USDOT, Smart Growth America and Business Leaders for Transportation review TEA-21 reauthorization recommendations in Transportation workshop
The fall Conference of the Growth Management Leadership Alliance (GMLA),
hosted by the Metropolitan Planning Council, brought together local, state and
national leaders to discuss coalition building, land use and the reauthorization
of the federal transportation bill.
Due to expire on September 30, 2003, the Transportation Equity Act for the
21st Century (TEA-21) authorized approximately $217 billion over a six-year
period for highways, highway safety, transit and other surface transportation
programs. This Act continued many of the initiatives of the preceding
Intermodal Surface Transportation and Efficiency Act of 1991, recognizing the
need for better planning and management of the nation's transportation
network.
Representatives from the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT), Smart
Growth America and Business Leaders for Transportation reviewed the
recommendations that their organizations are advocating in the next federal
transportation bill.
George Schoener from the USDOT discussed the three areas that will be the
focus of the next bill: size of the program, how the funding is spread among the
states and policy issues. Schoener said that growing the program is always
a priority, but an increase similar to that of TEA-21 is unexpected. He
added that the funding formula, which dictates how much federal money each state
receives, will be reviewed closely, and a greater emphasis will be placed
on program consolidation, planning, environmental streamlining and
freight.
Jim LaBelle, representing Business Leaders for Transportation, provided a
draft of a working paper the coalition is developing. LaBelle noted that
the coalition has been working closely with regional leaders and local officials
to develop a set of recommendations that best suit the needs of the northeastern
Illinois region. These policy recommendations will be finalized in
October. The goal is to have a consensus metropolitan agenda going into
the reauthorization discussions early next year
Don Chen, executive director of Smart Growth America, discussed both
coalition building and better integration of transportation and land use
planning. Chen noted that the next transportation bill should promote
accountability and performance, with a greater focus on growth management,
reinvestment and more modal choices.
"This workshop provided participants with the opportunity to see what is
being developed at the regional level, and most importantly at the federal level
where the bill will be drafted," said MPC Transportation Director Karyn
Romano. "It also offered each organization the opportunity to
share recommendations in an open, objective forum."