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President Signals Possible Support For One-Year Highway Bill

President Bush has called on Congress to either present him with a six-year transportation bill or "go with a one-year extension and work it out later on." The statement was made during a campaign stop in Missouri on September 7 in response to a question from an audience member who said he is in the trucking business and is concerned about the impact of poor roads on his company's trucks.

This is the first time the president has acknowledged that passage of a six-year bill in 2004 may not be possible. "I just want to make sure that the highway bill is a fair bill," he added. Bush said the administration's plan to do a six-year, $256 billion bill "was fair, and we're working with the Congress to meet the number." The President speculated that partisanship on Capitol Hill may not allow a bill to be completed before the November election.

In response to Bush's comments, Congressional leaders said that they are continuing to work toward a six-year bill this year. "We're working hard to get a highway bill," House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-TX) said. He added that negotiators are "very close."

The highway bill conference committee last met July 22 to discuss a House- proposed six-year, $299 billion bill that reportedly has the support of the president. The White House has consistently supported a funding level of no more than $256 billion. Of the $299 billion authorized, $284 billion would be guaranteed spending. Conference Chairman, Senator James Inhofe (R-OK), said he believed Senate conferees would reject that funding level if a vote were held immediately. On July 20, Inhofe proposed a compromise figure of $301 billion, with $289 billion in guaranteed spending. However, Inhofe is apparently leaning toward support for the lower House proposal. Several Democratic senators on the conference committee expressed concern that this level may be too low.

Inhofe directed staff to begin negotiations over the funding-related provisions in the bill and to make progress on drafting the conference report over the August recess. No announcements have been made with regard to progress on the bill over the recess and additional conference committee meetings have not been scheduled. However, Capitol Hill staffers continue to hash out differences between the House and Senate bills, and to discuss various state funding formulas. There is also some indication that a conference committee meeting may be scheduled for next week.

On July 22, Congress passed an extension to the highway bill. The extension runs until September 24 for highway programs and until September 30 (the end of the fiscal year) for transit and safety programs. The extra week for the highway section will give Congress an opportunity to insert demonstration projects into the extension and change the funding formula if a long-term bill has not been passed by that date. For continuing updates on highway reauthorization visit http://www.truckline.com/legislative/reauthorization/ or contact Darrin Roth at droth@trucking.org or (703) 838- 1900.

Senators Introduce Measure to Implement 9-11 Commission Recommendations

In an effort to fortify the nation's homeland and national security, a bipartisan group of Senators on Tuesday, September 7, introduced legislation to implement recommendations made by the 9/11 Commission in July. The 280-page omnibus legislation would, among other things, create a strong National Intelligence Director with real budget authority and a National Counterterrorism Center to pull together intelligence activities; establish a far-reaching information sharing network to promote sharing of intelligence and homeland security information throughout government, including with state and local agencies; develop an integrated screening system using a network of screening points at U.S. borders, in the transportation system and other critical infrastructure that need to be protected against terrorist attack. The bipartisan group will be headed by Senate Majority Whip Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Minority Whip Harry Reid (D-NV) to prepare the Bill that will serve as the basis for what is ultimately considered.

ATA has filed written testimony presenting the trucking industry's view on recommendations raised by the 9/11 Commission Report that could have a direct operational impact on trucking. The testimony, submitted to the House Government Reform Committee on August 26, covers cross-border security programs, automated clearances, background checks for transportation workers, and the development of response and recovery efforts. To view ATA 9/11 Commission testimony click here.

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

DOT Confirms Findings of 2004 Traffic Congestion Study

The Department of Transportation has confirmed the findings of a report on traffic congestion and ways to bring about traffic relief in major urban areas across the nation. The 2004 Urban Mobility Report documents increasing gridlock and cites an urgent need for a range of transportation solutions to keep drivers and commodities moving.

According to an annual report on traffic trends issued September 7 by the Texas Transportation Institute the annual cost of congestion in the nation's 85 largest urban areas at $63.2 billion in 2002. The report, which was released on September 7, is part of an annual series which tracks the extent and cost of congestion in cities throughout the United States. The 2001 cost of congestion in 75 cities was $60.1 billion.

The study found that congestion caused a loss of 5.7 billion gallons of wasted fuel in 2002. The average cost per traveler in the 85 urban areas was $829. The top three most congested urban areas were, in the following order, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Chicago.

The study recommends several strategies to combat congestion. These include more road and public transportation capacity; more efficient operation of transportation systems; managing demand by encouraging the use of alternative modes; discouraging travel during peak periods; and better managing growth and development patterns. To read the report, click here.

DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

Highway Watch® Assists DHS During Hurricane Frances

The Highway Watch® Department at ATA assisted the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in advance of, during and in the aftermath of Hurricane Frances, a powerful Category 3 storm.

Both Florida and Georgia had declared states of emergency and officials ordered mandatory evacuations for residents in mobile homes and low-lying areas as the hurricane approached the Florida east coast. Around 2 million people, mostly in South Florida and along the coastline were told to evacuate the area, clogging interstates as residents moved to safer areas.

The Highway Watch® Department was tasked to help keep track of storm damage, determine interruptions in the movement of critical supplies and to respond to needs for assistance in the aftermath of the storm.

Commercial drivers and managers of companies operating in the affected region reported road closures, damage to highways and bridges, major flooding, downed power lines and other events which impeded the flow of traffic or impacted the movement of critical supplies to storm affected areas. Drivers and dispatchers were instructed to report interruptions in the movement of critical cargo such as HAZMAT, chemicals needed for water purification, fuel, building and medical supplies throughout the day and night.

Federal Court Denies Bridge Commission's Summary Judgment Motion

A United States District Court in Philadelphia has denied the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission's (DRJTBC) motion for summary judgment in ATA's challenge to the massive toll increases first put in place by the Commission in 2002.

ATA, along with the New Jersey and Pennsylvania trucking associations, challenged the 400 percent truck toll increases as violating a federal statutory requirement that bridge tolls be "just and reasonable." ATA is arguing that the tolls generate revenues significantly in excess of what the DRJTBC needs to operate the bridges and pursue its capital improvement campaign to rehabilitate and make capacity improvements to its bridge system. In particular, ATA is arguing that an $80 million reserve fund created by the Commission for credit-rating purposes is completely unnecessary and results in tolls being set at higher-than-needed levels.

The Commission argued to the Court that its rates must be viewed as reasonable unless it could be shown that they produced an excessive rate of return. ATA responded that a rate-of-return analysis is inappropriate and that tolls must be limited to a level that supports the Commission's activities and provides sufficient coverage for their financing. The Court rejected the Commission's motion only four days after submission, noting that there were genuine issues of material fact in dispute. For more information, contact Robert Digges, Jr. at 703-838-1889 or at rdigges@trucking.org.