Aug. 11, 2009

Washington, D.C. - The Bipartisan Policy Center’s (BPC) National Transportation Policy Project (NTPP) applauds Chairman James Oberstar and Members of the U.S. House of Representative’s Transportation and Infrastructure (T&I) Committee for recognizing that the nation’s transportation policies and programs are in need of reform. The Surface Transportation Authorization Act of 2009 (STAA), which is currently under consideration by the Committee, represents an essential first step in that effort.

NTPP agrees with Chairman Oberstar and Members of the T&I Committee that national transportation policy has lacked strategic focus since the completion of the Interstate Highway System and federal transportation programs lack measures to judge their performance. In June 2009, NTPP released its plan for reforming surface transportation policy entitled, Performance Driven: A New Vision for U.S. Transportation Policy. NTPP’s recommendations propose restructuring federal programs, updating the criteria for funding formulas, and creating a performance-based system that directly ties transportation spending to broader national goals, including economic growth, connectivity, accessibility, safety, energy security, and environmental protection. The report and executive summary are available here.

NTPP supports the need to redefine the federal role in surface transportation and agrees that federal surface transportation programs should be consolidated. The STAA importantly indicates that reform should align programs with national goals, require state and local governments to establish transportation plans with specific performance standards, and measure progress in meeting those standards.

STAA would also link the current transportation planning process to greenhouse gas emission reductions. This linkage is an essential element of NTPP’s recommendations and must be incorporated into national transportation policy. Similarly, NTPP agrees with the STAA goal of strengthening the transportation planning process. NTPP recommends several institutional reforms that would improve state and metropolitan planning and would establish essential performance-based transportation programs.

NTPP hopes its recommendations will assist Chairman Oberstar and the T&I Committee in building on the values and principles in STAA. NTPP hopes the bill will directly link performance and funding, break down separate modal funding streams, and establish the mode neutrality that is essential to outcome-based decision-making. NTPP also has performed substantial work on how best to integrate energy and environmental performance into strategic transportation investment planning. Finally, NTPP’s recommendations allow broad discretion for state, local, and metropolitan agencies to introduce user-based pricing and private investment as part of their strategic programs.

NTPP recognizes that it will be very challenging for Congress to pass a six-year authorization bill before the current Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) expires in September 2009. NTPP agrees with Chairman Oberstar that there is a cost to delaying passage, and therefore any extension must ensure that the nation moves further along the path toward reform. The reforms proposed by the Administration, as part of an 18-month extension of SAFETEA-LU, would build data and analytical capacity to improve investment decisions. A U.S. Department of Transportation memorandum dated July 1, 2009 notes that performance goals and measurements can be critical elements in enhancing the benefits from transportation investments.

NTPP believes that the transformative principles of STAA, along with the reform initiatives of the Administration, will serve as important building blocks toward a national transportation policy based on clear federal goals, accountability measures, sustainable funding, and targeted investments. NTPP supports these efforts and looks forward to lending our research and expertise to help Congress and the Administration achieve them.

NTPP was launched with the goal of bringing fresh approaches to transportation policy. Its proposals for transportation reform aim to be bold and pragmatic, while remaining effective and relevant. NTPP, a project of the BPC, is composed of a diverse and bipartisan group of transportation experts and business and civic leaders. More information about NTPP and its project members is available here.

National Transportation Policy Project