three-month extension will provide time for the House and Senate to craft a bipartisan, fully-funded, long-term transportation bill before the end of the year.
“Senate Environment and Public Works Chairman James Inhofe, Ranking Member Barbara Boxer, and Senators from both parties have put forward a proposal that begins the process of addressing both immediate needs while creating room for forward-looking initiatives through the inclusion of a Transportation Innovation title. This title accelerates the research and adoption of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) which will address many of the safety, environmental, new mobility and infrastructure challenges of our current transportations system. House Transportation & Infrastructure Chairman Bill Shuster has also championed the need for such an Innovation Title.
“ITS America’s members are ready to work with Members of Congress from both parties and chambers to address the difficult issues that will lead to a long-term, sustainable funding solution for our nation’s transportation future, while also investing in critical research and innovative technologies necessary to save lives on our roads, improve mobility, modernize transportation services, and strengthen our nation’s economic competitiveness.”
The American Trucking Associations congratulated the Senate on the passage of the bill; president and CEO Bill Graves said: "We now look forward to working with the House of Representatives to pass a well-funded bill that provides sufficient revenue for at least six years, with the goal of moving a bill out of a House-Senate conference committee before the next expiration. Passage of a long-term bill is well overdue, and it is past time for Congress to provide states with the certainty they need to address the enormous backlog in critical highway and bridge improvements."
Graves also praised the House and Senate for including a provision that equalizes the tax rates on liquefied natural gas and liquefied petroleum gas with the rates on diesel and gasoline in their 90-day Highway Trust Fund extension. "By equalizing the tax rates between LNG and traditional fuels, Congress has eliminated an unfair disadvantage in the taxation of LNG that has impeded wider use of natural gas vehicles," he said.
President and CEO Michael Melaniphy of the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) commented, "On behalf of the riders who take 10.8 billion trips on public transportation each year, we congratulate the US Senate for its leadership in moving forward a multi-year bill. It is a good starting point and takes us closer to passage of legislation that helps our communities and country increase transportation options and continue to be economically competitive. However, the job is not done yet. Congress should work to fully fund the six years of the bill. We also urge the House of Representatives to act expeditiously after it returns from the August recess so that final legislation is completed before the October 29 deadline.
In a statement, the2625 Transportation Construction Coalition also welcomed the news; co-chairs Pete Ruane, president & CEO of the 5565 American Road & Transportation Builders Association,and Stephen Sandherr, chief executive officer of the Associated General Contractors of America said: "On behalf of the 31 national associations and construction trade unions of the Transportation Construction Coalition (TCC), we applaud the Senate for passage of a multi-year surface transportation bill that would guarantee real growth in federal highway and public transportation investment over the next three years.”
Intelligent Transportation Society of America (
“Senate Environment and Public Works Chairman James Inhofe, Ranking Member Barbara Boxer, and Senators from both parties have put forward a proposal that begins the process of addressing both immediate needs while creating room for forward-looking initiatives through the inclusion of a Transportation Innovation title. This title accelerates the research and adoption of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) which will address many of the safety, environmental, new mobility and infrastructure challenges of our current transportations system. House Transportation & Infrastructure Chairman Bill Shuster has also championed the need for such an Innovation Title.
“ITS America’s members are ready to work with Members of Congress from both parties and chambers to address the difficult issues that will lead to a long-term, sustainable funding solution for our nation’s transportation future, while also investing in critical research and innovative technologies necessary to save lives on our roads, improve mobility, modernize transportation services, and strengthen our nation’s economic competitiveness.”
The American Trucking Associations congratulated the Senate on the passage of the bill; president and CEO Bill Graves said: "We now look forward to working with the House of Representatives to pass a well-funded bill that provides sufficient revenue for at least six years, with the goal of moving a bill out of a House-Senate conference committee before the next expiration. Passage of a long-term bill is well overdue, and it is past time for Congress to provide states with the certainty they need to address the enormous backlog in critical highway and bridge improvements."
Graves also praised the House and Senate for including a provision that equalizes the tax rates on liquefied natural gas and liquefied petroleum gas with the rates on diesel and gasoline in their 90-day Highway Trust Fund extension. "By equalizing the tax rates between LNG and traditional fuels, Congress has eliminated an unfair disadvantage in the taxation of LNG that has impeded wider use of natural gas vehicles," he said.
President and CEO Michael Melaniphy of the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) commented, "On behalf of the riders who take 10.8 billion trips on public transportation each year, we congratulate the US Senate for its leadership in moving forward a multi-year bill. It is a good starting point and takes us closer to passage of legislation that helps our communities and country increase transportation options and continue to be economically competitive. However, the job is not done yet. Congress should work to fully fund the six years of the bill. We also urge the House of Representatives to act expeditiously after it returns from the August recess so that final legislation is completed before the October 29 deadline.
In a statement, the
