No Black Box Recorders

Did you know that a provision of the transportation bill recently passed by the U.S. Senate and now being considered in the House would require that by 2015 all cars sold in the U.S. would have a black box recorder?

Unfortunately it is true!

We have launched a micro site petition to bring some attention to the issue. Please share with your personal networks (email, twitter, facebook) it will be greatly appreciated.

http://www.blackboxmandate.org/home.html

House Majority Leader Statement on the tabling of the DOT nomination

The following statement was issued today by House Majority Leader D.J. Bettencourt following today's  decision by the Executive  Council to table the nomination of Chris Clement as the Commissioner of the Department of Transportation:

 

"I applaud the Executive  Council for holding off and not rushing Governor Lynch's nomination through today.  I believe that the councilors should continue to hold Chris Clement's feet to the fire until he fully explains his future plans for the I-93 widening project.  I also remain concerned with Mr. Clement's intentions to 'hold hostage' the I-93 project until the taxpayers of this state are forced to come up with additional funding.   The fact that he supports any and all sources of revenue to fund DOT projects is also very troubling.  We should not hand the controls of our state's infrastructure over to someone who remains so vague on such a critical project.  In the days ahead, prior to the next Executive Council meeting, I call upon Mr. Clement to further clarify his position for the taxpayers of this state."

NHWatchdog - $673 million Transportation Deficit

(CONCORD) New Hampshire plan for transportation projects spends $673 million more than it raises over the next decade. The Public Works and Highways Committee presents its draft of HB 2010, the Ten Year Transportation Improvement Plan, to the full House tomorrow. The Committee made no changes to Governor John Lynch’s submission, which called for $3.6 billion in total transportation spending over the next ten years, even though official DOT revenue estimates only anticipate $2.9 billion in available revenues.

The Legislature has habitually built a “deficit” into the Ten Year Plan, which is updated every other year. But this year’s gap is far larger than the $300 million the DOT Commissioner George Campbell forecast back in December.

$450 million of the $673 million deficit comes from the state’s various highway funds, which plan on spending $2.6 billion despite raising just $2.15 billion over ten years.  The state’s Turnpike Fund is maintained separately, and adds another $128 million to the deficit.  The plan also spends $225 million on railroad projects, while generating just $5 million in railroad revenue.  The transit and airport portions of the Ten Year Plan are self-funding and limited to available revenue. Governor Lynch’s recommendation added $207 in new projects not included in the current Ten Year Plan, which was last updated in 2008.

View the spending and revenue estimates in the Ten Year Plan at NH Watchdog.

Closing the Gap

Part of the unusually high spending gap can be traced to the state’s surcharge on vehicle registrations.  The Legislature passed a temporary increase in that fee, which is set to expire next July.  The Transportation Department’s original revenue forecast included this surcharge continuing for the rest of the decade.  But with such a large gap between spending and revenues, the next Legislature will be hard pressed to let the “temporary” fee expire as planned.  Last week, DOT Commissioner George Campbell shelved plans to build a new toll booth on I-93 in Salem.  Public Works Committee Vice-Chair David Campbell advocates a gas tax, escalating to $.15 per gallon, dedicated to highway funding.

Front Loaded Spending

HB 2010 front-loads 61% of total transportation spending in the first five years of the next decade.  It would spend $2.2 billion from 2011 to 2015, but only $1.4 billion between 2016 and 2020.  Assuming that future legislatures maintain total transportation spending at its current pace for the rest of the decade would add an additional $789 million in unfunded spending.


Stopping the Runaway Railroad

Legislature looks to stop Campbell’s runaway railroad

(CONCORD) House transportation planners are looking to put the brakes on Commissioner George Campbell’s quest to bring commuter rail to New Hampshire. The House Public Works and Highways Committee unanimously recommended an amendment to the Ten Year Transportation Improvement Plan, HB 2010, which would require legislative approval before any state or federal money could be spent on passenger rail service.

In January of last year, Commissioner Campbell circulated a “Wish List” of transportation projects he would like to have seen funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, known as the Stimulus. This included $300 million to double the existing track from Manchester to Lowell, purchase equipment, and pay for the first three years of operating expenses of the passenger rail service. New Hampshire did not receive any stimulus money for commuter rail. Campbell’s proposed draft of the latest Ten Year Plan assumed that New Hampshire would win $249 million in federal money for the project.

The Committee recommendations for the Ten Year Plan include $3.6 billion in highway, bridge, and rail projects over the next ten years, including nearly $2 billion for highway projects, $260 million for airports, $464 million for the Turnpike System, and $225 million for rail projects.

However, the Public Works Committee amendment to the Ten Year Plan would prevent Campbell from spending any of that money without explicit legislative approval.

Legislative Appropriation of Passenger Railroad Expenditures. Prior to the expenditure of any state or federal moneys by the state of New Hampshire, or its representatives, on the construction or reconstruction of any passenger railroad infrastructure, or the operation of passenger railroad service, the department of transportation and the New Hampshire rail transit authority shall first receive approval from the general court for both the capital and operating budgets related to passenger rail service. Said legislation should, pursuant to house and senate rules, be sent to the public works and highways and finance committees in the house of representatives and the transportation and interstate cooperation and finance committees in the senate, prior to its being acted on by the respective legislative bodies. This section shall not apply to federal money received or expended for planning purposes or studies related to passenger rail service.

Neither Governor John Lynch’s December submission to the Legislature nor the Public Works Committee plan anticipate federal funding for passenger rail service in New Hampshire. With the Committee Amendment, should the Granite State receive a federal grant to build the commuter rail project, Campbell would need legislative approval to spend it. Currently, department heads can seek approval from the Executive Council or the Legislative Fiscal Committee to accept and expend federal dollars outside of the normal budget process.