Dirt Talk: Congress Must Reauthorize SAFETEA-LU
by Michael Bazinet
September 14, 2009
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In early 2009, it seemed Washington would get serious about infrastructure investment. Not only would investing in infrastructure put people back to work, but it would redress our deficient roads, bridges, rail system, energy grid and so on.
The buzz was that the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act money would be a down payment on fixing our crumbling infrastructure. But in the end, less than 10% of the $787 billion in the ARRA was designated for infrastructure projects--and only 6%for roads and bridges. Still a lot, you think?
No, not really. Those of us in the construction and equipment industries know that stimulus spending, even as it ramps up over the next two years due to the lag time in awarding projects, cannot replace systematic federal investment in long-term transportation infrastructure.
We saw easy-to-award projects funded with stimulus dollars--contracts for tasks like road repaving and widening. These projects are not adding transportation capacity. To compound the issue, much of the federal stimulus spending has simply replaced what would have been state spending.
The construction and equipment industries are suffering. Skilled workers are idle while we tolerate a transportation infrastructure that is ever more congested and increasingly unsafe.
Yet we do have a proven mechanism for surface transportation programs. It’s called SAFETEA-LU or the Highway Bill. It expires Sept. 30 and needs reauthorization and adequate funding through the pay-as-we-go mechanism of a higher federal fuel tax.
Despite the fact that Congress seems to have taken this simple proposal off the table, we must raise the federal fuel tax, which has not been increased since 1993, as well as other user transportation user fees. We Americans should be willing to spend a few more cents per gallon of gas, if we know that the funds raised will go directly to fix our roads and bridges. We needn’t add to the national debt.
Congress needs to reauthorize SAFETEA-LU. If federal lawmakers can’t do that, they must pass a short extension of the current law and then get their act together in the next 90 days. Write your senators and U.S. representatives today to let them know we can no longer delay.
Michael Bazinet
Michael.Bazinet@terex.com
Michael Bazinet is director of corporate communications for Terex Corporation, a U.S.-based global manufacturer of construction and mining equipment. Bazinet is a member of the Terex team working on infrastructure related issues for the corporation and has directed two national conferences on infrastructure investment. He is a member of the National Association of Manufacturers Public Affairs Steering Committee.
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