Faster Better Safer: Americans for Transportation Mobility

September 1: Budget Office Sees Highway Fund Secure to 2013 from The Journal of Commerce

• The Congressional Budget Office is drawing the attention of transportation policy experts with an upbeat estimate that the nation's Highway Trust Fund should be able to cover its projected spending needs into fiscal 2013. By that time the fund would be running nearly out of money. If the CBO scenario holds, the fund would end the 2013 budget year with just $900 million left for highway spending and $600 million for transit. The Department of Transportation has said it needs at least a $4 billion cushion to maintain funding of state highway programs without cash flow problems. But that also means the Obama administration and lawmakers in Congress could have at least two years, at current revenue and spending trends, before they would need to replenish the HTF either by increasing fees that go into it or with a boost from the general fund.

September 1: Tax Cuts Weighed to Spur Economy from The Wall Street Journal

• The Obama administration is considering a range of new measures to boost economic growth, including tax cuts and a new nationwide infrastructure program, according to people familiar with the discussions. The president's economic team has met frequently in recent days to list ways to bolster the struggling recovery, according to government officials.

August 30: Study shows every 10 public transit jobs creates six more jobs in Michigan economy from MLive.com

• Thanks to the state, leaders of The Rapid bus system can now show voters the mass-transit system fuels the local economy and provides jobs. Timing is everything, since those same voters will soon be asked to renew and perhaps increase a tax levy. The new economic modeling study provided by the Michigan Department of Transportation shows that for every 10 jobs created in the public transit sector, six additional jobs are created in the rest of the economy.

August 29: We have to pay for road maintenance somehow from The Zanesville Times Reporter

• State officials are considering an idea to replace the gas tax with a user fee tied to how many miles you put on your vehicle. At first glance, it might seem like a way to ensure all people pay their fair share, but it might have unforeseen consequences. First, it won't decrease our dependency on foreign oil any time soon. Second, at a time when people are clamoring for smaller government, it could increase the amount of government needed to operate the program.