A proposal by the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee to divert $25 billion in dedicated gas taxes could be a serious threat to the future existence of HART, the Hillsborough County transit agency.
That was the message conveyed Monday morning by HART's CEO Philip Hale at the agency's board meeting in downtown Tampa. The $25 billion represents nearly half of the amount that the federal government spends on public transit, potentially putting public transportation projects across the country in a paralyzed state.
"It is a great concern to me relative to the sustainability of HART in the near future," Hale said, alarming his colleagues.
This article appears in Feb 2-8, 2012.