Who is a member?
Our members are the local governments of Massachusetts and their elected and appointed leadership.
Sen. Thomas McGee, Senate Chair of the Joint Committee on Transportation, and Kristina Egan, director of the advocacy coalition Transportation for Massachusetts, explained the potential impact of the latest federal transportation legislation on Massachusetts during an Oct. 9 briefing at the State House.
Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century (MAP-21), a two-year federal program, replaces SAFETEA-LU, the 2005 surface transportation legislation that had seen 10 extensions.
MAP-21 did not include any increase in funding levels for surface transportation.
Per capita driving has peaked and fuel economy standards have increased, according to James Corless, director of Transportation for America, with the result being a decrease in revenue from the gas tax and uncertainty about the sustainability of the federal Highway Trust Fund as a primary funding mechanism.
MAP-21 made several structural and substantive changes to transportation programs. There no longer exists dedicated funding for roadway repair, although National Highway Performance Program maintenance funding may be used. Highways within the National Highway System are prioritized, however, and funds can no longer be used for purposes such as local bridge maintenance.
The popular Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant program, which in four rounds awarded $3.1 billion to 218 projects in all 50 states, was not included in MAP-21. The Projects of National & Regional Significance program, funded at $500 million, remains a source of competitive funding for comparable projects. Unlike TIGER, however, only states – and not municipalities – are eligible to apply for PNRS funds.
The Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act loan program, funded at $1 billion, remains a source of financing for transportation projects, but approved projects must demonstrate a source of revenue for loan repayment.
Funding for initiatives to promote walking and biking decreased by one-third, with the funding streamed to the state and metropolitan planning organizations for distribution to municipalities through a competitive process.
There is uncertainty about the impact on MAP-21 of automatic budget reductions mandated by the Budget Control Act of 2011, effective Jan. 1. Generally, programs financed through trust funds are not subject to sequestration.
In January, the MMA membership adopted a resolution that calls upon Congress and the president to immediately reauthorize the surface transportation funding program and to maintain the federal fuels tax as a financing mechanism.