Washington Business Winter 2020 | Washington Business | Seite 15

eye on business
Transportation Remains Key to Economic Growth
Kris Johnson, AWB President
Passage of Initiative 976 last fall
changed almost everything about how
policymakers look at transportation
funding in Washington state.
I-976 removed an estimated $3.5 billion
in state transportation funding revenue
over the next 10 years, including $478
million from this year’s budget. Instead
of considering whether to move forward
w i t h a n e w t ra n s p o r t a t i o n f u n d i n g
package this year, lawmakers are faced
with plugging holes.
Overnight, the initiative’s passage
guaranteed that transportation funding
would be a focus — if not the focus — of the
short 60-day legislative session.
One thing that didn’t change, however,
is the fundamental need to invest in
Washington’s core infrastructure.
L a s t y e a r, AW B j o i n e d w i t h t h e
associations representing Washington’s
cities, counties, and ports to publish a report
outlining $222 billion in needed infrastructure investment
throughout the state. As the report made clear, infrastructure
consists of more than just roads and bridges: It’s also energy,
rail, ports, water, and broadband.
Those are all investments that employers, communities and
families still need, not only for the 7.5 million people who live
here now, but also for the estimated 2 million new residents
who will move to Washington by 2040.
Investing in Washington’s infrastructure will yield dividends
for years to come. The report found that making the needed
investment will create an estimated 706,000 to 770,000 direct
and indirect jobs throughout the state.
So, what now? Voters made it clear they don’t want to fund
new transportation projects with higher car-tab fees. That
means lawmakers will need to find solutions that respect the
will of voters while continuing to make needed investments in
Washington’s infrastructure.
Finding these solutions won’t be easy, but transparency will
help. Whatever solutions lawmakers come up with will need
to be proposed and discussed in an open, public process if they
wish to gain widespread support.
Investment from the federal government would also help.
One of the reasons AWB and the other partners compiled our
report on Washington’s infrastructure needs is to demonstrate
that Washington is prepared to act quickly and make smart use
of resources when the opportunity arises.
Hopefully, that opportunity will come soon. During our D.C.
Fly-In in December, AWB members stressed the importance of
infrastructure investment during meetings with the members
of Washington’s congressional delegation.
In addition, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the
National Association of Manufacturers continue to advocate
for federal infrastructure spending, something that historically
has been a nonpartisan issue.
There are reasons for optimism. Last year, the Legislature
took its first steps to bring fast and reliable internet to rural
areas, but there’s much more work to be done. Reaching these
areas that currently lack broadband service — something as
essential to economic growth now as electricity was a century
ago — will require an estimated $1 billion.
For AWB, this is an issue that’s central to our mission
of being a catalytic leader and unifying voice for economic
prosperity throughout Washington. Achieving that mission
requires that we build and maintain an efficient infrastructure
system that links employers and communities to each other
and to the world.
With the passage of I-976, there are many unanswered
questions, but this much is clear: We need solutions that keep
the state moving forward.
winter 2020
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