SPECIAL REPORT: Bush budget proposal short on highways, long on privatization
Source: Land Line Magazine, Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2007
Monday, Feb. 5, President Bush unveiled a $67 billion funding request for transportation in his 2007-08 budget. ……. The U.S. Department of Transportation has had public-private partnerships on its agenda for quite some time, even recently providing model legislation for states seeking to privatize their highways and toll roads. Joyce said that agenda will likely be furthered later this week with an event scheduled at the White House. Friday, Feb. 9, the White House has scheduled a meeting that is billed as a “Transportation Legislative Leadership Summit.” The keynote address will be given by Secretary of Transportation Mary Peters, her topic – public-private partnerships. Participants in that summit include privatization notables such as Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels, Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell and private-sector representatives from companies like Australia’s Macquarie Infrastructure Group and New York-based Merrill Lynch.