Lawmakers Mull Stimulus Investment in Infrastructure

House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee staff were expected Wednesday to start piecing together the infrastructure investment component of a pending stimulus package.

At the request of Speaker Nancy Pelosi , D-Calif., the panel held a hearing with three sets of witnesses ranging from governors to economists to transportation experts to discuss the plan to stimulate the economy with new infrastructure jobs.

Chairman James L. Oberstar , D-Minn., said the committee would then get to work on its section of the stimulus to be ready for when Congress returns for a ‘lame duck’ session Nov. 17.

The goal of the stimulus would be to invest money in projects all over the country that could be up and running within 120 days. The American Association of State and Highway Officials identified more than 3,000 such projects.

“These are jobs that cannot be outsourced to another country because the work must be done here in the United States on our roads, bridges, transit and rail systems, airports, waterways and wastewater treatments,” Oberstar said.

Governor Jon Corzine of New Jersey promised that his state would adhere strictly to funding prioritized projects outlined in the bill.

“We are going to this whether there is a stimulus or not,” Corzine said. “We can win against the winds.”

The tone of the first panel was one of cautious optimism — that the investments wouldn’t solve the current economic crisis, but could help speed its recovery.