APTA expresses concern over appropriations bill's impact on transit

A House committee's approval on Wednesday of the fiscal-year 2015 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development and Related Agencies (THUD) appropriations bill would trim general fund surface transportation programs from their FY2014 levels, according to a "Legislative Alert" issued by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA).

In the absence of surface transportation authorizing law for FY2015 — MAP 21 will expire on Oct. 1 — the committee's bill generally extends most programs at FY2014 funding levels through the next year, APTA reported. Core programs funded from the Highway Trust Fund remain at MAP-21 FY2014 authorized levels. However, the bill includes cuts from the general fund, including Federal Transit Administration Capital Investment Grants (or New Starts), $200 million from Amtrak capital grants and $400 million from Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (or TIGER) grants. The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) also received an appropriation of $150 million, consistent with a separate authorization and unchanged from FY2014.

"Also of significant concern to APTA are the funding cuts to General Fund transit research programs, which see a reduction from $43 million in 2014 down to $15 million in the bill," the alert stated.

In addition to cutting TIGER grant funding, the bill also limits eligibility to highways, bridges, freight rail and ports.

APTA President and Chief Executive Officer Michael Melaniphy has written to the committee to express APTA's concerns about the impact the legislation would have on the transit industry.