[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 34 (Wednesday, March 17, 2004)]
[House]
[Pages H1203-H1204]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             TRANSPORTATION FINANCING AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Burgess) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, our transportation system has a direct and

[[Page H1204]]

significant impact on daily lives of all Americans. The United States 
has benefited greatly from having a strong transportation network. But, 
Mr. Speaker, we are approaching a crossroads.
  In Texas our identified transportation needs outstrip available 
funding 3 to 1. Between 2000 and 2025, studies predict that the 
population of Texas will increase by 9 million people, and 90 percent, 
8 million of those, will be living in metropolitan areas. The 
transportation system in Texas must be expanded to accommodate this 
projected population increase and related business growth. Important 
transportation projects all over the State of Texas are waiting in line 
for limited funding. Population growth, rise in construction costs, and 
increased transportation demands make this line a little bit longer 
every year.
  We have three specific needs in Texas. The current pay-as-you-go 
funding system only covers about a third of our needs; the State's 
population growth is putting additional strain on aging roadways; and 
it just takes too long to get roads built.
  As the only Texas Republican on the House Committee on Transportation 
and Infrastructure, the reauthorization of Federal surface 
transportation programs is the top priority for my legislative agenda 
in the 108th Congress. Congress and the administration continue to 
discuss the appropriate level of funding in our transportation 
reauthorization bill, but we also need to ensure that current Federal 
transportation dollars are being spent wisely. Our charge as 
congressional Representatives is to protect dollars taken from the 
taxpayer by streamlining and improving the activities of our Federal 
Government.
  As a member of the committee, I wanted to be certain that the U.S. 
Department of Transportation was ensuring the most efficient business 
practices within the agency. Last year I met with Inspector General 
Kenneth Mead to discuss the business practices of the agency and how 
the Congress can curb transportation spending. Inspector General Mead 
and I discussed the need for greater stewardship and oversight of the 
Department of Transportation's programs.
  To date, the Department of Transportation has not changed the way the 
agency disburses transportation funding to State and local entities 
since President Eisenhower was in office. The inspector general 
recommended that if 1 percent of the $500 billion spent over the last 
10 years on transportation programs was saved, this would generate an 
additional $5 billion. In fact, Mr. Speaker, this $5 billion could 
equate to the amount of funding needed for 4 of the current 11 major 
transportation programs going on in the country today. I believe this 
practice could better assist the Department of Transportation in 
spending taxpayer dollars more efficiently.
  There are examples of transportation projects that are done 
efficiently. Interstate 15 in Utah was finished ahead of schedule and 
under budget. In North Texas, the Dallas Area Rapid Transit system 
worked within their budget last year and actually returned over $20 
million in transit funding to the Federal Government. There are bad 
examples. Currently the poster child for bad examples is the Big Dig 
project in Boston, Massachusetts, and well over $10 billion has been 
invested into that project.
  Mr. Speaker, the General Accounting Office has estimated that for 
fiscal years 1998 to 2001, the highway account lost over $6 billion 
because of the ethanol tax exemption and the General Fund transfer. 
Using the Treasury's projections of the gasohol tax receipts, based on 
current law, it is estimated that the highway fund will not collect $13 
billion because of the tax exemption from fiscal years 2002 to 2012 and 
almost $7 billion from the general fund transfer between the same 
years.
  Not paying interest on the Highway Trust Fund balance, the U.S. 
Department of Treasury estimates the Highway Trust Fund would have 
earned $4 billion from September 1999 through February 2002. For those 
without a calculator handy, the total now is about $30 billion.
  Mr. Speaker, there are several policy initiatives that I have asked 
to be included in the highway reauthorization bill. These allow States 
more flexibility, especially in the realm of environmental 
streamlining, to get projects delivered on time. The RAPID Act, the 
Reforming, Accelerating, and Protecting Interstate Design Act of 2003, 
is one of these policy initiatives, and I urge the other Members to 
look at this legislation and to consider its inclusion in the overall 
transportation bill when it is voted out of committee and on the floor 
later this month.
  The key to a 21st century transportation program is partnering 
private entities with the Federal Government and allowing large 
transportation systems to be built in a timely and sensible sequence. 
My bill allows large transportation systems to be built in less time 
and save money by constructing roads in commonsense increments as they 
are needed. Among other things, the bill would streamline and expedite 
project delivery by allowing an environmental assessment to be prepared 
simultaneously for several different elements of a project. It also 
expands States' authorities to collect tolls on interstate highways and 
expands the eligible uses of toll revenues collected on those 
facilities.
  Mr. Speaker, in short, we all know we are approaching a crossroads in 
transportation in this country. My goal is to facilitate and allow 
States greater flexibility in handling these precious dollars that they 
will receive under this year's Federal transportation reauthorization. 
Mr. Speaker, it is my goal that families will be able to spend as much 
time at the dinner table as they currently spend in traffic jams.

                          ____________________