US Tranportation Secretary pessimistic?

US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has expressed doubts that the reauthorisation bill will be passed in the current session of Congress, according to the Innovation Briefs report by Ken Orski.
March 15, 2012 Read time: 1 min
US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has expressed doubts that the reauthorisation bill will be passed in the current session of Congress, according to the 3949 Innovation Briefs report by Ken Orski.

LaHood spoke during the recent annual meeting of the 2774 Transportation Research Board in Washington, where six US transportation secretaries discussed challenges they had met during their time in office. LaHood’s comments drew some surprise given recent announcements from the US Government about the importance of infrastructure.

There have been some earlier comments that the Senate Finance Committee may have arrived at a bipartisan agreement on providing the US$13 billion needed to fund the bill. However LaHood pointed out that the politically polarised situation in the 10 months to the next US election will make it hard for sufficient agreement to be reached that would allow the reauthorisation bill to be passed.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • ITS America applauds MAP-21
    April 26, 2012
    ITS America president and CEO Scott Belcher issued a statement yesterday in response to the release of the text of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee’s surface transportation reauthorization bill, MAP-21. Similar to the Smart Technologies for Communities Act (H.R. 995), introduced in the House by ITS Caucus co-chairs Mike Rogers (R-MI) and Russ Carnahan (D-MO), the initiative would provide new levels of accountability by requiring grant recipients to measure and improve the performance
    Read More
  • A fresh breath of air
    July 16, 2012
    With a new wave of exhaust emission regulations coming shortly, engine manufacturers are well on track to develop new solutions as Mike Woof reports A wave of technological advances has made the current generation of diesels the cleanest industrial engines ever produced. Driven by tightening controls on emissions, manufacturers have had to develop an array of innovative solutions that will help cut particulate and NOx being emitted from the tailpipe. When the phased reduction in exhaust emissions was first
    Read More
  • Tunnel technology improves driving safety
    February 14, 2012
    Tunnel technology advances will make driving through underground links considerably safer, writes Mike Woof
    Read More
  • Transurban chief exec backs “pragmatic” network road fundraising
    September 14, 2012
    Network road pricing is inevitable to manage increasing congestion on city motorways and to facilitate more efficient transport networks, says Transurban chief executive Scott Charlton. In a speech to the Infrastructure Partnerships Australia’s annual conference in Melbourne, Charlton urged governments to use every lever possible from user charges to diverse funding sources to innovative solutions such as tolled express lanes.
    Read More

Highlighted Content