On Wednesday, the U.S. Senate passed a short-term surface transportation authorization extension by voice vote. This extends the authorization from Oct. 29 through Nov. 20, 2015. No additional revenue was required for this extension, and it passed by voice vote in both chambers of Congress. The legislation is expected to be signed by President Obama before the lapse in authorization occurs tomorrow at midnight.
Included in this bill was language which dealt with the Dec. 31 deadline for implementation of PTC. This new proposal would extend the deadline for installation of PTC to Dec. 31, 2018, allowing an additional three years to railroads to complete this process. Revised implementation plans are due within 90 days of enactment of this bill. At the end of this period, the Secretary would have the authority, on a case-by-case basis, to grant railroads up to an additional two years to complete the implementation of PTC.
