SB 396 – AS AMENDED BY THE SENATE
03/20/08 1056s
2008 SESSION
06/10
SENATE BILL 396
AN ACT relative to the establishment of a statewide transportation policy.
SPONSORS: Sen. Kelly, Dist 10; Sen. Fuller Clark, Dist 24; Sen. Janeway, Dist 7
COMMITTEE: Transportation and Interstate Cooperation
This bill establishes a statewide transportation policy.
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Explanation: Matter added to current law appears in bold italics.
Matter removed from current law appears [in brackets and struckthrough.]
Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.
03/20/08 1056s
08-2712
06/10
STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Eight
AN ACT relative to the establishment of a statewide transportation policy.
Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:
1 New Chapter; Statewide Transportation Policy. Amend RSA by inserting after chapter 240 the following new chapter:
CHAPTER 241
STATEWIDE TRANSPORTATION POLICY
241:1 Findings and Public Purpose. The general court finds that:
I. It is essential to the well-being of New Hampshire’s citizens and to the economic health of the state that New Hampshire have and maintain a sustainable, balanced, and effective transportation system that is capable of efficiently transporting people and goods, and that is well-integrated with the regional transportation system spanning New England.
II. The cost of maintaining New Hampshire’s transportation system and infrastructure has increased substantially, greatly outpacing the state’s transportation funding resources. The widening gap between transportation costs and available revenues impedes the ability of the state to meet the urgent need to maintain and repair existing infrastructure, including bridges and roads. Under these circumstances, it is essential that New Hampshire plan and develop a balanced transportation system that is sustainable for the long-term and that represents a wise investment of public funds.
241:2 Statewide Transportation Policy. The statewide transportation policy for all future projects shall be as follows:
I. To maximize the value of its limited transportation funds, New Hampshire must invest in a transportation system that:
(a) Is integrated with the land use goals and policies of the state;
(b) Is balanced, including multiple means of travel;
(c) Meets the diverse needs of the citizens of the state, including rural, urban and low-income populations, the growing elderly population, and people with disabilities;
(d) Minimizes the effects of unforeseeable natural or economic conditions that could otherwise cripple a predominantly single-mode transportation system.
II. To spend its limited transportation funds wisely, the state must ensure that its transportation investments protect New Hampshire’s quality of life by strengthening communities and the economy, protecting the natural environment, advancing the state’s comprehensive development plan and smart growth policy, and reducing the greenhouse gases.
III. Relative to the planning, funding, and development of New Hampshire’s transportation system, the department of transportation shall consider and advance proposals that, taken in the aggregate:
(a) Ensure the repair and maintenance of roads, bridges, rail, and other transportation infrastructure throughout the state to provide a safe, efficient, intermodal transportation network.
(b) Are integrated with and support an effective and balanced regional transportation system that strengthens New Hampshire’s economic position within the New England region.
(c) Support the goal of achieving a balanced transportation system, including multiple transportation options, that serves the diverse needs of rural, urban, low-income, and elderly populations, and that is adaptable and resilient to meet New Hampshire’s future needs.
(d) Consider the full range of reasonable transportation alternatives for all significant highway projects and all projects of substantial public interest, and prioritize the following alternatives before increasing highway capacity:
(1) Transportation system management.
(2) Transportation demand management.
(3) Public transit, including but not limited to buses and trains.
(e) Require corridor studies from which significant highway projects and projects of substantial public interest are developed to encourage integration and coordination of such projects with local and regional land use planning that is consistent with RSA 9-B, and to ensure the coordination of local land use plans that preserve the capacity of the transportation infrastructure at issue and maximize the value of transportation investments.
(f) Increase the energy efficiency of the transportation system.
(g) Reduce the global warming effects of the transportation sector and minimize the impacts of transportation on public health, air and water quality, open spaces, and other natural resources.
(h) Achieve effective intermodal connections with the state’s major airports to enhance access for the citizens of the state, and to better integrate the state’s major airports within the region’s transportation system to enhance access to and from major population centers in New England.
(i) Promote context-sensitive solutions that are consistent with the unique character of communities.
(j) Coordinate with and advance the comprehensive state development plan, under RSA 9-A.
(k) Are consistent with and advance the state’s smart growth policy as established in RSA 9-B.
(l) Incorporate a public participation process in which municipalities, regional planning commissions, metropolitan planning organizations, and the public have timely notice and opportunity to identify and comment on concerns related to transportation planning decisions, capital investment decisions, and project decisions. The department shall take the comments and concerns of local citizens into account and shall be responsive to them.
241:3 Compliance with Statewide Transportation Policy. Capital investment decisions, transportation planning decisions, and project decisions of the department of transportation shall comply with the statewide transportation policy under this chapter. Appeals from such decisions may be taken in accordance with RSA 541:6. The department of transportation shall report on its decision-making processes at least semi-annually by filing a written review thereof with the president of the senate, the speaker of the house of representatives, and the chairpersons of the senate transportation and interstate cooperation and capital budget committees and the house transportation and public works and highways committees.
2 Effective Date. This act shall take effect 60 days after its passage.