The U.S. House prepares to release the transportation bill in the coming weeks, but legislators have little consensus how to finance the next six years of projects. (Wall Street Journal) Rep. James Oberstar (D-MN) looks to create “transit equity” in the new transportation authorization by adding more balance to the funding formulas for highways and [...]

After much back-and-forth on times and dates today, we think this information is pretty solid: Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman James Oberstar is holding an invitation-only press conference Wednesday, June 17th at 11 a.m. to talk with invited media outlets about the white paper and outline for the upcoming transportation bill. 24 hours later, on [...]

House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman James L. Oberstar (Minn.) will release a white paper next week (6/17) to outline plans for the new surface transportation authorization bill. The news conference is scheduled for Wednesday, June 22, at 11:00 a.m. The event will be held in Room 2167 of the Rayburn House Office Building. The news conference also will be webcast live on the Committee’s website, http://transportation.house.gov.

Rep. James Obertsar, chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, told Congressional Quarterly this week that he will not pass an extension of the federal transportation bill if the new bill is not finished when the current law (SAFETEA-LU) expires on Sept. 30. (From today’s print edition. Not publicly linkable) Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman [...]

The Environmental Defense Fund held a news conference Thursday morning to release a new report profiling 10 innovative public transportation systems. Rep. Rep. James Oberstar of Minnesota, who heads up the House committee responsible for writing the transportation bill this year, was invited to give remarks. So where was Rep. Oberstar when the press conference kicked off Thursday morning on Capitol Hill? Stuck in gridlocked DC traffic, according to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.

The American Economic Recovery and Reinvestment proposal coming out of the House Appropriations Committee today fails to move America forward in reducing our oil dependency, creating opportunity for all Americans, and making us competitive for the 21st Century economy. The House Appropriations has two key shortcomings, especially in comparison to the superior proposal put forward last week by Congressman Oberstar, the chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

Transportation for America commends Congressman Oberstar for his efforts to make transportation an important part of a recovery package to create jobs in the short term with his Rebuild America proposal. We agree that job creation need not be at odds with strong accountability requirements and a more balanced portfolio of modal investments in capital and operating grants.

U.S. Representative James Oberstar, the chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, answers questions from the Kansas City Star about the challenges facing our transportation system and the role of transit in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and oil dependence.

U.S. House approves $1 billion plan, sponsored by Rep. James Oberstar (D-MN), to upgrade nation’s bridges and improve safety measures. (Minneapolis Star Tribune — Kevin Diaz)

Nearly one year after the Minnesota bridge collapse, the U.S. House is expected to vote today on a bill sponsored by Rep. James Oberstar (D-MN) that would authorize $1 billion to rebuild structurally deficient bridges in the national highway system and tighten safety requirements. (Minneapolis Star Tribune – Frederic Frommer)