Boxer, Inhofe Agree on Extension (National Journal)
Senate Environment and Public Works Chairwoman Barbara Boxer and ranking member James Inhofe have agreed on extending surface transportation law by three months, putting them on par with what the House approved last week, sources on and off Capitol Hill said.
They have also agreed that any extension must retain $8.7 billion in unused transportation funding that would be eliminated when current law expires Thursday, a problem the House bill did not address.
But obstacles remain that could thwart lawmakers, including finding the funds to pay for eliminating that $8.7 billion rescission and getting floor time in a packed Senate schedule.
Inhofe’s solution is to use stimulus funds, his spokesman said today. “We would certainly be open to other ideas,” Matt Dempsey said. But using stimulus funds “is the easiest one to be done in the limited amount of time we have,” he said.
A spokesman for Boxer was unavailable. A spokeswoman for Senate Majority Leader Reid said it is unlikely there is time on the floor to do anything more than bring something up to be approved under unanimous consent.
The rescission fix is necessary to save jobs, including an estimated 1,350 in Oklahoma, Inhofe has said, along with $40 million in projects in his state.
According to the Federal Highway Administration, Boxer’s home state of California would lose $793.5 million in spending authority. Other examples include $407 million lost in New York and $61 million in contract authority in Reid’s home state of Nevada, resulting in a loss of $48 million for projects.
The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials has estimated at least 90,000 jobs would be eliminated if the rescission goes into effect.
A spokesman for House Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman James Oberstar, who successfully challenged the Obama administration and Senate Democratic leaders to push a three-month extension through the House, declined to comment until “there is a solid proposal on the table.”
The administration and Senate leaders initially wanted to extend current law for 18 months due to other priorities, such as healthcare and climate change legislation. But Oberstar has successfully sought so far to keep the pressure on lawmakers to act on a six-year reauthorization bill.
Leaders in both parties on Oberstar’s committee have offered the skeleton of a six-year, $500 billion bill. The House Ways and Means Committee still needs to draw up a way to finance the bill before the full House could take it up. A six-year bill has not been introduced in the Senate.
By Darren Goode
http://www.nationaljournal.com/congressdaily/cdp_20090929_1523.php
