Skip to Content
Streetsblog USA home
Log In
High-speed rail

Mica Confirmed as Transpo Committee Chair

2:54 PM EST on December 8, 2010

Rep. John Mica (R-FL) was confirmed today as the next Chair of the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee.

John Mica was confirmed today as the next Chair of the T & I Committee. Image: ##http://dailyme.com/gallery/industry-term/transportation.html##Daily Me##

There have been some contested leadership elections this month but this wasn’t one of them. Mica’s position as chair was basically a foregone conclusion as soon as November's election results came in.

After the Republican conference voted to confirm him, Mica said in a statement, “It is critical that Congress jumpstarts transportation projects to rebuild our nation’s crumbling infrastructure and get people working.” He affirmed his eagerness to “pass stalled major surface transportation, aviation, and water resources bills.”

He also emphasized “cutting red tape to complete stalled projects,” which observers take to include limiting environmental assessments for planned infrastructure projects.

Mica enjoyed a close working relationship with Committee Chair Jim Oberstar before the elections flipped control of the Congress and ousted Oberstar after 18 terms. Since November, Mica has clarified some of his positions on transportation issues, including the fact that, while he believes high speed rail is basically a good idea, he doesn’t like the way the DOT is going about it.

"I am a strong advocate of high-speed rail, but it has to be where it makes sense," Mica told the Associated Press. "The administration squandered the money, giving it to dozens and dozens of projects that were marginal at best to spend on slow-speed trains to nowhere."

He’d even like to see his own state of Florida be removed from the high speed propects list.

He’s also a strong proponent of private sector investment in infrastructure, a theme we’re likely to see echoed often during the next session of Congress. As federal belts tighten, the money that is disbursed will need to have strong local and private partnerships.

In other committee news, Rep. Hal Rogers (R-KY) was named Chair of the House Appropriations Committee. Rep. Jerry Lewis (R-CA) had wanted the position but House term limits didn’t allow him to serve more than six years as top Republican on the committee, no matter whether the Republicans were in the majority or the minority. Rogers is considered far friendlier to earmarks than Lewis.

And Rep. Fred Upton will be the new chair of the Energy and Commerce Committee. Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX) ran into the same term-limits problem as Lewis. A waiver for him was deemed even less likely, as he’d embarrassed the party earlier this year with his famous apology to BP.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog USA

Tuesday’s Headlines Are Trending Down

An estimated 19,515 people died in car crashes during the first half of 2023, which is down 3.3 percent but still 19,515 too many.

October 3, 2023

What Do ‘Livable’ Streets Look Like in an Era of Driverless Cars?

Does a world of autonomous cars really have to make our streets less human? Possibly.

October 3, 2023

Why Chicago Advocates Are Providing Bikes to Migrants

Unless funds are freed up from a larger entity, bike distribution to asylum seekers is going to stay in crisis mode indefinitely.

October 2, 2023

Monday’s Headlines Are Open for Business

Monday will be just another Monday for federal employees, as Congress avoided a government shutdown. Plus, declining gas tax revenue provides an opportunity to rethink transportation funding.

October 2, 2023

Why Connecticut is Investing in New Regional Rail

Gov. Ned Lamont will spend $315 million investment on new rail cars — but they're not going anywhere near Grand Central. Here's why.

October 2, 2023
See all posts