Senate Transportation reviews committee-passed budget, plans amendment on greenhouse-gas costing

Senate Transportation members reviewed the committee-passed transportation appropriation totals and discussed a planned amendment to require costing of transportation investments intended to reduce transportation-related greenhouse gas emissions.

For the record, Logan Mover, draft fiscal office staff, presented the committee budget overview and said, “This represent the budget as, passed in this committee, and then also the appropriations made in the big bill, this year from here, Senate Appropriations Committee.” He said the sheet posted to the committee page shows the numbers the committee will take to the floor.

The presentation identified two onetime appropriations included in the bill: about $1.4 million to the Agency of Commerce and Community Development (ACCD) for an item the transcript identifies as “e BFD” and $600,000 for volunteer coordinators. Mover said a Town Highway nonfederal disaster line that originally had been funded with transportation funds was switched to pilot funds, moving about $1.15 million to pilot funds and freeing the same amount of transportation funds for reallocation.

Mover also told the committee the package must bridge a revenue reduction tied to two bills. He identified the DMV bill and S 46 (the forestry bill) as the drivers of an approximate $686,000 revenue decrease affecting the transportation fund. He described the forestry bill’s impact as roughly $500,000 overall, with about two-thirds (approximately $333,000) from the transportation fund and the remainder from other funds.

A committee member noted that planned paving dollars have decreased by roughly 20 percent from prior levels, reflecting higher project costs and limits on how many miles the department expects to pave with available funds. Mover acknowledged the reduction and said some leftover funds are being used to help close the revenue gap the committee identified.

Separately, members discussed an amendment to add language that would require costing of transportation investments intended to reduce transportation-related greenhouse gas emissions. Committee speakers said the amendment is intended to keep the conversation with public transit agencies and other parties moving but that staff must still work on language. One committee member described the version under discussion as likely to be “placeholder language” until stakeholders agree on details. The committee indicated the amendment will be included in the transportation bill package taken to the floor, but additional drafting and possible further testimony are expected before final placement.

Committee members said an amendment the Appropriations Committee approved will reflect the funding movements shown on the committee sheet. Members also discussed timing and whether to take additional testimony next week to refine S 4’s language on greenhouse-gas-related costing; they planned to decide when Damien (the chair) returns to the chair.

The discussion was informational; the transcript does not record a floor vote or a final committee vote on the greenhouse-gas-costing language during this session. Further drafting and stakeholder meetings were described as needed before any final filing or floor action.