The Huckabee Plan:
Four Guiding Principles for
Strengthening America's Infrastructure

If we're going to spend $150 billion, I'd like to suggest thatmaybe we add two lanes of highway from Bangor all the way to Miami onI-95. A third of the United States population lives within 100 miles ofthat.

This nation's infrastructure is falling apart. And if we built thoselanes of highways -- with American labor, American steel, Americanconcrete - I believe it would do more to stimulate the economy.

And the reason I say that is because when we were going through arecession in my state, we were in the middle of a billion-dollarhighway construction program that brought about 40,000 jobs and broughta billion dollars of capital into the economy.

That's a long-term stimulus package that I think would have moreimpact on the American long-term future. And it would keep socialcapital from being wasted, fuel wasted. A lot of people in Florida sitaround in traffic every day, never getting to their kids' dancerecitals or soccer games because they're stuck in traffic, and we'vedone nothing about it.
       --Governor Mike Huckabee
                Florida Atlantic University Debate
                January 24, 2008

My four guiding principles can be summed up simply: Stimulus, Safety, Security, and Sustainability.

When I took office as Governor of Arkansas in 1996, I faced ahighway system which was among the worst in the country.  The roadconditions were harming our economy and had reached the point ofbecoming an actual safety risk.   With overwhelming voter approval, welaunched a highway bonds project that generated a billion dollars ofhighway construction, created some 40,000 new jobs, and created newmovement for our economy.  Our roads were then called the "mostimproved" according to Overdrive magazine.  We need to do the same forthis country.

Stimulus
-  President Bush and Congresshave come together to create a short-term economic stimulus package,which I commend and support as a valuable first step.

-  However, we must also look to the next century, not just to the next few quarters. 

-  So we must also look at longer-term ways to grow local economiesand our national economy by: first, easing congestion by emphasizingroad expansion and mass-transit investment; second, funding strategiccapital improvement projects to make more localities attractive to newbusinesses and workers; and third, rebuilding the infrastructure of our"tools for trade" such as improvements to and expansions of ourseaports and airports.

-  This past fall, Texas A&M released a report on the price ofcongestion in time and money-we now spend 4.2 billion hours each yearin our cars, and spend an extra 38 hours per urban driver.  That'snearly the length of a workweek-time taken away from our families,missing kids' soccer games, dance recitals, and school plays.  According to the Texas A&M study, we waste 2.9 billion gallons ofgasoline during this lost time; the total cost to our economy is $78billion every year.

-  In Florida, the Sunshine State is currently working on a projecton I-75 in Collier and Lee counties to add an additional lane in eachdirection.  The cost of that project is $430 million.  Now not onlywill that construction mean the creation of over 20,000 jobs, it alsomeans that Florida will be reducing congestion, reducing wastedproductivity and gasoline, reducing wear on your vehicles, and speedingup the state economy.

-  Infrastructure reform enhances productivity and eliminates waste,but it also generates new jobs and revenue.  The U.S. Department ofTransportation tells us that every $1 billion invested in federalhighway and transit infrastructure results in the creation of some47,500 jobs, and every $1 spent on infrastructure investment results inan estimated $5.70 in economy activity.  Now that is a stimulus package.

-  Florida's economic engine rests on moving people and freight. Ithas the longest coastline in the continental U.S. and many vitalports.  A strong highway system is integral to moving tourists throughthe state in a timely manner and taking freight across the country.

-  There is an immediate need to expand the ports of Miami, Tampa,and Jacksonville, which are enormous economic engines not only forFlorida but for the entire country.  Yet there are challenges ahead:

• Annual operating security costs at the Port of Miami almost quadrupled from 2001 to 2006, from about $4 to $16 million.
• The current expansion of the Panama Canal will allow for much larger tankers to come through Florida.  To harness these benefits, we must enlarge the capacities of the Port of Miami, the Port of Tampa, and the Port of Jacksonville.
• The Port of Jacksonville is currently working on becoming a deepwater port and expanding to double its cargo capacity.  The Port will need road/rail improvement to transport goods across the state and country.
• Miami has requested $13 million to complete dredging of the Miami River this year or next.  This would complete an $86 million dredging project started in 2004 and run by the Army Corps of Engineers.  Over the next 20 years, this should generate $100 million in business from ships, letting them use the river at both high and low tides.  The river had not been dredged since the 1930's.
•  The Miami Harbor has requested $2 million for engineering and design for dredging the harbor.
• These are just some of the important projects that a Huckabee administration will seek to foster.

Safety

-  Such infrastructure-based economic development is not just aboutgiving our economy a shot in the arm-it is also about protecting andpreserving what we have already developed.  In decades past, ourpredecessors built canals, then railroads, and then the interstatehighway system.  And yet now we can't even keep these vital projectsadequately maintained - our bridges are sometimes reinforced with wood,our pavements are crumbling.  These are not just economic challenges;they are safety hazards.

-  Our interstate highway system covers 47,000 miles.  Before it wasbuilt, motorists could only drive 250 miles a day dawn-to-dark, butafter it was built, drivers could cover twice that distance.  There'senormous economic potential in dramatically improving transportationproductivity.

-  The American Society of Civil Engineers gave our infrastructure a"D" and said that we will need $1.6 trillion in the next five years,and that's not even including our national security needs.  We needthis amount just to deal with our "congested highways, overflowingsewers, and corroded bridges".  Poor roads cost Americans $54 billioneach year in repairs and operating costs - an average of $275 for eachdriver.

-  All of our infrastructure is suffering from a lack of maintenanceand expansion - we have seen this in the collapse of the Minneapolisbridge on August 1, 2007, the steam pipe explosion in New York City onJuly 18, 2007, and a year of frustration with air travel, with almost30% of flights delayed.  Antiquated infrastructure and overcrowdedairports are inherently dangerous.
" In 2006, 73,764 Americanbridges were rated "structurally deficient" by the U.S. Department ofTransportation.  We need to take a hard look at our bridges and makesure they are safe and secure.

-  Bridges and air travel are an issue throughout Florida:

• Miami has requested federal funding to replace the Northwest 17th Ave. Bridge and 12 Venetian causeway bridges linking Miami and Miami Beach.  This is the sort of infrastructure overhaul we need.
• The Kendall-Tamiami Executive Airport in Miami has requested funds to extend two runways.
• Orlando International Airport, the busiest airport in Florida, will soon start a $400 million construction project to sustain its main terminal.
• The highway interchange around Tampa International Airport is currently being expanded.
• Around Pensacola and Tallahassee, Interstate 10 improvements now underway will significantly enhance transportation across the Panhandle. 

-  We must do a better job of setting priorities.  Much of ourfederal funding is still apportioned to the states under mechanismsestablished 50 years ago when we created the interstates.  AsPresident, I will make sure that our prioritization system respondsadequately to our most urgent needs.

-  We need an Asset Management System.  As President, I willinstruct my Secretary of Transportation to develop a comprehensivedatabase that assesses the existing condition of infrastructure andthen provides options for the funding - including creativeprivate-sector options - to maintain each asset in the condition itneeds to be.  This makes funding decisions data-driven, rather thanpolitical, so that we can remove the excuse for Congressional earmarks.

Security

-  Moreover, allowing these weaknesses to continue provides openingsfor the terrorists to exploit. I will address the many security issuesstill unresolved after 9/11, such as the security of our ports and ourchemical plants. 

-  For all our effort, we still have far to go in ensuring that ourplanes are secure and our passengers not overly inconvenienced.  DHS'Transportation Security Lab is researching new technologies to updateand secure our air travel.

-  For Miami, this includes a $20 million request for changes madein the terminal to install a baggage explosives detection system.

-  In Orlando, the airport is already taking advantage of newtechnologies such as the "Clear" card, a voluntary ID system, whichwill be available in Orlando International Airport starting this June.

-  If states choose even tougher standards to protect their people,I will respect their authority and not allow the federal government topre-empt those standards.  When New Jersey passed standards for itschemical plants, lobbyists for the chemical companies tried to getCongress to pass weak federal legislation for these plants and topre-empt New Jersey from enforcing its stricter standards.  I willalways fight for you, not the lobbyists.

-I will reassess, tighten, and strengthen the focus and mission ofthe Department of Homeland Security.  When the Department was formed,it brought together 180,000 people from 22 agencies, combining tasks asdiverse and unrelated as the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Servicefrom the Agriculture Department to the Nuclear Incident Response Teamfrom the Department of Energy.  Its size and structure have proven tobe unwieldy and inefficient.  We must reform and restructure DHS sothat it is even more effective at identifying threats and foilingattacks.

-  For example, at the Port of Miami, divers search for contrabandat the Coast Guard's request, but since DHS is not reimbursing them,the Miami Dade Police Department is picking up that tab.  DHS shouldprovide the funding to conduct hull searches as ships enter the port. 

-  I also support Miami's request for DHS to open a regional officein Miami-Dade County. This will make sure that Florida's largestmetropolitan area has the resources to work with state and federalofficials in case of a terror attack or other emergency.

-  We need better radiation detection devices to screen cargo in ourports.  The current generation has technology limitations.  I supportDHS' pilot program called SETCP (Southeast Transportation CorridorPilot), which Florida participates in, for using mobile radiationdetection devices.

-  Miami has also requested $6 million to improve communicationsbetween police and firefighters.  This sort of interoperability is keyto our ability to respond to a national disaster or terrorist attack.

-  When Congress put FEMA in the Department of Homeland Security,they moved its director too far down the food chain.  I will restoreFEMA to cabinet status, so that the Director reports directly to me. My FEMA director will have sterling credentials, leadership andmanagement skills, including extensive, hands-on experience in disasterresponse.  

-  During the massive emergency of Hurricane Katrina, when local,state, and federal governments were in melt-down, I stepped forward anddirected the rescue and relief of 75,000 victims. Our success amidst somuch failure was one of the reasons Time magazine named me one ofAmerica's five best governors.

-  A sound infrastructure is also the key to developing our energysecurity, and our energy independence.  As President, I will work tomake sure that we have a comprehensive and balanced approach to theenormous challenge of strengthening  America's energy independence fromunstable and sometimes hostile foreign governments.   If we could put aman on the moon four decades ago, we can accomplish this mission in thecoming decade.

Sustainability

-  I have always been a conservationist. Stewardship of the air andland and soil is very important to me.  I will follow the principle Ilearned from the Boy Scouts: Always leave the land better than when youfound it.  I am proud of my record in Arkansas, building constructiveconsensus on key issues.  I look forward to bringing the sameleadership to America. 

-  We need to move toward long-term solutions, bringing acomprehensive vision, combining economic development and environmentalprotection.  We can have both.

-  We must link land use and transportation planning.  It is folly,for example, to provide rail service to places that don't have thedensity to make it work. 

-  We keeping building schools and post offices outside of towncenters, so that everyone has to drive.  Our children don't walk toschool or to the playground anymore, which is not only a transportationissue, but causes childhood obesity as well.  So transportation becomesa health issue, a lifestyle issue, which shapes the future of ourchildren and our county.  We need to trim the fat and produce anefficient, sustainable plan for the future.

-  We must also consider sustainability relating to water, of particular importance to Floridians.

• South Miami-Dade has a request for a $6.25 million water pipeline.
• Biscayne Bay has made a $500,000 request for a study of water quality.

-  Properly used, public transportation can reduce congestion andemissions, lower our demand for oil, and improve accessibility.

• Miami has requested funding for 12 new Metromover vehicles; $6 million for new buses and routes, $5 million for transit security, $8 million for pedestrian overpasses.

-  We should use the new technology and markets available to us toencourage the next generation of sustainable infrastructure. The USGreen Building Council has created the Leadership in Energy andEnvironmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating Systems, which covereverything from homes and offices to schools and hospitals, evenneighborhood development.  LEED is the nationally and internationallyaccepted benchmark for designing, building, and running greenstructures.  We should consider offering personal and corporate taxbenefits for LEED Certified buildings.

Conclusion

-  These improvements are vital to our economic prosperity, but theyalso define our quality of life. We've spent decades ignoring theissue, and we no longer have a national transportation orinfrastructure vision like the one that built the interstate highwaysystem in the 1950's or sent us to the moon in the 1960's.  TheHuckabee administration would restore and act on that national vision.