I'd like to invite you to attend the 2nd Annual North America Strategic Infrastructure Leadership Forum, September 29-October 1 at the Washington Hilton Hotel, sponsored by CG/LA Infrastructure in partnership with the Progressive Policy Institute. Download the full schedule.
Less than a month after President Obama laid out a plan for $50 billion in U.S. infrastructure investment, the forum will provide a showcase for the big capital projects we need to jumpstart U.S. economic growth and competitiveness and will bring together leading thinkers from the public and private sector to discuss making smart infrastructure investment a reality. Let me highlight three events that I think you, as a PPI friend and supporter, would be particularly interested in:
On Wednesday, September 29, from 9-10:30 a.m., PPI will get things rolling with a forum entitled, Keeping America on Track: the Future of High Speed Rail. If you want to learn why America is lagging behind Europe, Japan and China in the race for high speed rail, this discussion is for you.
On Thursday, September 30, I'll be honored to introduce Senator Mark Warner, who will address the conference on the theme of "Competitiveness Through Innovation."
Friday, October 1, PPI will present two high-level roundtable discussions. The first, linking infrastructure to the larger challenge of retooling the American economy for growth and global competition, will feature Tom Friedman, author and New York Times Columnist; Terry O'Sullivan, General President of the Laborers' International Union; John Woolard, CEO of BrightSource Energy, a leading U.S. solar power company; and, the moderator, David Wessel, economics editor of the Wall Street Journal.
The second roundtable, on choosing the right projects and financing them, will feature U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, author of a leading infrastructure bank bill; Leo Hindery, a prominent business leader and investor; Chris Bertram, Assistant Secretary for Budget and Programs at the U.S. Department of Transportation; and Ev Erlich, a former Under Secretary of Commerce who is one of the prime architects of an infrastructure bank. Download the full schedule.
President Obama recently announced a new $50 billion infrastructure initiative. We believe an even bolder push to modernize America's infrastructure is crucial to speed the pace of economic recovery in the short-term, and ensure that our country can compete in emerging global markets for high speed rail, clean cars, low-carbon energy, including nuclear power, a smart grid, next generation air traffic control, and more. The stakes are enormous, and I hope you can join us for these timely discussions.
I hope to see you this week and look forward to adding your voice to this critical debate. Please RSVP by email or call 202.775.0105 to speak with Lindsay Mark Lewis if you have any questions.
Warm regards,
Will Marshall
President, Progressive Policy Institute
Some really good ideas!
Quoteit’s time we use the almost $300 billion authorization (over six years) for building up genuine high-speed-rail routes. To that end, he makes seven specific policy recommendations for the next Highway Trust Fund re-authorization replacing the current authorization due to expire at the end of 2010.
• Change the name of the Highway Trust Fund to the Surface Transportation Trust Fund to better reflect its new mission for the 21st century.
• Allocate at least $5 billion in Trust Fund money in 2011 to HSR construction, with special emphasis on getting a demonstration high-speed line between Tampa and Orlando completed by 2015. (The Florida line received $1.25 billion in federal stimulus grants, but is still short of its $2.6 billion budget.)
• Increase HSR expenditures in years 2012-15 (if a five-year spending bill is enacted) to reflect the increased demand for grants as more states develop passenger rail plans.
• End the bureaucratic separation of highway and rail programs by establishing a team of planners to develop a HSR network in coordination with future highway building and restoration.
• Direct the U.S. Department of Transportation and state authorities to examine routes where HSR could use Interstate and other publicly owned highway corridors for rights of way. This approach, already being used in the Tampa-Orlando corridor, would greatly lower land acquisition costs for new rail lines.
• Base federal transportation decisions on clear analytic measures of performance rather than earmarks â€" and competition between states instead of preset formulas â€" to produce the greatest return on taxpayer dollars.
• Ensure that HSR, which uses about 20 percent less energy per passenger mile than automobiles, gets its fair share of any future revenues generated by carbon pricing.
Reutter also explores ways that policymakers can leverage private capital to augment public spending.
One approach is assembling land around potential HSR terminals for sale to private companies either operating or putting up part of the capital costs of HSR building.
Another is to encourage overseas operators with proven track records to invest in U.S. projects, at least initially, to allow U.S. companies to “learn the ropes†of building these highly sophisticated systems.
Ultimately, though, it’s going to take real political leadership. As Reutter concludes:
The Obama administration has repeatedly talked about its commitment to “green†technology and how fast trains could provide job growth and business opportunities to regions hard-hit by the loss of manufacturing. The administration needs to seize the initiative and make the case for HSR funding during the fall election cycle and in the next transportation reauthorization bill.
Reutter will be discussing high-speed rail Wednesday at a panel on “Keeping America on Track: The Future of High-Speed Rail,†which is part of the 2nd Annual North America Strategic Infrastructure Leadership Forum, co-sponsored by PPI.
http://www.progressivefix.com/how-to-pay-for-high-speed-rail