Kentucky House Funds Dredging & Bridge Repairs

The Kentucky House of Representatives, in the recently passed House Bill 2 in the current special session, has appropriated $500,000 per year for the next two fiscal years for "Riverfront Improvement." The funds to "improve public riverports within Kentucky," are to be "limited to dredging and maintenace of access." According to the Bill, the Secretary of the Transportation Cabinet, in conjunction with the Kentucky Water Transportation Advisory Board, will determine how the funds are actually allocated. The Bill also commits two years of funding to the Louisville-Southern Indiana Ohio River Bridges Project. This project is part of the effort to replace Ohio River bridges recently found not structurally sound, as noted by this prior post. In total, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet budget for the next two fiscal years is set at $2.38 to $2.400 billion dollars.

Surface Transportation Bill Delays Positive Train Control, Cuts Amtrak, Calls for Harbor Funds to Be Spent

The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee has released its proposed surface transportation reauthorization bill, titled "The Amercian Energy & Infrastructure Jobs Act." According to the Committee's schedule, a mark-up session is scheduled for tomorrow.

Here is Chairman John Mica's (R-FL) Press Release and the House Republicans Summary of the proposed bill (H.R. 7), is attached here. A link to the actual text of the 846 page bill is included within the chairman's press release.

Among the items covered in the bill is a five year extension, to 12/31/2010 for railroads to install Positive Train Control systems on certain track, which is explained as increasing "the opportunity for successful implementation" of PTC.

Also in rail arena, Amtrak would lose 25% of its operating subsidy in fiscal years 2012 (i.e. now), and 2013 in an effort to "focus it on providing better service."

For waterborne transport, the bill notes the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund (HMTF) has had increased revenue of 17.3% in 2011, but that expenditures from the fund have declined. The Bill does not mandate specific action, but makes these pronouncements about the Fund: 1) that "HMTF is not being used for its intended purpose and charging maritime commerce a maintenance tax while failing to provide the service for which it was established is unfair and places the Nation at economic risk." The Bill also urges the Administration to "request full use" of the fund "for operating and maintaining the Nation's navigation system; and for Congress to "fully expend the amounts" in the fund." (see Bill text at pages 823 and following).

The Bill also contains various consolidation/elimination proposals for duplicative programs, and for streamlining agency rule making. I hope to post in the near future on the proposed regulatory reforms.