Editorial: Another Patch in the Quilt
This Editorial appears in the July 20 print edition of Transport Topics. Click here to subscribe today.
From last week’s happy exploration of trucking, especially its 100 largest companies, we return to the La Brea Tar Pits of politics: surface transportation funding.
Readers can see classic American government in action in our story on reforms for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Members of the Senate Commerce Committee marked up a six-year highway plan to include changes in how FMCSA handles some of its responsibilities.
We salute Chairman John Thune (R-S.D.), ranking Democrat Bill Nelson (Fla.) and the other members for doing exactly what they’re supposed to do. We would be delighted to see them provide FMCSA with direction on how to reorganize the Compliance, Safety, Accountability program.
Sadly, there is little reason to believe much of this virtuous diligence will bear fruit. We say that with resignation because, while it may be possible to fly 3 billion miles to Pluto and explore it, crafting a wise surface transportation plan really seems to be beyond human capability.
While the senators toiled, House members advanced another temporary fix of federal highway funding so road work around the nation doesn’t slam to a halt after the current temporary fix expires July 31.
If you’ve stopped counting, the nation is currently on Patch No. 33 since the last real highway plan, SAFETEA-LU, expired in September 2009. Painful to say, but the work in the House on No. 34 probably is what will become law soon, not a desperately needed six-year plan.
Even worse, this probably will not be the last patch. The House’s plan would end in late December. That means Congress would return to work on a long-term plan during the presidential year of 2016.
Technically, there’s no reason that work can’t be done next year, but having a lame duck president team up with representatives and senators, most of whom are running for re-election, to create a multiyear highway bill is a really bad horse to bet on — a huge long shot.
There is broad agreement in Congress as to what the nation should do on transportation. There probably could even be an agreement on how much money to spend.
However, there is no consensus on how to raise the billions of dollars needed to fund a road program.
Democrats and Republicans will wrestle next year to see who can gain the edge in 2017. In the interim, another patch on the quilt means more roads and bridges crumble, drivers wait in traffic and the transportation of goods is delayed.
More time in the tar pits.
