Jack Schenendorf is Of Counsel with the law firm of Covington & Burling LLP in Washington, D.C. His practice concentrates on transportation and government affairs with a particular focus on legislative strategy, legislative procedure, and the federal budget process. He recently served as Vice-Chairman of the National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Study Commission, which was established by Congress in the SAFETEA-LU legislation. After more than two years of study, the Commission issued its Report in 2008. For nearly 25 years, Schenendorf served on the staff of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the U.S. House of Representatives. He was Chief of Staff from 1995 to 2001. Prior to joining the firm in 2001, Schenendorf served on the Bush/Cheney Transition where he was Chief of the Transition Policy Team for the U.S. Department of Transportation and was responsible for reviewing all transportation policies and issues for the incoming Administration. Schenendorf is a graduate of Union College and Georgetown University Law Center. He also served in the U.S Navy as an officer in Admiral Rickover’s Nuclear Submarine Program for more than five years prior to law school.
Significant progress has been made over the last 50 years in improving safety on our surface transportation systems. For example, fatality rates on our highways have fallen from 5.3 fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles traveled (VMT) in 1965 to 1.4 fatalities per 100 VMT in 2006. But there is much room for improvement. Too many people are still being killed and injured. In 2006, there were more than 42,000 fatalities and 2,500,000 injuries on our highways. This is a national tragedy and, frankly, a national disgrace. We can and must do better. If our goal is to significantly… Read more
No. If handled properly, the "push for earmarks" should not undermine efforts to reform surface transportation policy. But there is a far better approach, in my view. The right kind of bill could actually eliminate or greatly reduce the number of earmarks. Earmarks are controversial. And it's not just projects like the Bridge to Nowhere. Look at the $8 billion earmark for high speed passenger rail that President Obama inserted into the stimulus bill. At his request it was just "air dropped" into the conference report at the very last minute. It had not been in either the House or… Read more
No, we are not intermodal enough. Unfortunately, we still have a long ways to go to achieve the ISTEA vision of a national surface transportation network that seamlessly integrates all modes, provides mobility for all users, is cost-beneficial; is environmentally sensitive, energy-efficient, and technologically up-to-the-minute; fosters economic growth; and spurs output and productivity growth. With respect to the question of what Congress and the Obama Administration should do in the next transportation bill to make this vision a reality, I suggest that they move in the direction recommended by the National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Study Commission, which was created by Congress… Read more
In my view, high-speed passenger rail is worth it. In fact, I believe that high-speed rail must become an essential part of our national surface transportation network. Yet, my reaction to President Obama's request for $13 billion over the next five years for high-speed passenger rail is mixed. I applaud the fact that the President is making a down payment on high-speed rail, but I am dismayed by the fact that he continues a pattern of underinvestment in the rest of our national surface transportation network. President Obama has challenged us as a Nation to rebuild our economy--not only… Read more
Transportation is the foundation of our economy and essential to our quality of life. If we want our economy to recover from the current downturn and prosper in the future, if we want our citizens to have convenient and reliable transportation choices, then we must modernize our transportation network to meet the challenges of the 21st century. We need seamless, multi-modal transportation systems--highway, freight rail, passenger rail, transit, air, water, and non-motorized--that can move people and goods efficiently, safely and in an environmentally-responsible way. Currently there are a myriad of DOT programs, about 108 Federal surface transportation programs alone. Most… Read more
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