The latest on the federal economic stimulus package includes a "Rebuild America" proposal from Minnesota Congressman Jim Oberstar. His plan calls for a $45 billion infrastructure investment, which would include $18.25 billion for roads and bridges, $6 billion for transit, and $2 billion for intercity rail. While the numbers will likely change, there is little doubt that there will be a large investment in transportation infrastructure. Now the question is: what will the details of the transportation investment look like?

In a column today, David Brooks outlines the potential problem with the stimulus package:

"In a stimulus plan, the first job is to get money out the door quickly. That means you avoid anything that might require planning and creativity. You avoid anything that might require careful implementation or novel approaches. The quickest thing to do is simply throw money at things that already exist."

Quite simply, this means that the stimulus package may favor highway projects because they are "easy" and "ready to go." The fact that they are "ready to go" has nothing to do with need or trends-which both favor clean transportation investments-but is rather a vestige of a highway-focused transportation era that has led us to oil dependence, congested commutes, and a climate crisis.

As we said in last month's Momentum newsletter, the stimulus package must include a huge investment in a clean transportation system that helps support growing interest in intercity rail, transit, walking, and biking. This investment will help to revive our economy in the short term and lead us into the clean economy of the future. The stimulus can't predominantly support road and bridge projects-which in many cases perpetuate our dependence on foreign oil and exacerbate global warming-simply because they are "ready to go." Oil dependence has played a chief role in the current recession and we cannot sacrifice progress toward freeing America of this dependence for the sake of "easy" or "ready to go."