Transportation bill could give Nevada $200 million a year

Benjamin Grove

Thursday, March 3, 2005 | 9:47 a.m.

WASHINGTON -- A House panel has authorized $284 billion for the nation's transportation projects, which could translate to more than $200 million a year for Nevada.

Congress has struggled for two years to set a six-year budget for highway and public transit projects for fiscal years 2004 through 2009. The House and Senate have bickered over a final budget figure, among other disagreements.

Since the 2004 fiscal year began Oct. 1, 2003, federal transportation projects have been funded at a frozen level based on the previous highway budget bill, irking states that were hoping for budget increases.

The $284 billion bill passed by the House Transportation Committee on Wednesday represents a figure President Bush supports. The Senate has not acted.

The bill does not yet include funding formulas for states, congressional aides said. An estimate for a previous bill when Congress considered $304 billion budget would have funneled $225 million to Nevada.

Congressional inaction has irked state highway planning officials, especially in fast-growing states like Nevada, state Department of Transportation assistant director for planning Kent Cooper said.

"We're very excited at the prospect of Congress actually passing a bill and sending it on to the president," Cooper said.

The bill is far from final, but observers are hopeful Congress can approve the legislation once and for all as early as May.

"The American people deserve solutions to the problems of congestion, crumbling roads and delayed shipments of freight," House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Don Young, R-Alaska, said.

Nevada officials are hoping the Senate pads the highway bill with a little more cash for states, but that may not happen in a deficit-conscious Congress this year.

"We're always hopeful for more," said Ryan McGinness, who works in Nevada's lobbying office in Washington.

Nevada transportation officials said Nevada lawmakers have helped ease federal funding anxiety in the past few years by inserting $30 million to $40 million in special project "earmarks" into appropriations bills.

In addition to a general funding pot for states, the bill approved Wednesday also includes a number of earmarks, including more for Nevada. Two Nevada lawmakers sit on the transportation panel, Republican Rep. Jon Porter and Democrat Rep. Shelley Berkley.

They said the bill includes: