Fight on! (Texas transportation battle)

Our colleagues at The Dallas Morning News offered this advice to lawmakers fighting to keep intact complex regional plans to deal with transportation issues in Dallas, Fort Worth and the surrounding counties: "Keep Up the Fight."

Both the Dallas paper and the Star-Telegram have felt some ownership of this issue since we combined on a joint editorial project in 2003, calling for a regionwide effort to link area cities by rail. But rail is only part of the solution to the serious problem of traffic congestion that is approaching gridlock during parts of the day.

Officials in North Texas, working under laws passed by the Legislature, assembled a coordinated proposal that would combine toll roads and their revenues with other funds to address some of the more pressing traffic problems. And they developed a plan that would fund rail lines with the blessings of local taxpayers through a local-option sales tax.

This was done in good faith and by following the rules -- and now both plans are in jeopardy in the Legislature, tangled in a complex struggle over the proposed Trans-Texas Corridor plan and the usual knee-jerk reaction when someone says the T-word in public.

Funny -- tax doesn't even have four letters, but it had best not be spoken in ... but then again, the phrase "polite company" doesn't exactly describe Austin about now.

The TTC is one of Gov. Rick Perry's pet projects, but he has agreed to go along with a proposed moratorium on it if some problems in the bill on his desk are corrected. Otherwise, he has threatened to call a special session.

One of those fixes is making it clear that money from a toll road project in Collin County can also be used for projects on the western side of the Metroplex. The upfront money from that project -- whether it comes from the Spanish company Cintra or the North Texas Tollway Authority -- is important to projects across the region.

The other leg of the transportation issue -- an optional sales tax -- appears to be dead in the House. But there is still a chance that it could come through from the Senate.

Thanks are due Rep. Fred Hill, R-Richardson, and his cosponsors in the House for a valiant effort. Now everything depends on Sen. John Carona, R-Dallas, who is trying to keep the proposal alive in the Senate.

He needs the help of all legislators from North Central Texas. Now's the time to band together. And as our colleagues said: "Keep up the fight."

From BlogCritics Magazine:

Texas Legislature Considers Lowering Gas Tax

With gas prices climbing to over $3 per gallon before the high-usage summer months have even begun, concern is growing about what impact the high cost of gas will have on consumers and, by extension, on the economy in general. Never wanting to miss an opportunity to pander to the public, the Texas House this week passed a measure to provide what's being called a gas tax 'holiday' by lowering the state gas tax by 20 cents a gallon during the three months of summer.

In a time when conservation of natural resources is an increasingly high priority, lowering the price of gas may be sending the wrong message to consumers, gas companies, auto manufacturers and even the federal government. The long term solution to our energy problems is much more likely to be raising gas prices, rather than lowering them. The short term relief of a 20 cent savings for three months is far less meaningful than the long-term benefits of higher gas prices encouraging consumers to use public transportation or demand more fuel efficient vehicles.

Several other states are considering similar measures, and it wouldn't be surprising to see the championship panderers in DC jumping on the band wagon. Ironically, the measure will take almost $500 million out of the state budget at a time when other measures are raising questions about how to fund necessary highway improvements, the work for which gas tax money is supposed to be earmarked.

For more see MySanAntonio.com and The Houston Chronicle

Toll Road Fight Heats Up

Earlier this session the Texas legislature showed uncharacteristic spine by passing a two-year moratorium prohibiting the construction of new toll roads and placing restrictions on toll road management contracts. This included essentially shutting down the controversial Trans Texas Corridor project which is much-beloved by Governor Rick Perry, his financial backers and his magical hair. The toll road ban came in response to popular concern over the conversion of a vast network of existing and paid-for roads to toll roads, and the threat of extensive eminent domain land seizures for massive projects like the TTC.

The bad news for Perry is that the toll road ban passed by such an overwhelming margin (139-1) that he can't possibly veto it. So this week Perry struck back, threatening to hold the legislature over for an extended special session until they come up with a compromise on toll roads, hopefully including the reopening of the TTC and nice contracts for his European buddies.

For those not familiar with how the Texas legislature works, this is a pretty draconian move. Unlike most other state legislatures, the Texas House and Senate members are genuine citizen legislatures who are supposed to meet for a short business session every two years and are paid only a nominal salary and a per diem. They all have real jobs they depend on to feed their families. If Perry keeps them in Austin for months arguing over toll roads it's a genuine hardship for them.

The one bit of essential truth is that Texas needs more and better transportation options, but despite all the opportunities for contractors and lobbyists and bureaucrats, toll roads really don't seem to be the best or the only answer, and it seems like the people have woken up and sent a message which their representatives have actually heard. Now we'll see if legislators are more afraid of pissed off voters than they are of the governor.

For more see Texas Monthly, News 8 and KWTX TV.

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