ѻý held a WebEd this week to inform members and chapters about developments in the use of mileage based user fees to fund transportation infrastructure investments at the federal and state levels in the future. Participants heard from Jack Basso, former DOT Budget Director and Chairman of the Mileage Based Use Fee Alliance (MBUFA), who discussed the current depleted status of the Highway Trust Fund and the need to find alternative revenue sources to supplement and possibly replace the gas tax. Bob Arnold, Director of DOT’s Office of Transportation Management reported on provisions in the FAST Act which provided $95 million in grant funding to support states in implementing pilot programs to test various alternative user fee initiatives for purposes of maintaining the future long-term solvency of the Federal Highway Trust Fund. Finally, Malcolm Dougherty, Director of CalTrans, reported on California’s road charge pilot program.
In comments to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), ѻý pointed out the difficulty the construction industry is having finding qualified truck drivers with Commercial Driver’s Licenses (CDL) and urged that new rules not make the shortage worse. The comments were directed at a proposed rule that FMCSA has developed requiring minimum training requirements for entry-level truck drivers. FMCSA’s rule proposes that entry level drivers must take a driver theory class (on-line or in classroom) and satisfactorily pass a test and then successfully complete 30 hours of behind the wheel (BTW) training (some hours on a closed range and some on the open road) in order to obtain a CDL. ѻý said the driving theory classes are good but suggested that BTW requirements be competency based and not based on hours judging drivers on their skill set rather than number of hours. The comments said this would allow a focus on areas that need concentration and allows the training to also focus on industry specific needs.
Earlier this week, ѻý hosted a day of roundtable discussions in Denver, Colo. that brought together environmental professionals who work for some of the nation’s leading construction firms. The group shared their best practices and strategies for incorporating environmental stewardship into their companies’ projects and overall business operations. A consistent theme throughout the discussions was the value in using every opportunity to get in front of the construction workforce and raise environmental awareness. Certainly there is no better opportunity than Earth Day, for ѻý to share its multi-year collection of contractor ideas and tips on how to approach environmental issues: straight from one environmental manager to another.
The Senate Transportation Appropriations Committee unanimously approved the fiscal year 2017 budget for the U.S. Department of Transportation (US DOT) which includes FAST Act investment levels for federal-aid highways ($43.266 billion) and transit ($9.734 billion). Additionally, the bill provides $525 million for the TIGER grants, $2.338 billion for transit Capital Investment Grants and $3.35 billion for Airport Improvement Program grants.
The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) issued a notice of proposed rulemaking this week detailing performance measurements for congestion, freight and on-road mobile source emissions for the national highway System which it was required to do in the 2013 “Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century” (MAP-21) reauthorization law. The notice, however, proposes to go beyond MAP-21 requirements by attempting to use the rulemaking to address the Administration’s climate agenda by expanding the proposed rule to include greenhouse gas emissions.
After overcoming some procedural blocks, the Senate began consideration on Thursday of legislation reauthorizing the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Some 100 amendments have been introduced and more are expected, however, it is anticipated that action on the measure could be completed as early as the end of next week. Extraneous issues such as the extension of several expired tax provisions could slow things down but compromises are being worked out to keep the legislation on track. The nearly two-year authorization provides a $400 million increase in 2017 for the Airport Improvement Program (AIP) but does not lift the volume cap on the Passenger Facility Charge (PFC) program. The AIP and PFC are the main funding and financing mechanisms for airport and runway infrastructure projects.
ѻý of South Dakota held a press conference in Rapid City and held other state wide awareness events in conjunction with officials from South Dakota DOT, SD Highway Patrol, Department of Public Safety and Federal Highway Administration in recognition of Work Zone Awareness Week April 11-15, 2016. Many other ѻý chapters are holding their own events to raise awareness with the public about dangers in work zones to workers and motorists alike. This year’s theme is "Don't Be THAT Driver: Work on Safety. Get Home Safely. Every Day."
In comments to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), ѻý pointed out the difficulty the construction industry is having finding qualified truck drivers with Commercial Driver’s Licenses (CDL) and urged that new rules not make the shortage worse. The comments were directed at a proposed rule that FMCSA has developed requiring minimum training requirements for entry-level truck drivers.
Contact Your Member of Congress During Spring Recess and Urge them to Support Increased Airport Infrastructure Funding
Before the House of Representatives left on their two-week spring recess, its members passed a bill to extend Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) programs through mid-July. ѻý has been pushing Congress to increase funding for the Airport Improvement Program and modernize the Passenger Facility Charge (PFC) program. With the House out until April 11 and the Senate out until April 4, now is a great opportunity for ѻý members to contact their members of Congress while they are home and urge them to pass a FAA Reauthorization bill that includes these two ѻý-supported reforms.
This week the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) announced it was making $15 million available for grants to test alternative revenue mechanisms to address the long-term solvency of the Highway Trust Fund.