Listen: Michaud Blames Sen GOP Leader for Truck Weight Reversal
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Editor's Note: Congressman Michaud interviewed this morning by George Hale and Ric Tyler on WVOM-FM 103.9/101.3 FM. Part way into the interview Ric Tyler asks Rep. Michaud why Democrat leaders in the U.S. House allowed Maine's truck weight pilot program to be yanked from a measure on which the House was voting. Michaud replies, Maine's truck weight pilot program was not in the measure because Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell would not allow it.
Click to Listen
http://www.asmainegoes.com/audio/101312_michaud_truckwt_wvom.mp3
Was the truck weight limit bill lumped into the huge Omnibus bill? I heard that Collins said because of that it probably wouldn't pass this session. If that's incorrect, would someone give me the facts, please. Thanks.
CONNECT WITH SENATOR COLLINS: Monday, December 13th, 2010
SENATOR COLLINS CONTINUES EFFORT TO SECURE EXTENSION OF MAINE TRUCK WEIGHT PILOT PROJECT
In a blow to supporters of increasing the federal highway truck weight limit in Maine, the U.S. House of Representatives has passed a sweeping funding bill known as a Continuing Resolution (CR) that does not include a provision to make permanent or even extend the pilot program that allows trucks weighing up to 100,000 pounds to travel on federal interstate highways in our state. The CR provides funding for essential programs through September 30, 2011.
Senator Collins authored and successfully secured this pilot project last year. Without an extension, on December 18, the heaviest trucks will be forced off federal highways and back onto secondary roads.
“I am so disappointed that the House has passed a Continuing Resolution that does not include either a permanent fix or an extension of the current pilot program. Given the time constraints and voting rules in the Senate, it will be much more difficult to restore the truck weights language, that the House took out, when the Senate considers the CR-- thus jeopardizing the fate of what has been a successful pilot project,” said Senator Collins.
“Nevertheless, permanently allowing the heaviest trucks to use federal interstate highways in Maine has always been one of my top priorities. The pilot project, that I authored, has clearly provided economic, energy, and environmental benefits and has made our secondary roads and many downtowns safer. I continue to work tirelessly to convince Senate leaders and my colleagues on the Appropriations Committee that extending this pilot project is critical to Maine,” Senator Collins continued.
Last year, Senator Collins successfully included a provision in the FY 2010 Omnibus Appropriations bill that created a one-year pilot project that allows trucks weighing up to 100,000 pounds to travel on Maine’s federal interstates, such as I-95, 195, 295 and 395. According to the results of a preliminary study by the Maine Department of Transportation, the pilot program has allowed Maine businesses to receive raw materials and ship products more economically, thus helping to preserve and create jobs. It has also improved safety, saved energy, and reduced emissions. For example, on a trip from Hampden to Houlton, a truck travelling on Interstate 95 saves 50 minutes over Route 2 and avoids more than 270 intersections and nine school crossings. The driver also saves approximately $30 on fuel by traveling on the Interstate
In June 2004, Wilbur Smith Associates, a nationally recognized transportation consulting firm, completed a study which found that extending the current truck weight exemption on the Maine Turnpike to all federal highways in Maine would reduce heavy truck traffic through several communities such as Saco, Old Orchard Beach, Freeport, and Bangor and Brewer, and result in a significant decrease of three fatal crashes per year.
Last year, Senator Collins was appointed to a seat on the Senate Appropriations Committee. During a Transportation Appropriations Subcommittee hearing, Senator Collins first raised the issue of Maine’s truck weight disparity with Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood who pledged to help address this issue. Senator Collins then continued to work with her colleagues on the Senate Transportation Appropriations Subcommittee to have her provision included in the FY 2010 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Appropriations bill. Since then, she has worked with the Administration which has tried to help make the provision permanent. Unfortunately, the House did not include the provisions.
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“I am so disappointed that the House has passed a Continuing Resolution that does not include either a permanent fix or an extension of the current pilot program."
Is this the opposite of what Mike Michaud said this morning?
Maybe Susan Collins is confused and thinks that Mitch McConnell is a member of the House majority party.
Or maybe Mike Michaud was doing a little butt covering and told a whopper to the people of Maine thinking that they would swallow whatever he dished out even though his claim is nonsense.
I'm really getting tired of the old line "Somebody crapped in my pants!" The rooster that takes credit for the sunrise is nowhere to be found when it sets.
I never have and possibly never will understand the stupidity of making these large trucks exit the safest and quickest route to their intended destination, and force them to go through the clogged city and town roads through miles of stop-and-go traffic.
Devoid of any logic, when does something so moronic just become ignored in favor of the much safer and logical solution?
This is truely mind boggling...
Kind of like the Wiscasset bypass being stopped because of an eagle's nest. We can force people from their homes and businesses but not a bird that is not even there, go figure.
http://www.pinetreepolitics.com
Michaud’s Ineffectiveness on Display Once Again
By Garrett Murch
December 14, 2010
...Congressman Michaud...never misses a ribbon cutting photo-op back in Maine, yet cannot seem to pass any legislation in Washington. He goes to great lengths to tie his image to popular Senators Snowe and Collins in press releases and debates, yet never has the impact Maine’s truly independent Senators do.
http://www.pinetreepolitics.com/2010/12/14/michaud%E2%80%99s-ineffective...
Deleted - Sen Collins office posted in a seperate thread
Tuesday, December 14th, 2010
SENATOR COLLINS SECURES PROVISION TO EXTEND FEDERAL TRUCK WEIGHTS LIMIT PROJECT IN MAINE
Proposed Senate funding bill includes one-year extension of Senator Collins’ pilot project
U.S. Senator Susan Collins, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced today that she has successfully convinced her colleagues on the Appropriations Committee to support a one-year extension of the pilot program that exempts Maine’s federal highways from the 80,000 pound federal truck weight limit. Senator Collins authored and successfully secured the pilot program last year, and she has now successfully secured a one-year extension in a federal funding bill currently being drafted in the Senate.
“Changing the federal law to allow the heaviest trucks to stay on the federal interstates, rather than diverting them to secondary roads and downtowns, has always been one of my top priorities in the Senate,” said Senator Collins. “The pilot project I secured last year has clearly provided economic, energy, and environmental benefits and has made our secondary roads and many downtowns safer. I am delighted that my colleagues on the Senate Appropriations Committee recognize the importance of extending this successful pilot project.”
Last year, Senator Collins successfully included a provision in the FY 2010 Omnibus Appropriations bill that created the one-year pilot project that allows trucks weighing up to 100,000 pounds to travel on Maine’s federal interstates, such as I-95, 195, 295 and 395. That pilot is set to expire on Friday, December 17th. According to the results of a preliminary study by the Maine Department of Transportation, the pilot program has allowed Maine businesses to receive raw materials and ship products more economically, thus helping to preserve and create jobs. It has also improved safety, saved energy, and reduced emissions. For example, on a trip from Hampden to Houlton, a truck traveling on Interstate 95 saves 50 minutes over Route 2 and avoids more than 270 intersections and nine school crossings. The driver also saves approximately $30 on fuel by traveling on the Interstate.
Extending the pilot project will continue to keep heavy trucks off Maine’s secondary roads and on the state’s federal highways for another year, during which the Federal Highway Administration will continue to study the impact of safety, commerce and road wear and tear. Senator Collins’ pilot project is already supported by several public safety and business groups including the Maine Department of Public Safety, the Maine State Police, the Maine Troopers Associations, and the Bangor Region Chamber of Commerce.
Last year, Senator Collins was appointed to a seat on the Senate Appropriations Committee. In June 2009, during a Transportation Appropriations Subcommittee hearing, Senator Collins first raised this issue with Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood who pledged to help address this issue. Since then, Senator Collins has worked with the Administration which, at her request, has proposed a provision to make the pilot program permanent, though that provision was excluded from a recently passed House funding bill.
Later this week, the Senate is expected to consider the proposed federal funding bill, which includes the one-year extension. If passed, the measure will be taken up by the House of Representatives. In a funding bill passed last week, the House did not include any language to extend the pilot.
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Congressman Michaud will be issuing a release shortly and taking full credit for beating back Senator McConnell's objections.
I just posted almost the same observation on the other thread, FLNext. Sorry if I sound like an echo.
House Republican Office
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 14, 2010
GOP House leaders praise Sen. Susan Collins for truck limit extension
AUGUSTA – House Speaker Bob Nutting and Reps. Phil Curtis and Andre Cushing today thanked Sen. Susan Collins for her work to extend the federal truck weight limit project in Maine.
Sen. Collins announced today that the Senate Appropriations Committee has agreed to support a one-year extension to allow trucks weighing more than 80,000 pounds continued use of Maine’s federal interstates. The measure still must pass the full Senate and House before taking effect. The pilot project is set to expire on Dec. 17th.
“This is great news this holiday season for out trucking industry here in Maine,” said Speaker Nutting (R-Oakland). “I know how difficult political negotiations can be, and Senator Collins has stood at the forefront of this issue all along. Her efforts in getting this done at the last hour make her a true hero to our trucking community.”
“Senator Collins deserves a great deal of credit for persevering in getting this extension,” said Rep. Curtis (R-Madison), the leader of the House Republicans. “As a highway consultant, I understand the importance of safety on Maine’s secondary roads. Allowing heavy trucks to use Maine’s federal interstates, such as I-95 and I-295, will remove that traffic from our downtowns and rural roads and enhance safety for Maine motorists.”
Rep. Cushing (R-Hampden), the assistant House majority leader, said the one-year project has been a great success and deserves to be continued. “This project has been a winner all around,” he said. “As Senator Collins noted in her announcement, it has improved safety, saved energy and reduced emissions. It also has helped save jobs by enabling Maine companies to receive raw materials and ship products more economically. We tip our hat to Senator Collins for her determination in getting the job done. Now we need the cooperation of the U.S. House to bring it to reality.”
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News from AgHaul
The Agriculture and Forestry Transportation Reform Coalition
600 Jefferson Plaza, Suite 350, Rockville, MD 20852
phone: 301/838-9385 • fax: 301/838-9481
http://www.ag-haul.org
Release: December 14, 2010 Contact: Neil Ward nward@forestresources.org
Maine/Vermont Truck Weight Pilot Project Extension Advances
Rockville, MD – On December 14, U.S. Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine) announced that the Senate Appropriations Committee had voted to support a one-year extension of the pilot project that enables trucks in Maine and Vermont to travel those states’ Interstate highways at the same gross vehicle weight limits already legal on state roads. In Maine, that limit is 100,000 pounds on six-axle trucks.
The Agriculture and Forestry Transportation Reform Coalition, AgHaul, points out that allowing Interstate access avoids exposures on rural roads and in-town intersections, and that the Maine Department of Transportation’s preliminary report on the pilot project’s first year affirms the configuration’s safety, road-wear, and efficiency benefits. Sen. Collins stated, “The pilot project has made our secondary roads and many downtowns safer. I am delighted that my colleagues on the Senate Appropriations Committee recognize the importance of extending this successful pilot project.”
The federal funding bill, in which the provision is included, is expected to come to the Senate floor within a few days. If it passes the Senate, the next step would be to reconcile the provision with the corresponding bill in the House of Representatives. The House bill, passed in early December, still lacks a provision to extend the pilot.
In mid-September, President Obama provided his support for making the year-old Maine/Vermont pilot project permanent, but procedural objections prevented its inclusion in a Continuing Resolution to extend funding for the federal government that came to a vote later than month. Since the original one-year pilot project was scheduled to end on December 17, 2010, supporters of gross vehicle weight reform in the region urged expedience in extending it.
In addition to broad public support in the region, the proposal has the endorsement of the Maine Department of Public Safety, the Maine State Police, and the Maine Troopers Association.
AgHaul supports nationwide gross vehicle weight reform and will work to include a provision in the incoming Congress’s Highway Reauthorization Bill that would allow any state, at its option, to allow 97,000-pound six-axle trucks on Interstates within its borders, with payment of a special fee dedicated to bridge maintenance. Legislation to that effect was introduced in both the House and Senate in the 111th Congress.
“We salute the progress these New England states have made in demonstrating the benefits of bringing safety, road-wear savings, efficiency, and competitiveness into a single, logical package that conserves our roads and builds economic recovery,” stated Richard Lewis, President of the Forest Resources Association, an AgHaul member. “It is our top priority to give all states the right to consider similar reforms.”
AgHaul’s mission is to improve the efficiency of transporting raw, unprocessed agricultural and forest products from farms and forests to processing facilities. For more information on AgHaul, visit http://www.ag-haul.org
Michaud touts truck weights as a priority
By Eric Russell, BDN Staff
Posted Feb. 18, 2011, at 11:10 p.m.
U.S. Rep. Mike Michaud... has introduced legislation that would increase truck weight limits on interstate highways in Maine.
The “Safe and Efficient Transportation Act,”... allow Maine and other states to increase the limit from 80,000 pounds to 100,000 pounds. Right now, big trucks are prohibited from traveling on Interstate 95 north of Augusta.
...snip
The congressman said the limits hurt Maine competitively, contribute to higher fuel costs and decrease safety on Maine’s secondary roads.
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Well, where do I go to get that 12.2 minutes back? Mike Michaud and his political double-speak is disgusting. If there were a mulberry bush in the center of this, it wouldn't have been such a waste of time.
I would really have liked to hear what HE has done -- and intends to do -- to educate his fellow House members about why this is important, instead of a lot of who-struck-John as to why he failed to get this simple thing done.
I'm at a loss to figure out how a Senator of the minority party can possibly have the power to keep the majority party of other house of Congress had the power to have "never allowed it in" the bill. (I Have to say that I agree with McConnell that nothing but budgetary items should be in there in the first place.)
What am I missing? Michaud claims that "You can have any one Senator can hold anything up until they get what they want." Really?
Nice use of the English language in order to say pretty much nothing: "...it never got a chance to get stripped out because it was never actually added into the CR because Senator McConnell."