On March 6, 2012, the U.S. Senate failed to invoke cloture on Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21^st Century (MAP-21); the vote was 52 in favor of closing debate and 44 opposed.  As such, the Senate began consideration of 30 amendments on March 8.  According to its agreement to complete action on MAP-21, these are the only amendments to be considered.  The Senate agreed to the manager’s amendment, #1761, by unanimous consent. 

The Senate voted on seven amendments Thursday, approving two and rejecting five.  It rejected two amendments related to the Keystone XL pipeline, one which would have approved the project, the second which would have prohibited the exportation of fuel shipped over the pipeline.  The Senate also rejected an amendment which would have expanded offshore oil and gas drilling.  The remaining 23 amendments will be considered on March 13.

In the U.S. House of Representatives, Speaker John Boehner indicated on March 6 that Representative Bill Shuster will replace Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman John Mica as the key liaison for transportation reauthorization.  Also on March 6, the Speaker warned his caucus that he would take up the Senate’s MAP-21 proposal should the House fail to pass the American Energy and Infrastructure Jobs Act (AEIJA).  On March 8, the Speaker stated he was prepared to consider the Senate’s proposal.

For CMAP’s position on both proposed federal transportation reauthorization bills, take a look at our Policy Updates for MAP-21 and AEIJA. The Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC), the MPO for the San Francisco Bay area, published an analysis of the federal reauthorization proposals.  The MTC report also profiles various planning and funding initiatives in the region.

The current extension of federal transportation programs expires on March 31, 2012.