No highway bill coming?

By |  January 26, 2012

In his Innovation NewsBriefs e-newsletter, Ken Orski reports some sobering news in regards to efforts by Congress to get a long-term highway bill passed. Orski says that yesterday at the annual meeting of the Transportation Research Board in Washington, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood “stunned the audience by stating he thinks it very unlikely that a reauthorization bill will pass during the current session of Congress. In his view,” Orski continues, “the differences between the House and the Senate are too great to be resolved in the polarized pre-election climate of the next 10 months.”

Orski adds that the differences LaHood is referring to include the fact that the House is proposing a five-year bill while the Senate is equally determined to proceed with a two-year plan. Other differences include the funding mechanisms of the bills. Orski says, “The Secretary’s overtly expressed pessimism took many people by surprise, especially since in recent days there have been some encouraging signs of progress coming from Capitol Hill.”

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About the Author:

Darren Constantino is an editor of Pit & Quarry magazine. He can be reached at dconstantino@northcoastmedia.net.

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