Mortimer L. Downey, Senior Advisor, Parsons Brinckerhoff
Biography provided by participant
Mort Downey has spent five decades in the transportation profession, both public and private. During the Clinton Administration he served as Deputy Secretary of Transportation and since then has been associated with Parsons Brinckerhoff as chairman of their PB Consult subsidiary. During the 2008 campaign he served on President Obama's transportation policy committee and was appointed as head of the Department of Transportation transition team.
Echoing the views of others, I think Warren Buffet's purchase of BNSF is an affirmation not only of the viability of the railroad industry but of an American economy that still needs us to make things and move things. It's also an opportunity for sound management and innovation to bring not only the railroad but the full scope of the transportation system into a new era. With the long-term Buffet view, I hope that BN"s management under Matt Rose's continuing leadership will be even more able to invest and innovate towards more efficent and effective customer service. It's also reassuring… Read more
First, let me agree with Steve Heminger--we can't let an arbitrary sum of dollars drive our thinking about the scope of a federal transportation program--whether that sum is what we now have available, or what we think might be raised in the future. And then, I want to take a comment from Ken Orski, who picked up on the point made at the Miller Center conference about "federal role" vs "federal interest," but take that idea in a different direction. One thing we have learned over the years is how much transportation affects a number of issues we care about. … Read more
With only hours to go before the current bill expires, it’s obvious that we are in overtime, and that the key issue continues to be how to pay for the system improvements we all need. Arriving at a positive outcome on this issue is a tall order, notwithstanding the leadership being exhibited by some, notably the Chamber, NAM and the ATA (whom I hope will all be chiming on the issue this week.) We also have the clear advice from the two congressionally sponsored commissions that supports the case that increased investment is needed and that we should bite the bullet… Read more
Hearing from Norm Mineta and Michael Jackson reminds me of how much we owe them for their efforts in standing up the response to 9/11, which has in fact been successful and which we cannot walk away from. The threats are still out there and our transportation system is still vulnerable as both a target and a carrier. The terrorists will continue to probe our defenses for weaknesses and we need to be equally attentive to evolve our response. Recognizing that this will be our state for a long time to come, we should be evaluating both our success and… Read more
The question posed asks about a national freight policy, and then jumps to a means of financing. Let me introduce an intermediate step of a national freight program, and then provide comments on all three points As to policy, we should have a serious discussion and frame a policy statement before jumping into program design, so that the latter effort best reflects what we want to accomplish. Some key elements in such a policy statement would include the retention of a competitive and profitable array of private sector carriers offering freight service, balanced with a public sector commitment to assure… Read more
Having once been summoned to the White House press briefing room to defend the concept when we included it in the Clinton Administration's NEXTEA bill, I'd be reluctant to say "never." But like Steve Van Beek, I think it is more likely to be the exception than the rule, and that's why DOT's approval opportunities have been limited within the Congressionally approved programs. In particular, I think the case needs to be made very clearly that needs in the particular corridor are the driving force for tolling, whether for capacity expansion, system preservation or operational efficiency. No ways of paying for… Read more
I'm heading off for vacation tonight, so will cut my response short. I think we need the leadership to get all of the parties to the table and seek a solution to what is a difficult but not impossible problem. Yes, we need to encourage energy conservation and increases in price will help that, whether through cap and trade, or carbon tax, or plain vanilla fuel taxes. however, we know that success means less tax revenue and our aversion to paying for the costs of what we consume has made our elected officials averse to a solution. And those who do support… Read more
As with any question of this type, the qualifier has to be how well is the program working as compared to what it was intended to achieve. On that basis, I think the transportation component of ARRA deserves very high marks. Much of the funding was intended for rapid distribution in order to generate jobs that would kick in during the summer and continue for some time as we weather a deep recession. In fact, that was the rationale for including capital investment as opposed to the usual macro-economic tools that have been used in the past. With the intense… Read more
I look forward to some good discussion on this question, but with the caveat that I don’t think it is properly framed. Let me explain. Setting performance targets is a very appropriate step for government to take, and in its role as the policy setting branch of government, it’s a good idea for Congress to play a role in setting those targets. In fact, setting performance goals and measuring progress isn’t just a good idea, it’s the law! The Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) passed by Congress in 1993 calls for all national programs to the managed according… Read more
System performance is rapidly becoming "conventional wisdom" in the debate over transportation legislation and budgeting. In a time of stretched budgets, it's vitally important that we be able to define what our public investments (and private investments as well) are intended to achieve and be prepared to document our results. Look at the OMB guidance just issued for the FY 2011 federal budget and you will see how much of a premium the federal budget czars are putting on performance and results. In the transportation world, this may be easier said than done, especially in a system that relies on… Read more
The thought that freight investment is something that should be a part of the next surface transportation bill is welcome news--it's what many of us have been saying for the past several years and it helps make the case that there are national interests at stake in this legislation. Now we need to be sure we do it right The Coalition for America's Gateways and Trade Corridors, of which I'm an active member, has been preaching this issue since the beginning of the decade, but what I have to say in this post are my own views, as the Coalition… Read more
Having read Ken's input more closely, I'm glad to see that his initial reactionof declaring private financing dead was not his final view. Too often, we tend to see the extreme swings on this issue--it's the only way or it's never the way. The Midway deal should remind us that we are in a marketplace situation. The parameters of any deal are going to be influenced by where the market is. The infrastructure financing market is as vulnerable to "bubbles" as any other, and the valuation of any project is going to depend on those conditions. It strikes me that… Read more
Quick answer, agreeing with Steve, Kurt, Rich, Leslie, et al--No, we aren't and we are probably not as close to that goal as we were a few years ago. Concern about intermodal issues was a constant theme in our outreach meetings during the transition. Several things we might do about it. The symbolism of dropping the "I" from ISTEA was not lost on many. While returning it might create an upworkable acronym, the spirit needs to be there. Perhaps the next bill should update the ISTEA preamble and policy statement--and maybe we should even do what Senator Moynihan always wanted done,… Read more
In my opinion, the Obama budget decision to encourage passenger rail investment is a sound one, and I hope it will be supported by the Congress. But I do have some small concern about the debate engendered by Lisa’s question. First, I will impolitely point out that the math is wrong. The Administration’s offer is $13 billion ($8 billion plus 5 years of $1 billion), not $33 B. Second, I’m afraid that a debate over the abstract merits of rail investment simply brings out mainly the same-old, same-old, on both sides of the argument. The real proof will come when hard… Read more
What's apparent from the budget summary is that OMB sees 2010 as a "hold the line" year in transportation. Aside from the welcome initiative for intercity rail investment, it doesn't appear that the total can reflect anything more than the baseine levels for the rest of the department. In the detailed budget, we can confirm that and evaluate what the impacts will be. I'll be looking behind the budget itself to understand what the funding proposals mean as they affect the Department's performance plan. What are their expectations for the condition and performance of the system, for safety, and for… Read more
Did anyone else find it ironic that the lead recommendation in OMB's budget document for DOT encompassed the exploration of road pricing? I agree with the many who found the Financing Commission report a very well balanced statement of both needs and options for dealing with meeting those needs. We can hope that it will survive into the coming debate.… Read more
Well, we've had another reminder that the "T" word (whether it stands for taxes or tolls) is always a lightning rod, even when the context is that we ought to think about future actions. But I don't think the subject should be off limits nor that it will go away. I'm reminded of the flap that occured when the Clinton Administration sent its NEXTEA proposal to Congress. We had included (and gotten fully cleared) a proposal for limited tolling of Interstates, to finance reconstruction and expansion needs. Not surprisingly, t was the sole focus of the press--leaading to my being dispatched… Read more
Biography provided by participant
