Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee Chairman Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and Ranking Republican Jim Inhofe (R-OK) indicated today their support for an 18 month extension of authorization for the federal highway and transit programs which expire on September 30, 2009. The EPW Committee leaders made their comments to Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood during a committee hearing on the status of stimulus funded transportation projects. Sec. LaHood last week made a surprise announcement that the Administration favors passing a short term extension of authority for the transportation programs and using that legislation to provide additional revenue for the Highway Trust Fund to ensure that sufficient revenue is available for states to pay for on-going highway and transit construction projects. Senators Boxer and Inhofe both indicated, however, that they would not support the Administration additional recommendation to include some of its policy objectives in the short term extension.
At a hearing in the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee at the same time the bipartisan leadership of the committee said they do not favor the short term extension and will continue to work to enact a six year authorization. The committee leaders indicted that a short term extension would undermine the effort to create jobs and promote long term economic growth that has resulted from the stimulus funding. The committee leadership met separately with AGC and the transportation community requesting our support of the long term extension.
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