In The News

President talks transportation, briefly, in jobs pitch

Support for a new highway bill, for building out the natural gas fueling infrastructure, for improved truck fuel efficiency and even for a trucking company CEO, all were mentioned in President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address Tuesday night – briefly. Very briefly.

Additionally troubling to those hoping for substantial new transportation funding initiatives, the president instead re-offered his moribund corporate tax reform plan and otherwise called on the divided, do-little Congress to fill any gaps should a newly proposed set of unilateral administrative actions come up short.

“Both Democrats and Republicans have argued that our tax code is riddled with wasteful, complicated loopholes that punish businesses investing here, and reward companies that keep profits abroad. Let’s flip that equation,” Obama said. “Let’s work together to close those loopholes, end those incentives to ship jobs overseas, and lower tax rates for businesses that create jobs right here at home.

“Moreover, we can take the money we save from this transition to tax reform to create jobs rebuilding our roads, upgrading our ports, unclogging our commutes — because in today’s global economy, first-class jobs gravitate to first-class infrastructure. We’ll need Congress to protect more than 3 million jobs by finishing transportation and waterways bills this summer. That can happen.”

For his part, the president promised to act on his own “to slash bureaucracy and streamline the permitting process” for key projects, to get more construction workers on the job “as fast as possible.”

He also cited the “commitment to American energy” as a key factor in recent and future job gains, as well as in moving the nation “closer to energy independence than we have been in decades.”

Obama called natural gas “the bridge fuel that can power our economy.”

“Businesses plan to invest almost a hundred billion dollars in new factories that use natural gas,” Obama said. “I’ll cut red tape to help states get those factories built and put folks to work, and this Congress can help by putting people to work building fueling stations that shift more cars and trucks from foreign oil to American natural gas.”

Similarly, Obama touted his administration’s record of working with businesses, builders and local communities to reduce energy consumption.

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