Reauthorized rail safety legislation the implementation of two new laws on pipeline safety and hazardous materials safety are on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee’s agenda in 2013, according to the committee’s oversight plan released earlier this week.
One clause in a single sentence in President Obama’s second inaugural speech has potential for meaningful consequences: “Together, we determined that a modern economy requires railroads and highways to speed travel and commerce.”
The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) and Building America’s Future (BAF) Tuesday released a study predicting that record numbers of Americans will turn to public transportation as a cost-cutting measure in the face of volatile gas prices.
Not taking initial success for granted, the Railway Supply Institute on Wednesday sent a message to its “contact officers” urging them to spread the concern about potential increases in truck sizes and weight “to your employees at your facilities throughout the United States,” which RSI believes the full House of Representatives may still consider. “Make no mistake—if this legislation passes it will adversely affect our industry and our nation’s infrastructure,” RSI said.
The American Public Transportation Association said Tuesday it will hold a media conference call Wednesday to brief callers on the “negative impact” the House Ways and Means Committees’ surface transportation proposal holds for public transit.
A bipartisan group of 111 House members announced Tuesday it is urging President Obama to support a six-year transportation authorization. A letter to the President states that “short-term extensions fail to recognize that meaningful, large-scale transportation projects take years to plan, approve and implement.” States and contractors need a long-term bill in order to execute large projects and repair the nation’s crumbling infrastructure, the group says.