“These principles mean that we will all be working off the same playbook to formulate and implement policies and programs. For the first time, the Federal government will speak with one voice on housing, environmental and transportation policy,” said the HUD Secretary about the Obama Administration’s “sustainable communities" agreement between USDOT, HUD and EPA.
That’s good…now how about within the transportation family? The new and laudable interagency agreement makes us wonder again if someday the USDOT member agencies–particularly the modal administrations–will adopt and practice intermodal principles and a mechanism for coordination. "A framework to guide decisions,” to borrow from the EPA Administrator’s quote. House Transportation chair Jim Oberstar (D-MN) is intent on forcing modal coordination in the next TEA bill. Maybe Secretary LaHood will come up with his own approach. But it would have to be one that can overcome a fair measure of skepticism in and outside the department about the feasibility of a one-DOT approach. (Is there such a thing as an intra-agency memorandum of agreement?) – Pbea
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