Venable partner Jim Burnley was interviewed in a February 3, 2015 Logistics Management article on the White House's transportation plans in its proposed budget for fiscal 2016. Some of the highlights in the proposed budget include $478 billion in safety and infrastructure improvements, an $18 billion freight program aimed at relieving freight bottlenecks and modernizing the infrastructure permitting process.
According to Burnley, "the proposed streamlining of infrastructure permitting process is likely to be well-received in a bipartisan manner––and within transportation infrastructure circles––should it be included in the final budget." He said the one thing made clear by the proposed budget is there will be no increase in the federal gas tax which has not been raised since 1993.
"Now, we have a debate on the horizon about to use various [funding] proposals and schemes that are floating around to either entice companies to bring offshore profits back at an attractive tax rate, or, in effect, coerce them to either bring them back or to accept a tax whether they bring offshore tax profits back or not, which the Administration is proposing," Burnley added. "That is going to be a pretty robust debate."