Legislators worried governor's amendment will water down MBTA safety reports
Photo | Courtesy of MassDOT
An MBTA commuter rail train
Top Democrats are disappointed in Gov. Charlie Baker's proposal to alter the MBTA reporting and electrification requirements marbled into an $11.3 billion bond bill, arguing that the changes will delay our progress towards our long-term transportation and climate goals.
A day after Baker approved all of the bond authorizations in the sweeping bill and returned several policy sections with proposed amendments, the heads of the Transportation Committee said his version would hamstring efforts to make the T more transparent about its harrowing safety failures and to convert to a cleaner vehicle fleet.
The original bill would have ordered the MBTA to file a monthly report with the state inspector general, plus make the information public, listing all recent incidents, accidents, casualties and hazards across the transit system. Baker sent back an amendment altering the reporting mandate to a monthly safety data analysis report featuring safety performance indicators.
Rep. William Straus and Sen. Brendan Crighton contended that change represents a watered-down requirement.
"This does not allow the ridership to see the full picture of what is happening at the T," the Democrats said in a joint statement. "Given the Authority's abysmal track record of delayed notification to both the Legislature and the public, stronger reporting requirements are an essential component of regaining the people's trust in their transportation system."
Baker also moved to drop from the bill language that orders the MBTA to make no agreement to purchase diesel locomotives for its commuter rail system after Dec. 31, 2030 and to convert sections calling for "electric locomotive" commuter rail service to "battery electric locomotive" service.
"This bill makes crucial investments in electrifying our transportation system, but the Governor's shortsighted veto of diesel procurement provisions will allow the T to continue to waste critical capital resources on inefficient and outdated diesel locomotives," Straus and Crighton said. "This goes against the underlying intent of the legislation, to make forward-thinking, long-term investments in a transportation system that is safe, reliable, and energy-efficient."
Democrats who wield supermajority margins in both chambers ceded some of their power to Baker by waiting to wrap up major bills until close to or on the final day of formal sessions. Because of that procrastination, lawmakers have no realistic route to muscle through the MBTA reporting and commuter rail electrification measures as originally drafted.
Straus and Crighton did not address that dynamic in their statement, saying only that they will "continue to explore all available options for MBTA improvements through our continued oversight hearings this fall."
WBJ Web Partners
Most Recent
Most Recent
0 Comments