The Right (And Wrong) Way to Spend $1 Trillion

On January 30, 2009, the New America Foundation hosted a panel discussion around
the release of a Washington Monthly cover story and new proposal in the “Big
Ideas” series. Featured speaker Phillip Longman, Senior Fellow at New America and Research
Director of the Next Social Contract Initiative, pitched his plan to
dramatically increase investment in freight rail infrastructure as part of the
upcoming economic stimulus, and reduce by 85 percent the number of long-haul
trucks on America’s Interstate highways.  Longman outlined the environmental,
health, safety, and quality of life benefits of this “Swiss Army Knife” of
public policy ideas, and assessed the proposal’s political feasibility.

A panel of discussants responded to Longman’s
presentation and offered their perspectives on his proposal.  Alan Drake and
Andrea Bassi of the Millennium Institute, an Arlington-based strategic planning
firm, estimated the costs, GDP gains, and carbon emissions reductions of various
levels of investment, and analyzed potential feedback loops and long-term
implications of railway development.  Anne Canby, President of the Surface
Transportation Policy Partnership and former Transportation Secretary of
Delaware, described the emerging coalition to advance rail on a broader
platform.  Finally, John Gray, Senior Vice President of Policy and Economics at
the Association of American Railroads, presented the rail industry’s perspective
on public-private partnerships.  Paul Glastris, New America
Fellow and Editor-in-Chief of The Washington Monthly, provided
introductions and moderated the question-and-answer session that followed.

— Event summary by Daniel Mandel, Program Associate, Next Social Contract Initiative, New America Foundation 

Participants

Phillip Longman
Senior Fellow, New America Foundation
Author, “Back on Tracks,”
Cover story, The Washington Monthly, Jan/Feb 2009

Alan Drake and Andrea Bassi
Authors, “Evaluating the Creation of a Parallel Non-Oil Transportation System
in an Oil Constrained Future”
Millennium Institute

Discussant
Anne P.Canby
President, Surface Transportation Policy Partnership
Transportation Secretary, Delaware 1993-2001

John Gray
Senior Vice President, Policy and Economics
Association of American Railroads 

Moderator
Paul Glastris
Editor-in-Chief
The Washington Monthly