By Cary Hegreberg
Published 7/13/2012

Legendary NFL coach Vince Lombardi once said, "Individual commitment to a group effort - that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work."

Our civilization - especially in Montana - simply cannot function without a strong transportation infrastructure. Our Sen. Max Baucus knows this. With a deadline of June 30, he was one of a handful of lawmakers given the job of coming up with a compromise before the transportation bill expired. Given all the headlines highlighting extreme partisanship in Congress, the odds seemed to be working against him and the highway bill conference committee.

Yet, in a hopeful demonstration of teamwork, they hammered out a deal and Congress passed a two-year highway bill. This is the kind of teamwork we need for our civilization, for our society, and for working Montana families.

Baucus cut through partisanship to pass a strong transportation bill that is good for Montana and good for the nation.

223% return to Montana

He used his seniority to make sure Montana had a seat at the table. For every dollar that Montanans contribute to the Highway Trust Fund, we'll get back $2.23. Thanks to Baucus, the highway bill will bring nearly $400 million to Montana annually and support roughly 13,500 good Montana highway jobs. The highway bill will support important infrastructure investments in our roads, highways and bridges while improving freight movements on the interstates and Indian reservation roads. Investing in transportation is an investment in construction jobs right away while supporting commerce and the needs of business for the long haul.

The new Highway Bill outlines a plan for two years, which means certainty for our businesses and communities as they plan major projects on our roads and bridges. The last Highway Bill expired more than two years ago and since then, the nation's infrastructure has been paid for by a series of short-term stopgaps. Each time these short-term extensions expire, it creates uncertainty as to whether the Highway Trust Fund (which pays for infrastructure projects) will collapse. This is not a wise way to steer our nation's transportation policy - especially in light of our already fragile economy.

Economic ripple

The Highway Bill will undoubtedly create important ripple effects across Montana's economy - not just through highway jobs, but through the purchase of equipment, fuel, tires, insurance and bonding while contractors and crews stay in hotels and purchase meals in local cafes. The net result will be an improved transportation infrastructure to better get our manufactured goods, grains and cattle to market while allowing tourists improved access to all of the places that make Montana so unique.

In the spirit of teamwork, we applaud Baucus' work to pass a new two-year Highway Bill. We call on Congress to continue to look for opportunities like the Highway Bill to focus on jobs and to be the kind of team that not only Coach Lombardi would be proud of - but that all Montanans can support.