National Journal: Influence Alley
By Chris Frates
January 26, 2012 | 4:35 PM
My colleague Fawn Johnson sat down with former House Transportation Committee Chairman Jim Oberstar and WaPo columnist George Will to discuss how the transportation industry can convince a spendthrift Congress to open the checkbook for infrastructure spending.
Johnson reports:
Construction management company HNTB Corp. spent $280,000 last year on lobbying. The construction services industry spent $10.2 million. The entire transportation industry spent $237 million, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.
But all that money is for naught if private-sector transportation executives cannot convince lawmakers to invest in highways, bridges, railways and runways. HNTB is concerned enough about the spending phobia in Congress to seek out advice from two longtime Washington insiders, former House Transportation Committee Chairman Jim Oberstar, D-Minn., and Washington Post columnist George Will. Oberstar is so well versed in infrastructure issues that he could dictate a book over lunch. Will, with his thumb on Washington's conservative zeitgeist, brings an outsider's perspective to transportation policy.
Will and Oberstar spoke to HNTB corporate executives on Tuesday in Tucson, Ariz. National Journal had an exclusive interview with them and HNTB President Paul Yarossi to discuss how to convince Congress, and the public, to pay for transportation projects. Here are the highlights:
FULL ARTICLE
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Thu, January 26, 2012
by John Cox