Ace in the Hole

Congressman Tom Petri (R-Wis.) listens. Rather than shaking your hand, telling you that you look good or kissing your baby, he actually takes the time to listen to your concerns, thoughts and ideas.

This was evident to me when I met him a couple of years ago at the American Traffic Safety Services Association's Traffic Expo in Dallas.

When presented the opportunity to speak with Petri for a few minutes in a separate, sequestered room prior to his touring the exhibition floor at Traffic Expo, I agreed but I wasn't exactly sure how to open the conversation.

Of course, him being from Wisconsin, there is one subject that everyone from the Badger State knows about and that is the Green Bay Packers.

After talking about Brett, Bubba, Ahman and football in general for a moment, the conversation eventually turned to politics and the reason why Petri was at ATSSA's Traffic Expo: advocating and promoting work-zone safety.

And as the conversation turned, so did the tone in Petri's voice. Everyone within earshot could tell he is serious about transportation and related issues such as work-zone safety and funding. As he listened intently to the questions that were posed at that time by TM+E colleague Bill Wilson and myself, he answered them honestly and passionately.

Petri exhibited this same honesty and passion as he toured the show floor, as he was very interested in the conversations he had with exhibitors and attendees alike. And almost every one of these conversations centered on improving work-zone safety or funding.

Before he headed back to Washington, D.C., I had one final question for Petri: Would he be interested in granting an exclusive interview with TM+E at a later date? He agreed and said he certainly was interested in participating.

Well, I figured it was due time to utilize my ace in the hole and it couldn't come at a better time as Petri offers TM+E readers and the transportation industry an inside view on the reauthorization of TEA-21.

TM+E: TEA-21 is set to expire on Sept. 30 and, historically, the reauthorization bills are signed about six months after the previous bill's expiration date. When will the TEA-21 reauthorization bill be signed?

Petri: Our goal, of course, is to meet the Sept. 30 deadline. We hope to have a bill through the House by the start of the August recess. There is much to do, however, and nobody can guarantee that the many unresolved issues will be settled on time. When heavy lifting is involved, Congress has always needed the pressure of deadlines to get things done.

TM+E: A few different dollar amounts have been tossed around in recent months, ranging from $200 billion to $300 billion for the next six years. Realistically, what amount of funding can be expected from the TEA-21 reauthorization?

Petri: Congress' budget plan proposes to spend over $270 billion. Unfortunately, even though that's more than the president proposed, it's still too little if we want to maintain our current infrastructure.

In fact, we need to expand--not simply maintain--the system if we want to provide necessary support for a growing economy. The final dollar figure will depend on how well supporters of adequate infrastructure can make our case. There's a reserve fund in the budget, which can provide additional resources if we can make our case successfully.

TM+E: Congressman Don Young is pushing hard to get the maximum funding available for TEA-21 reauthorization. Do you see any parallels between Congressman Young's efforts and those of Congressman Bud Shuster's past efforts when he lobbied for record funds in the reauthorization of ISTEA?

Petri: Prior to the crafting of TEA-21, Congress and various administrations had been building up big surpluses in the Highway Trust Fund in order to mask the size of the federal deficit as a whole. With the passage of TEA-21 we re-established the principle that all funds raised specifically for highways and transit would, in fact, be spent on highways and transit.

Unfortunately, we still aren't taking in enough money to maintain the system and fund the improvements, which are so necessary for economic growth. During a time of budget deficits it's always difficult to say that we simply must have more money, but our challenge for the current reauthorization is to win by arguing our case on its merits.

So, while there are some parallels, there are differences too. In TEA-21, we were arguing to spend user fees already collected in the trust fund. Now, we are making the case that we have to look at various options to get additional resources.

TM+E: This spring, the Wall Street Journal wrote, “[Cong.] Young wants us to believe that highway spending deserves a priority claim in the federal budget. We hope there are enough genuine Republicans left in Congress to give him a reality check.”  Would you care to comment on this statement?

Petri: During a March hearing of my subcommittee, various transportation economists and academics testified that increased highway spending can give our economy a 30% annual return. We need to spend more on transportation not because we like to spend, but rather because the spending will more than pay for itself. Economic growth means jobs, tax revenues and a higher standard of living--and economic growth requires efficient transportation.

It is an important distinction that all of the highway program is paid for by user fees that can only be spent for transportation purposes. That's also the case for most of the transit program as well. So, the users are paying for the spending--the money doesn't come out of the general federal budget.

TM+E: Besides the TEA-21 reauthorization, what is being done in Washington, D.C., to make sure traffic safety, traffic congestion and the physical condition of the federal aid system do not get worse?

Petri: We are putting a lot of effort into intelligent transportation systems research, development and implementation. Rather than simply building and repairing roads, we need to improve road materials to make them safer and more durable, and to make use of traffic cameras, electronic signs, GPS systems and the rest to better manage all the transportation resources available to us.

As things stand now, one child out of every 84 born today will die violently in a motor vehicle crash, according to the American Association of Highway and Transportation Officials. New technologies can save lives while saving money over the long run.

It takes $50 billion per year in federal investments to maintain current congestion and safety levels and physical conditions of the nation's infrastructure.

TM+E: Doesn't it make sense to lobby for more money in order to improve on these variables?

Petri: It isn't enough to maintain current congestion and safety levels. We are currently falling behind, but we must regain lost ground and actually improve the situation.

When it comes to the budget everybody talks about 'needs,' and we have a lot of needs in this area. But we also need to consider cost-effective opportunities to help the economy grow--clear, measurable economic benefits. We absolutely need to get the word out on this.

TM+E: An increase in the federal gas tax will fund the TEA-21 reauthorization. According to a recent Zogby survey of just over 1,000 voters, 64% of the respondents support an annual gas tax increase of two cents if this revenue is used exclusively for road and transit improvements. Is that two-cent increase attainable?

Petri: Rather than increasing gas taxes, I'm very much interested in indexing them. Gasoline taxes were last adjusted in 1993, and clearly there has been inflation since then, and those taxes are worth less. People can understand inflation adjustments much more easily than they can accept straight-out hikes. Further, highway users will accept higher gasoline taxes if they are assured that those taxes are, in fact, user fees. If we want to raise enough funds for the nation's transportation, we need to honor our promise to use highway trust fund money for actual transportation projects with no diversions to unrelated areas.

TM+E: As a staunch advocate for work-zone safety, what impact do you think TEA-21 reauthorization will have in this area?

Petri: I am committed to including provisions which will address work-zone safety. A thousand construction workers are killed each year in work-zone safety accidents, so it is clearly an issue we need to address.

TM+E: When approved, what type of fiscal ripple effect will the TEA-21 reauthorization have on the transportation industry?

Petri: When combined with state investment, $1 billion of transportation spending results in 47,500 jobs for construction workers and the community businesses where they and their families shop. Beyond this, safer, better and less crowded highways will be good news for every business, which depends on efficient transportation. Whether you are trying to get your products to market or are making a living transporting somebody else's goods, time stuck in stall-and-crawl traffic can never be recovered.      TME