Bridge collapse suddenly makes Voinovich 'infrastructure' bill important

[babylonsister]

http://blog.cleveland.com/openers/2007/08/after_bridge_collapse_voinovic.html

Bridge collapse suddenly makes Voinovich 'infrastructure' bill important
Posted by Stephen Koff August 02, 2007 11:51AM

It's hard to say whether it would have gotten traction in the current Congress. It didn't in the previous Congress. But with the collapse yesterday of the I-35W bridge in Minnesota, George Voinovich's "National Infrastructure Improvement Act" could wind up on the floor of the Senate as quickly as tonight, Voinovich's office says. (See our package on the Minneapolis collapse here.)

A former Ohio governor and Cleveland mayor, Voinovich is conditioned to pay attention to roads, bridges and sewers. He has complained for several years that the nation's infrastructure is deteriorating and too little is done about it.

So he wants a national commission to examine the deteriorating condition of the nation's roads, bridges, drinking water systems, dams and other public works. The commission would have until 2010 to complete its study, including an analysis of improvements that are needed to keep up with demand and anticipated economic growth.

Voinovich's bill to establish the commission was co-authored by Sen. Tom Carper, a Delaware Democrat. Norm Coleman, a Minnesota Republican (and former St. Paul mayor), and Hillary Clinton, a New York Democrat, signed on as co-sponsors.

It's way too early to say a commission would have somehow prevented the bridge collapse in Minneapolis, since the cause of the collapse isn't known yet. But the Minnesota tragedy almost certainly will provide a new push for the bill.

more...

[TygrBright]

1. Hey, where are all those horses going?!? Somebody shut that barn door! n/t

[WCGreen]

2. Well he didn't do all that much while he was gov to take care of

the State's infrastructure...

Oh yea, they built a grand tower to the republican leadership in Columbus back in the 90's...

[TZ]

4. Hey he did something

Wasn't he the governor who decided to rename some random interstate outside of Cincinnati the Ronald Reagan Hwy (or something like that)?

[WCGreen]

6. Bingo....

[Inuca]

3. Also Dodd/Hagel

New ways to finance infrastructure projects. I understand they introduced the bill yesterday, just hours before the collapse. Both Dodd and Hagel were on Hardball tonight, Dodd mentioned that they had a grand total of 4 people at their news conference about this yesterday.

Congress eyes fix for crumbling infrastructure http://www.abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory?id=3437039

[OzarkDem]

5. Typical Voino - its a junk bill w/ no money

Its only a bill to establish a commission to study the program and make recommendations.

The only funds it appropriates are $1 million to pay for the study.

No wonder it only has 4 co-sponsors.

Any real funding will be in the budget bills; earmarks are a no-no, so it will take something special to get a stand alone bill with real funding.

Surely there's something better out there.

On edit: link to the bill analysis

http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=s109-2388