The push to raise the state gas tax died because the Louisiana House has turned into a "toxic mix" that features a "total lack of leadership," a veteran lobbyist told allies in a memo.
Wally Gobetz/Flickr Wally Gobetz/Flickr Wally Gobetz/Flickr Louisiana's High-Profile Gas Tax Died Because of 'Toxic,' Leaderless House, Veteran Lobbyist Says
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Louisiana Transportation Revamp Wins Final Legislative Approval, but Critics Say it Ensures Political Projects
Despite charges that it will spawn politically driven road and bridge projects, the Louisiana House gave final approval to a bill aimed at improving voter confidence in transportation spending.
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Louisiana's Next Debate on a Higher Gas Tax? Likely 2021, at the Earliest
The death of the push to raise Louisiana's gasoline tax not only ended the issue for 2017.
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Louisiana Transportation Chief Expects Key Road Projects Will Be Slowed
The failure of efforts to boost state aid for roads and bridges means key projects statewide will be slowed, Louisiana’s transportation chief said July 7.
“My struggle is without funds we probably don’t need to be advancing all these projects to the next stage,” said Shawn Wilson, secretary for the state Department of Transportation and Development.
Stuart Seeger/Flickr↧
'Irresponsible’ for Louisiana to Ignore Road, Bridge Needs, Sponsor of Unsuccessful Gas Tax Hike Says
The sponsor of a failed bill to raise Louisiana’s gas tax said July 31 the state should consider other options to improve roads and bridges, including the already-stressed general fund.
Rep. Steve Carter, (R-Baton Rouge), said while the state faces a $1.2 billion “fiscal cliff” next year, that shortfall should be raised to $1.7 billion to address pressing transportation needs.
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Waterway Infrastructure Hits Shipping Companies, Opens Door to Trucks
Infrastructure on the nation’s inland waterways needs an investment boost. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers estimates $4.9 billion is needed in the next 20 years to improve locks and dams across the country.
Louisiana is struggling with the aging waterway infrastructure and often has a backlog of ships waiting in its harbors. “It could be two to four days waiting to lock through,” said Vic Landry, USACE operations project manager in Louisiana.
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Louisiana Regulators Allow More Truckers to Haul Hazardous Waste
Louisiana regulators Sept. 20 allowed more companies to haul toxic waste in the state.
But the Public Service Commission did not go as far as a newly passed state law demands, which will force the courts, ultimately, to decide how to handle hazardous leftovers from industry and the oilfield.
Voting 4-0, the PSC updated trucking regulations that were first passed to counter the helter-skelter dumping of hazardous waste, which became a problem in the 1970s.
TT File Photo↧
Story of Louisiana Road, Bridge Problems: Millions in Budget but Billions in Backlog
While Louisiana road and bridge needs poured in to a key legislative committee Oct. 12, prospects for any sweeping changes are bleak.
Shawn Wilson, secretary for the state Department of Transportation and Development, told the House and Senate transportation committees that Louisiana has $691 million this year for transportation improvements and a $13.1 billion backlog.
“We have a wheel barrel full of needs and a thimble-full of money,” Wilson said.
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Louisiana Voters OK Measure to Tighten Transportation Spending
Louisiana officials agree that the state’s roads need fixing. Beyond that, though, they can’t seem to agree on what to do about it. But they did make some progress earlier this month toward a solution when the state’s voters approved a constitutional amendment to safeguard any money raised by new gas taxes.
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Gautreaux Starts as No. 2 at FMCSA
The country’s regulatory agency for trucks and buses has a new deputy administrator in Cathy Gautreaux.
This month, Gautreaux, formerly the executive director for the Louisiana Motor Transport Association with experience in national affairs through work with American Trucking Associations, took on the No. 2 spot at the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
Gautreaux
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Louisiana State Rep. Not Ready to Give Up on Improving Roads: ‘We Have to Fix It’
Seven months after their push for a hike in the state gas tax died, road and bridge advocates are scrambling to see what, if any, other options are available for traffic relief.
“It is a quality-of-life issue in Louisiana, especially in the capital region,” said House Transportation Committee Chairman Kenny Havard, (R-St. Francisville).
“We don’t have a choice,” Havard said. “We have to fix it.”
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New Interstate Interchange Opens in Louisiana
Louisiana officials recently celebrated the completion of a project linking two interstate highways in the northern part of the state.
Gov. John Bel Edwards and Department of Transportation and Development Secretary Shawn Wilson joined other state and local leaders at a ribbon-cutting ceremony Oct. 17 marking the opening of the Interstate 49 North interchange project in Shreveport.
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Louisiana’s Sunshine Bridge Could Open Sooner Than January Target Date
Despite high-profile projects in Baton Rouge and elsewhere, Louisiana’s $14 billion backlog of road and bridge needs will rise next year because the state lacks the needed resources, state Transportation Secretary Shawn Wilson said Nov. 15.
“We don’t have the money to invest in building projects because we are spending all the money to preserve what we have,” Wilson said. “We aren’t investing in our future.”
Wilson also said the Sunshine Bridge will reopen in January and possibly sooner.
The Sunshine Bridge in Louisiana undergoes repair after a crane barge collided with it in October. The accident placed the bridge out of service. (Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development)↧
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Louisiana Legislators Target Billboards That Demean Truckers
Louisiana’s trucking industry is pushing for a state moratorium on new highway billboards, in part because truckers are angry about trial attorney road signs that demean truckers over injury claims.
The proposals, Senate Bill 211 and House Concurrent Resolution 4, mostly are being touted as a way to make highways more scenic and trim driver distractions cited in thousands of accidents.
The state has about 7,000 billboards, which backers of the bills say account for a hefty percentage of the total nationwide.
A Louisiana 3-D billboard under construction in 2014. (Gordon McKernan/YouTube)↧
Cameron LNG Poised for First Export Shipment With First LNG Tanker
Cameron LNG is poised to load its first export shipment of liquefied natural gas after the arrival of the first LNG tanker at its Louisiana facility.
The Singapore-flagged tanker Marvel Crane early on May 28 arrived in the Calcasieu Ship Channel, where it later docked at the export terminal.
The tanker’s arrival comes two weeks after President Donald Trump visited the facility to mark the completion of the first production unit at the Hackberry, La., export terminal.
An LNG tanker (SeongJoon Cho/Bloomberg News↧
Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards Signs $700 Million Infrastructure Bill
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Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards recently signed legislation that would direct $700 million to transportation projects across the state.
john p nasiatka/Flickr↧
Tropical Storm Barry Set to Dump Two Feet of Rain on Louisiana
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The leading edge of Tropical Storm Barry’s wind and rain is reaching Louisiana, where communities including New Orleans are bracing for a downpour that threatens to inundate already-high waterways.
The Mississippi River approaches a levee at left in New Orleans ahead of Tropical Storm Barry. (Matthew Hinton/Associated Press)↧
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Louisiana’s Autonomous Truck Rules Will Take Effect Aug. 1
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Louisiana’s recently approved regulations for autonomous commercial motor vehicles will take effect Aug. 1.
The law, signed by Gov. John Bel Edwards in June, establishes operational parameters and reporting requirements for autonomous trucks and their drivers.
The law allows autonomous trucks to operate in Louisiana without a human driver in the vehicle as long as the vehicle meets certain criteria. (ZF Group)↧
Louisiana Passes Legislation Aimed at Significant Tort Reform
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Buoyed by support from the trucking industry, lawmakers in Louisiana have taken a first step aimed at reducing “nuclear” jury verdicts for motor carriers sued in traffic accidents that occur in one of the nation’s most litigious states.
ATA Chairman Randy Guillot (from left), Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards, ATA President Chris Spear, and Quality Transport Inc. VP Greg Morrison met in February to discuss trucking industry issues. (TT File Photo)↧
Ringleader Pleads Guilty in Connection With Staged La. Accidents
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The ringleader of a New Orleans-area group that staged accidents with unsuspecting tractor-trailer drivers has pleaded guilty for his role in the conspiracy.
On Aug. 6, Damian Labeaud, 48, of New Orleans, pleaded guilty to one federal count of a scheme to defraud interstate commercial trucking carriers and insurance companies by staging two collisions in June 2017.
The accidents were staged in the New Orleans area. (Marilyn Nieves/Getty Images)↧
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