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Articles by Deron Lovaas

Deron Lovaas is Federal Transportation Policy Director for the Naturnal Resources Defense Council (NRDC). He lives in College Park, Md.

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Is U.S. transportation going off the rails?Photo: FullyFunctnlPhilCross-posted from Natural Resources Defense Council.

The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee is about to unveil a new six-year transportation reauthorization bill that may cut highway and mass transit funding by one-third.  

That mindless approach to cutting spending represents myopia at its worst. By doing so, the committee is failing to see the big picture on transportation. In order to keep America moving forward, we need to chart a new course — not slam on the brakes.  

This shortsighted bill would hamstring our nation’s transportation network. As it is, our transportation infrastructure, once the envy of the world, is crumbling. Failure to invest in our aging roads, bridges, and railways puts our nation’s economic recovery, and our ability to compete in the global economy, at risk.

A new transportation bill should focus on fixing what’s broken, reducing the oil use in our transportation sector, and making smart, targeted use of our limited taxpayer funds.

We need to guide investment with a strong “fix it first&... Read more