The Next Authorization: Transforming Transportation Policy?
Monday, April 7, 2008
Radisson University Hotel, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis
The seventh James L. Oberstar Forum on Transportation Policy and Technology was held on Monday, April 7, 2008, in Minneapolis. The forum addressed potential directions of the next authorization of the federal transportation act, which will succeed SAFETEA-LU (Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users) at the end of its five-year period of 2005 through 2009. The forum used as one source of information the recent report Transportation for Tomorrow created by the National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Study Commission, which recommends dramatic institutional reform and revamping of federal transportation programs and policy.
The public portion of the Oberstar Forum began with a keynote presentation by Congressman Oberstar. Panel discussions followed. Additional material, including a summary of the event, will be posted on these Web pages as it becomes available.
Previous Forums
- 2007: The Condition of Our Nation’s Transportation Infrastructure: Heading Toward a Crisis?
- 2006: Transportation Choices: The Important Role of Walking and Biking
- 2005: The Future of Transportation Finance: 'Gas Tax Plus' and Beyond
- 2004: Transportation in Rural America—Challenges and Opportunities
- 2003: Intermodal Transportation: The Potential and the Challenge
- 2002: How Should Transportation Change After September 11?
About the Forum
The James L. Oberstar Forum, hosted by the University’s Center for Transportation Studies, was created to examine and improve national transportation policy by facilitating an open exchange of ideas and experiences among state, national, and international leaders in transportation and academia.
The forum is held periodically by the University of Minnesota to explore how transportation in the United States is changing—given the political, economic, social, and technological forces affecting society. Participants examine current assumptions and develop potential new directions for national transportation policy. The forum also develops ways to strengthen the transfer and application of academic research to transportation policy and technology development.
The forum is named after Minnesota Congressman James L. Oberstar, a long-time leader in creating national transportation policy and establishing research and education programs in transportation technology.