Transportation
The issue of Transportation is important to our district and to my work in Congress.
In Colorado--with our isolated rural communities, severe weather, and mountainous topography--many of us could not maintain our existence without a reliable transportation system. This is especially true in the Third District, which covers nearly half of the state and includes some of its most beautiful and rugged terrain. Many Coloradans often travel long distances, and it’s important that our transportation infrastructure accommodates safe, affordable and timely travel.
Maintaining and improving a modern network of roads, airports, and railroads is a continuous process. In addition to providing work for the struggling construction industry, it improves our economy by allowing Colorado goods to reach their marketplaces more efficiently, bolsters tourism, and creates jobs statewide. At the same time our nation is facing a growing budget crisis that currently exceeds $15.5 trillion in national debt, and Washington must ensure that transportation resources are being used as effectively and efficiently as possible.
Read more:
• Roads and Infrastructure
• Aviation
• Rural Mass Transit
• Funding
• Bureaucracy
More on my work on Transportation issues:
• Caucuses
• Committee and Floor Activity
Roads and Infrastructure
As Colorado’s population continues to grow, the stress and demand on our roads and transportation systems is increasing. I support efforts that maintain and improve Colorado’s infrastructure in key hubs in and in underserved areas.
Our surface transportation system plays a critical role in the overall economic health of our nation. I supported H.R. 4348, Surface Transportation Extension Act, which passed both Houses and was signed into law by the President on July 6, 2012. Prior to passage of H.R. 4348, the last long-term authorization for highway, transit and safety programs was passed in 2005. This was followed by over 20 short-term extensions that drove up costs and failed to provide certainty. H.R. 4348 is a fully paid for 2 ¼ year reform bill that allows states to carry out important infrastructure projects and ensures long-term jobs for the hard-hit construction industry. This bill contained no earmarks, eliminated or consolidated 2/3 of current programs, gave states flexibility to use funding in transportation alternatives and reduced the overall size of the set-aside.
Additional Surface Transportation Work:
- Helping to secure much-needed Federal Highway Administration resources for improvements to U.S. Highway 160 in Mesa Verde National Park. Highway 160 is the only major east-west highway in Southwest Colorado, and is critical to local economies.
- Supporting the City of Pueblo’s effort to construct a new I-25 interchange, which would provide access to the rapidly developing community of Pueblo West, relieve congestion along U.S. 50, and create 400 jobs.
- Supporting the Grand Valley Metropolitan Planning Organization’s efforts for the I-70 Business Loop project, their number one regional priority which would link the urban areas of Grand Junction and other important Western Colorado cities.
- Urging the House Committees on Transportation and Infrastructure and Homeland Security to appropriate sufficient funds for the Federal Railroad Administration’s (FRA) Railroad Research and Development program, which funds various universities and organizations such as the Transportation Technology Center, Inc. in Pueblo, Colorado—an organization that provides research and technologies to provide safety and prevent terrorist attacks within the railway industry.
Aviation
The aviation industry faces a large amount of government oversight due to its importance and safety needs. This is understandable, but we must also remember that the small businesses which compose much of the industry have large expenses, low profit margins, and a number of unique risks. It’s critical that the aviation businesses are able to execute their operations safely and efficiently so that air travel and transportation is affordable, accessible and expedient.
I have taken action to protect Colorado’s aviation industry and service, which provides valuable jobs in the 3rd District, including:
- Opposing increased “security taxes” on passengers purchasing airfare which would cost a family of four an additional $60 to fly round-trip. It has been estimated that over 75,000 industry jobs would be lost nationwide.
- Opposing other proposed tax increases such as a $100 per flight tax on commercial and general aviation flights.
- Supporting legislation to reauthorize the Federal Aviation Administration while reducing waste and protecting Essential Air Services (EAS) for rural Colorado airports. EAS ensures that communities that are removed from a major airport retain access to the national aviation network.
I supported H.R. 658, the FAA Reauthorization and Reform Act, which passed both Houses and was signed into law by the President on February 14, 2012. Prior to passage of H.R. 658, the last full FAA reauthorization expired in September 2007 and was followed by more than a dozen short-term extensions up costs and failed to provide certainty. On Tuesday, August 2, 2011, the Senate left town for August recess without bringing the FAA extension up for a vote or even proposing and passing an alternative version of the bill and sending back to the House. While they did eventually pass an extension several days later following public outrage, the fact that 4,000 FAA workers were furloughed, over 70,000 construction workers were impacted and that the federal government lost an estimated $30 million dollars per day in collected taxes on airline tickets is inexcusable. H.R. 658 is a four-year reauthorization of our federal aviation programs that are good for the aviation industry & our airports. This four-year reauthorization that provides long-term certainty and will reduce overall costs.
Rural Mass Transit
I spearheaded a letter to House conferees for the Surface Transportation bill regarding the rural transit formula. The letter was supported by CASTA (Colorado Association of Transit Agencies) and was signed by Colorado’s entire House delegation. The letter urged conferees to include reforms for rural transit funding that were found in a previous House bill regarding surface transportation. These reforms if adopted would allow Colorado to get its fair share of rural transit funding by accounting for actual transit use. The letter pointed out that, “the current formula does not capture at all the high ridership and level of service among rural providers in Colorado and many other states with proportionally high rural ridership. Indeed a state would receive the same level of funding under the current formula if it provided no rural transit service at all.” The letter did not call for increased federal spending, merely reforms to ensure rural transit dollars are actually making it out to rural areas that need them most.
Funding
While the federal government plays a legitimate role in building and maintaining many of our transit systems, there is room to eliminate wasteful spending. As always, we should strive to identify duplicative programs and projects that can’t pass the cost-benefit test. One such program was the funding of Stimulus Signs used to advertise stimulus projects—these signs can cost up to $10,000 each. I proudly co-sponsored the End the Stimulus Advertisement Act (H.R.389), which passed in the House, to stop this wasteful spending.
Eliminating these inefficiencies will enable us to maximize taxpayer resources, and target projects that are not only “shovel-ready,” but stand to provide a measurable benefit.
Bureaucracy
Burdensome and costly overregulation is a problem in many areas of government, and the transportation sector is no exception. Unfortunately, many bureaucrats would like to put even more red tape in place, preventing local communities from addressing their own transportation needs. Instead, I believe that it is necessary to reduce the regulations that stand in the way of responsible projects, providing much-needed certainty, speeding up the approval process, and creating jobs.
Caucuses
• House Motorcycle Caucus
• General Aviation Caucus
Watch Floor and Committee Activity
See what I’ve been working on in Washington:
• Rep. Scott Tipton at Small Business Committee Subcommittee Hearing on Trucking Regulations
• Rep. Scott Tipton Questions Harris Sherman on Forest Service Roadless Rule
For more information concerning my work and views on the issue of transportation, please contact my Washington, DC office.