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A P3/Infrastructure Of Interest

Former Governor Ed Rendell Testifies before House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee
This publication was written by members of Ballard Spahr'sP3/Infrastructure Group.

February 14, 2013

Former Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell urged lawmakers to take steps to repair the nation's infrastructure as he testified before the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee on Wednesday, February 13, 2013, in Washington, D.C. The Committee, chaired by Representative Bill Shuster (R-PA), is set to address three large bills this year that will affect the future of transportation and infrastructure spending in the United States, including the surface transportation bill that expires at the end of September 2014. The former governor appeared before the Committee as part of a panel that included U.S. Chamber of Commerce President Thomas J. Donohue and Laborers' International Union President Terry O'Sullivan. "I don't want to hear anybody talk about American exceptionalism," Gov. Rendell said, "until we invest in our infrastructure." The panelists agreed that the federal government must assume responsibility for transportation funding, though they were not in full agreement on how to raise the needed funds. Gov. Rendell called for the establishment of a National Infrastructure Bank, the lifting of the restrictions on states to toll federal interstate highways, and the creation of a series of grants for multistate projects. He also said he would support an increase in the federal gasoline tax in the short term to fund highway projects, an idea that sparks considerable partisan debate.

EDWARD G. RENDELL

TEL 215.864.8401

rendell@ballardspahr.com view full bio

Rep. Shuster has said that hiking the federal gas tax is among many proposals his committee will consider. One argument against such an increase is that it would have a diminishing return as the energy efficiency of vehicles improves. Gov. Rendell argued in favor of a user fee based on mileage and the development of technology that could collect and transmit this information without violating privacy concerns. Outlining his support for additional federal grants to support multistate projects, Gov. Rendell cited the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) Program, established under the American Recovery and Investment Act of 2009. Through this program, Pennsylvania, Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Virginia are working together to improve the Crescent Corridor, a 2,500-mile rail network through 13 eastern states. Gov. Rendell is special counsel at Ballard Spahr and a member of the P3/Infrastructure and Government Relations, Regulatory Affairs, and Contracting practice groups. Attorneys in Ballard Spahr's P3/Infrastructure Group regularly monitor and report on new developments in transportation financing and public-private partnerships. If you have questions on infrastructure financing or public-private partnerships, please contact Brian Walsh at 215.864.8510 or walsh@ballardspahr.com, Steve T. Park at 215.864.8533 or parks@ballardspahr.com, or the member of the Group with whom you work.

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