Green New Deal Network’s Giancarlo Valdetaro and Climate and Community Institute’s Emmett Hopkins walk us through the basic of flexing state DOT funding and introduce CCI’s flex funding tool.
How do we fund transportation?
- We fund transportation through laws like IIJA/BIL
- States receive “formula” funds for highways through a set of different programs
- Each program has different instructions for how states can spend that money
- Discretionary grants complement these formula funds, but…
- The main “highway” programs have the most money — about $240 billion over six
years in the core four
How
What is “flex funding”?
It is two separate things that often get lumped together
- Flexibility between highway programs — the 50% flexing
- Flexibility between highway and transit — the 100% flexing
THESE ARE DIFFERENT THINGS!
50% Flexing
Dictated in US Code Title 23 Section 126
- Eight programs that it applies to
- NHPP, STBG, NHFP, Metropolitan Planning
- CMAQ, CRP, PROTECT, HSIP
- 50% of any of these programs can go to any of the rest of these programs
100% Flexing
- Dictated in US Code Title 23 Section 104(f)
- Not really “flexing” in the same way that 50%
is flexing — it’s about changing the project
manager, not the project - But it’s also much more revolutionary,
because it means there is no such thing as a
“highway program”
How do you flex fund generally?
Just two steps needed
- First: Change your TIP/STIP to ensure it reflects spending this money on transit
- Second: Get sign-off from FHWA and FTA to transfer authority to FTA
It’s that simple in theory! In practice, of course, it’s more complicated…
How do you flex funds specifically?
See the Flex Funding Roadmap presentation.
Campaign components to consider
- The amount of funding you want to flex
- Fiscal cliff
- Bad highway projects
- Desired level of investment
- Simple percentage of funds
- Your state’s TIP/STIP amendment process
- Your organizing target (and coalition) based on the amendment process