Executive Director Steve Heminger's Report to the Commission Meeting of April 23, 2014
Commission Workshop
March 26-27, Sonoma
On behalf of the MTC staff, I’d like to thank the commissioners who attended the workshop and offered us your candid and thoughtful responses to the issues we presented.
Oakley Named DOT Director
April 7, Columbia
Many of you may not know or recall Janet Oakley, but she was the first executive director of the Association of Metropolitan Planning Organizations (AMPO). The reason I bring her name to your attention is that she was recently appointed director of the South Carolina Department of Transportation by Governor Nikki Haley. It’s not every day that an MPO advocate is appointed to run a state DOT. In fact, I can’t remember it ever happening before. Congratulations to Janet on this unique opportunity.
Ann Flemer Retirement Celebration
April 8, Oakland
Chair Worth led a small army of commissioners, former staff, and current staff members in saluting Ann Flemer on her retirement. Thanks to everyone who attended, but especially the following folks who made the event possible: Alix Bockelman, Beba Jimenez, Brenda Kahn, Carol Kuester, Catalina Alvarado, Dave Vautin, Ellen Griffin, Georgia Lambert, John Goodwin, Lynn Valdivia, Melanie Crotty, Mike Lee, Pierce Gould, Peter Beeler, Randy Rentschler, Stefanie Hom, Stephen Abbanatt, and Ursula Vogler.
Senators Announce MAP-21 Reauthorization Agreement
April 10, Washington DC
Senator Barbara Boxer, Chair of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, and the committee’s ranking Republican, Senator David Vitter, announced their bi-partisan agreement on a set of principles to guide reauthorization of the MAP-21 legislation that expires on September 30, 2014. The six principles appear fairly benign, but none contain any hint of how to pay for the next surface transportation bill since the Highway Trust Fund will be unable to meet its current financial obligations as soon as this August. In order to achieve two of the six principles – “passing a long-term bill” and “keeping current levels of funding, plus inflation” – the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has estimated that an additional $100 billion in funding capacity would be required over the next six years. That’s a tall order indeed.
Steinberg Announces Major Cap & Trade Proposal
April 14, Sacramento
Senate President pro Tem Darrell Steinberg has ditched his proposal for a carbon tax and pivoted to a major proposal for a long-term, statutory commitment of Cap & Trade funds to a variety of programs dominated by transportation investments such as public transit assistance, road repair, complete streets, and high speed rail. I attended the press conference at the senator’s invitation. MTC staff will be intensively involved with numerous other stakeholders as the proposal is translated into detailed bill language that is likely to be negotiated in tandem with the FY 2014-15 state budget this summer.
History Lesson
A little over 50 years ago, the user-based revenue stream going into the recently created Highway Trust Fund was insufficient to sustain the level of spending necessary to continue construction of the massive Interstate Highway System without going into deficit spending. While that problem statement certainly has a familiar ring, what happened next sounds strange to our contemporary ears. President John F. Kennedy delivered a special message to Congress in February 1961 proposing a series of user fee increases primarily on heavy trucks, and the Congress responded by enacting a similar package of fee hikes a few months later in June 1961. Thanks to Bill Higgins of CALCOG for bringing this particular bit of history to my attention.
Map of the Month
According to figures recently released by the U.S. Census, America’s largest metro areas are currently gaining population at impressive rates. The growth in these areas is in fact driving much of the population growth across the nation. Upon closer examination of the data, this growth is the result of two very different migrations – one coming from the location choices of Americans themselves, the other shaped by where new immigrants from outside the united Sates are heading. While many metro areas are attracting a net-inflow of migrants from other parts of the country, in several of the largest metros – New York, L.A., and Miami, especially – there is actually a net outflow of Americans to the rest of the country. Immigration is driving population growth in these places. Sunbelt metros like Houston, Dallas, and Phoenix, and knowledge hubs like Austin, Seattle, San Francisco, and D.C. are gaining much more from domestic migration. This map charts overall or net migration – a combination of domestic and international migration.
MTC Operational Statistics
The monthly report on the performance of MTC’s operating programs: