Skip to Content
Streetsblog USA home
Streetsblog USA home
Log In
Federal Stimulus

Barbour Breaks With AASHTO Chief on Stimulus’ Transportation Benefits

Viewers of yesterday's Fox News Sunday were treated to an interesting sight: Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour (R), whose name is increasingly in the mix for his party's 2012 presidential nomination, distancing himself from the president of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), Washington's voice for state DOTs.

340x.jpgButch Brown, Mississippi's DOT director and AASHTO's president, "stopped just short of" endorsing higher fuel taxes during last year's stimulus debate, according to the AP. (Photo: AP)

Barbour, who initially threatened to reject some of his state's share of the Obama administration's stimulus law, was asked by Fox News host Chris Wallace whether he had "changed [his] mind" about the economic recovery legislation given that "stimulus
road project signs are up around the state with your name on them."

The chairman of the Republican Governors Association told Wallace:

No. In fact, we did not take $56 million that was offered to us because it would have forced to us raise taxes later. ...

And you mention the Department of Transportation and the highway projects. The Department of Transportation's independent of me. Theyhave a independently elected board who announced last week that thestimulus package created 500 jobs for a cost of $350 million --$700,000 a job. I was flabbergasted.

The estimate of 500 jobs created from Mississippi's transportation stimulus money came from AASHTO chief Butch Brown, who cited the number during a week of positive press appearances intended to boost the stimulus law's standing with voters. As Brown said in his official statement on the law's one-year anniversary:

The impact and importance of the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act has been invaluable — both for Mississippiand for all the states across the country. One year ago, the enactmentprovided the stepping stone we needed to move forward and build goodtransportation projects while creating jobs that may have gone by theway-side had it not been for the ARRA funding.

According to data provided by state officials to the House transportation committee on Capitol Hill, Mississippi's $355 million in highway stimulus money has created 4,756 direct, project-related jobs -- a projection consistent with AASHTO's claim that transportation stimulus money has generated 280,000 jobs nationwide.

A call to Brown's office asking for clarification on the source of his conflicting 500-jobs estimate was not immediately returned, but this post will be updated as any new information becomes available.

For a bit more context on Mississippi transportation politics, check out this post from a local political blog in Natchez, where Brown -- supported by the two Democratic members of the state's three-man transport commission -- formerly served as mayor.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog USA

Monday’s Headlines Raise Taxes to Cut Emissions

The Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy took to Bloomberg to share ideas for cutting transportation emissions through the tax code.

November 4, 2024

Friday’s Headlines Put the Pedal to the Metal

How is Denver's e-bike rebate program working out? David Zipper went to see for himself.

November 1, 2024

Public Transportation is On the Ballot Across America

Here are just a few of the races we'll be watching on Tuesday.

November 1, 2024

How Great Could Bay Area Public Transit Be?

A short summit brought together a who's who of advocates, officials, and leaders to talk about their vision for the future of public transportation in the Bay Area.

November 1, 2024

Even Families of Rock Stars like Billy Corgan Aren’t Immune to Chicagoland Traffic Violence

This was at least the third time since June that a driver crashed into a Chicagoland restaurant, shutting it down.

October 31, 2024
See all posts