Hotline #687
September 20, 1991
Finally, there is some news to report on H.R.2950, the House surface transportation bill. In the colorful words of the Washington Post, on September 18 Speaker Foley (D.-Wash.) performed "last rites on a seven-week-old corpse" by announcing that the controversial five-cent gas tax increase would be taken out of the bill and the bill itself would be rewritten. However, there is not likely to be major, structural changes made to H.R.2950. It is thought that as many of the pork-barrel highway projects as possible will be saved by extending the five-year bill to six years and by extending the 2.5 cents of last year's gas tax increase into 1998. The Administration has not said much about that, but probably will still reject the bill. The Rules Committee will consider the new bill sometime next week. One should never say "never" about our chances of getting the Amtrak language we want, so a reminder to members of the Public Works Committee would be in order.
As we know, Amtrak and passenger rail are excluded from the House bill's definition of flexibility. That may be due in part to the fact that Speaker Foley denied Energy and Commerce Chairman Dingell's (D.-Mich.) request to review the bill. Now it looks like Dingell and perhaps his Transportation Subcommittee Chairman, Al Swift (D.-Wash.), will be on the House-Senate conference, because the Senate bill does include Amtrak, maglev, and other areas traditionally falling under the Commerce Committees. Therefore, it would be entirely appropriate for NARP members to contact House Energy and Commerce leaders and make the case for them to go against House Public Works leaders and with the Senate on the issue of Amtrak and passenger rail.
The full Senate approved its version of H.R.2942, the 1992 DOT appropriations bill, on September 17, 95-3. The dissenters were Helms, Roth, and Smith; not voting were Inouye and Mack. Senators Kerry (D.-Mass.), Kennedy (D.-Mass.), and Lieberman (D.-Conn.) made floor statements in favor of Boston electrification. Senators Lugar (R.-Ind.), Roth (R.-Del.), and Biden (D.-Del.) expressed concern that Amtrak operating money might cause Amtrak employee furloughs in their states.
Senators Dixon (D.-Ill.) and Simon (D.-Ill.) rose to support a high-speed rail study earmark from Amtrak operating funding, which the Senate Appropriations Committee had deleted. Also, Senator Sanford (N.C.) supported a deleted earmark for $700,000 in funding for the second Raleigh-Charlotte 403(b) train. Both the last two items were somewhat controversial, in that they were earmarks on Amtrak's operating budget, which is quite tight. Such earmarks could have the effect of jeopardizing other programs such as rolling-stock maintenance.
One interesting Sense of the Senate amendment adopted during the Appropriations debate on September 17 said that the federal gasoline tax should not be increased. That has the appearance of clear marching orders to Senate conferees, once the House has passed its surface transportation bill.
NARP Executive Director Ross Capon will testify before a New York State Assembly hearing at New York on September 25. The topic is the role maglev or high-speed rail should play in New York State. The hearing will be 11:00 am in the 11th floor hearing room of 270 Broadway.
Reeling from political losses in 1991, the American Trucking Associations quietly began a public relations campaign last month to improve their image.
But that will not keep the Los Angeles City Council from considering in the next few weeks whether to restrict the use of heavy trucks during the day as a means to fight air pollution. Naturally, the trucking industry is livid, claiming it will be a deterrent to business. Of course, many businesses depend on trucking, but those businesses should then bear the true costs to society of their truck dependency, rather than have society subsidize them by putting up with dirty air and broken streets.
Amtrak service to Hermann, Mo., starts September 28. Cars for dignitaries will travel from St. Louis on train 358 that day and a ceremony will start upon the train's arrival at Hermann.
The federal workers strike in Canada ended this week. The transit strike in Toronto was expected to end today