House Republicans unveiled plans for a five-year transportation reauthorization that would fund the Highway Trust Fund at current levels through revenues from expanding offshore oil and gas drilling, expanded oil shale production and exploration of the Arctic National Wildlife Reserve (ANWR).
Though the legislation has not yet been released, House Democrats were quick to criticize the plan, saying it was short on details and failed to identify real, sustainable revenue solutions. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), Chair of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, issued a statement denouncing it as a “contentious” plan to mire the surface transportation bill in controversy.
Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-Ohio) has said the House bill will be considered before the end of 2011 and there has been talk of a Transportation and Infrastructure Committee mark-up as early as the week of Dec. 5.
Many in the transportation community believe it is increasingly unlikely that Congress will reconcile their differences with transportation reauthorization until after the Nov. 2012 election.