Transportation policy shifts burden to states

WASHINGTON — Declaring that the nation’s economy is at risk because of deteriorating highways, railroads and airports, the Bush administration on Thursday released it’s long-awaited recommendations for rebuilding America’s transportation infrastructure.

In effect, the administration wants to single out highways and other transportation systems that have a critical impact on the national economy. In Maine, the interstate highways, Route 1 and such facilities as the Bangor and Portland airports presumably would meet that test. They would have first priority for federal funding.

Under the new policy recommendations, local government would be forced to pick up a greater percentage of the maintenance and renovation of all the other roads, airports, rail lines, etc., that are not critical to the national economy.

That’s a prospect that worries state officials. Democrats charged that the president merely was forcing the states to do “the dirty work” of increasing gasoline taxes and collecting more tolls to finance needed improvements.

“I give it mixed reviews,” said Maine Transportation Commissioner Dana Connors, who expressed concern that the administration’s overall objective seemed to be to make the states and local government pick up a larger percentage of transportation funding.

Some members of the state’s congressional delegation expressed fear that the new recommendations, most of which are directed at reducing traffic gridlock in major cities, will tend to shortchange rural states like Maine.

It reflects “an urban myopia,” Rep. Olympia J. Snowe said.

Connors said that he was disappointed that Transportation Secretary Samuel Skinner backed away from earlier suggestions that the administration would “spend down” the $18.2 billion surplus that has accumulated in the federal highway trust fund and the $6.9 billion surplus in the aviation trust fund.

Were those trust funds unfrozen, Maine would receive an estimated $45 million in additional federal highway funds — an amount nearly equal to the state’s $50 million federal allocation this year — and several more millions of dollars from the aviation trust fund that finances airport improvements. The trust funds are fueled by gasoline taxes and taxes on airline passenger tickets.

According to the Washington Post, an earlier draft of the transportation recommendations included a promise to “spend down” the trust fund surpluses. That language apparently was changed to promise only the unfreezing of some of the funds.

The administration policy offers no specifics on how much it would cost the nation to improve its roads and bridges, airports and waterways, railroads and shipping lanes, offering instead a framework for change.

The transportation study listed these six major objectives:

Maintain and expand the nation’s transportation system by shifting major responsibilities to local governments and encourage more private investment, while concentrating federal funding on projects of “national significance.”

Foster a sound financial base for transportation by emphasizing user fees “as the key element to financing the federal share of transportation expenditures” as well as spending some of the billions of dollars in aviation and highway trust funds.

Keep the industry strong and competitive by deregulating the trucking industry and further deregulating other industries, with a repeal of railroad employee liability and retirement laws opposed by the industry.

Ensure that the transportation system supports public safety and national security.

Protect the environment and the quality of life by reducing vehicle emissions.

Advance U.S. transportation technology and expertise for the 21st century by fostering research into high-speed rail, magnetically levitated trains, tiltrotor aircraft and “intelligent” vehicle and highway systems that use computers to increase safety and efficiency.

The federal government will spend about $18 billion on transportation this year, with $14 billion on highways. Maine officials last year completed a similar analysis of the state’s transportation objectives and concluded that the state must spend $3 billion before the year 2000 to upgrade the state’s 22,114 miles of highways, 3,903 bridges and 37 publicly owned airports.

“Today’s release of the National Transportation Policy merely confirms what local and state governments have known for 10 years — that under the Reagan and Bush administrations, there has not been, nor will be, any real commitment to federal funding for transportation,” said Rep. Joseph E. Brennan.

Snowe blasted Skinner for devoting only “two general paragraphs” to the problems confronting rural motorists. She said that federal transportation programs, as a rule, are skewed in favor of big cities.

“Although 38 percent of our population resides in rural areas, only 2.93 percent of overall block grant monies must be allocated for non-urban and rural programs,” said Snowe.

A spokesperson for Sen. William S. Cohen said that Cohen also was concerned that the study might shortchange rural states. Aides to Sen. George J. Mitchell said that Mitchell still was reviewing the Bush administration recommendations.

Currently, the government pays an average of 82 percent of the cost of all federal highway projects, up to 90 percent on some. Federal officials have said they would like to reduce the average to about 75 percent.

The administration proposes that users, including airline passengers and motorists, pay more of the cost of building, maintaining and administering major transport systems. It also proposes airport passenger fees and other user fees and would increase local governments’ authority to establish toll roads.