Report Finds House Jobs Bill A Missed Opportunity
Boston, MA – Stimulus money invested in public transportation projects created twice as many jobs as highway projects, according to a new report released today by MASSPIRG, in conjunction with the Center for Neighborhood Technology and Smart Growth America
But if the Senate doesn’t make changes to Congress’ latest jobs bill this month, it will miss an opportunity to create more jobs, while reducing oil use and carbon emissions, by funding public transportation.
According to the report, “What We Learned From the Stimulus,” every billion dollars spent from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) on public transportation produced 16,419 job-months, as compared to 8,781 job-months for every billion spent on highway infrastructure.
“This is a no-brainer. Congress can more quickly create more jobs right here in Massachusetts by building the transportation system we need for the 21st century,” said Lizzi Weyant, staff attorney with MASSPIRG. “If we are serious about creating jobs and bringing about the economic recovery that Massachusetts desperately needs, we should be investing a greater percentage of the transportation funds in public transportation.”
The report also debunks the myth that public transportation projects are not as “shovel-ready” or able to be launched as quickly as highway projects.
Tom Irwin, a senior attorney with the Conservation Law Foundation and chair of the New England Rail Coalition, pointed out the obvious regional benefits to investing in public transportation and high speed rail. “In addition to the jobs created in the construction or upgrade of rail infrastructure, investments in rail can serve as a critical economic driver by spawning other construction and other jobs associated with transit-oriented development near rail stations,” said Irwin. “What’s more, rail investment can also enhance freight rail operations that ultimately improve the region’s economic competitiveness. It’s a win-win,” concluded Irwin.
The report concludes that the Jobs for Main Street Act (H.R. 2847), passed by the U.S. House of Representatives in December, missed an opportunity to create the most possible jobs in Massachusetts. Similar to ARRA, the bill provides more than three times as much funding for highway projects, even though public transportation investments have been shown to create more jobs faster.
“As the Senate prepares to take up a jobs bill, lawmakers should learn the lessons of the Recovery Act,” added Weyant. “We cannot afford to keep doing the same thing over and over again and expect different results. The fact is investments in public transportation will produce the most jobs and prevent some of the sweeping service cuts that are making it harder for working people to get where they need to go.”
# # #
MASSPIRG is a non-profit, non-partisan public interest advocacy organization and is a member of the U.S. PIRG federation.
ARRA-jobs-report-2.pdf