States Warn DC Battle Imperils Highway Projects

State transportation officials are warning if Congress fails to renew the government's authorization to collect fuel taxes for the Highway Trust Fund, infrastructure projects around the country will grind to a halt.

John Horsley, executive director of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, said states face a double deadline on Sept. 30, and the remedy is two separate bills.

In addition to the revenue measure, Congress must agree to extend the existing highway spending law, which expires Sept. 30.  Horsley said normally the funding authorization lags the authorization bill by two years, but since Congress has not passed a new highway bill in two years, the revenue providing mechanism has caught up with it.

In the past, Horsley said, approval of the funding authorization was something that both Republicans and Democrats supported.

“This is the first time that anyone called in to question whether Congress would automatically continue the authorization,” said.

Horsley said it was “very desirable but unrealistic” to expect the House and Senate to draft a new multi-year transportation bill before Sept. 30.  He said the Senate indicated it would agree to a four-month extension of the existing law.

“We haven’t heard from the House,” Horsley said, but AASHTO was relying on House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman John Mica, R-Fla., also to agree on an extension.

Source: Journal of Commerce