House panel OKs $250M for Twin Cities

House Transportation Chairman Jim Oberstar (D) on Thursday called for an increase in gas taxes and more investment in roads and bridges in the wake of the Minneapolis bridge collapse in his home state Wednesday.

Speaking at a news conference, Oberstar also announced that his committee had moved quickly to make available $250 million in emergency transportation funds to assist the Twin Cities.

{mosads}Oberstar said under-funding did not directly lead to the collapse. The death toll was four by late Thursday but the number is expected to rise.

Oberstar added, however, that the tragedy was “a wake-up call for the nation’s infrastructure. We have to make more investments.”

He noted that when the current highway bill expires, Congress will have to authorize another one.

“This time, this president is going to listen to Congress and not the other way around,” Oberstar said.        

Oberstar’s measure, passed by his committee and agreed to by the Minnesota House delegation, was modeled on legislation passed in the spring after a tanker fire destroyed a bridge near Oakland, Calif.

The money would pay for alternative transportation and other needs, but not repair or reconstruction of the bridge, aides said.

The Senate is likely to go along with Oberstar’s plan to hustle the bill to President Bush’s desk before the August recess, however.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said in a statement that he had given a committment to Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) to authorize $250 million to repair the bridge.

“I intend to seek consent to move this legislation when it arrives on the Senate side,” said Reid.

Meanwhile, Minnesota Sens. Norm Coleman (R) and Klobuchar made a plea of their own for the Federal Highway Administration to release emergency funding, vowing to work with congressional leaders to that end.

FHA rules allow states a maximum of $100 million annually for reconstruction, and the two senators planned late Thursday to roll out a bill lifting that cap for their state that could be passed immediately, likely without having to okay new spending.

“Clearly, we are going to need more than the $100 million that is available under the current program, and Amy and I will be working to secure this funding,” Coleman said in a statement.

In his statement, Reid also agreed to exempt recovery costs from beyond the $100 million cap.

Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Chairwoman Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) called for immediate passage of the emergency funding request and vowed to hold hearings promptly on infrastructure improvements.