Economy

WASHINGTON — States and other sponsors of high-speed rail projects must submit pre-applications for a share of the more than $8 billion of available funding no later than July 10, the Federal Railroad Administration said this week in interim guidance that outlines the criteria for such projects.

The California Alternative Energy and Advance Transportation Financing Authority has announced the closure of a $20 million clean renewable energy bond deal on behalf of the California Department of Transportation.

SAN FRANCISCO — The Los Angeles Harbor Department plans to sell $200 million of new-money bonds and up to $550 million of refunding debt next week.

WASHINGTON — House Transportation Committee leaders yesterday released a voluminous blueprint for a soon-to-be-introduced bill that would create a national infrastructure bank to help states, localities and private parties finance transportation projects.

Washington’s state conduit issuer for hospitals has issued a waiver that would allow Central Washington Hospital to issue bonds without attaining a minimum single-A credit rating, the Wenatchee World newspaper reported this week.

The Orange County Board of Supervisors Tuesday gave the go-ahead for a revenue bond issue of up to $250 million for the county’s John Wayne Airport.

WASHINGTON — The $450 billion transportation bill that is to be introduced soon by the House Transportation Committee chairman will provide $1 billion of federal funds for designated metropolitan planning organizations to issue bonds to finance transportation projects.

Hospitals operating in the state provided more than $1.8 billion in community-related benefits in 2007, up by $200 million a year earlier, according to a report released last week by the Missouri Hospital Association.

CHICAGO - St. Louis enters the market next week with up to $230 million of Lambert St. Louis International Airport revenue bonds to raise $126 million for projects and to refund bonds through a tender option designed to take advantage of the relief provided by the federal stimulus from the alternative minimum tax.

House Transportation Committee chairman James L. Oberstar, D-Minn., is expected to unveil a white paper tomorrow outlining the upcoming multi-year highway bill, but it probably will not contain details about the funding levels, revenue sources, or tax provisions necessary to pay for transportation programs, sources said yesterday.

Moody’s Investors Service last week placed the Chicago Transit Authority’s $2 billion of sales and transfer tax receipts bonds and lease revenue bonds on negative watch, an action that stems from Moody’s downgrade earlier this month of the CTA’s parent agency.

DALLAS - The North Texas Tollway Authority is all but certain to raise tolls to preserve its debt-service coverage after revenues for 2009 fell by nearly 11%, officials indicated yesterday.

Standard & Poor’s this week knocked the Detroit Local Development Finance Authority’s tax increment financing bonds Series 1997B and C and 1998A further into junk bond territory due to “significant uncertainty” over the future of a Chrysler plant that makes up most of the taxable value of the district.

SAN FRANCISCO - Siebert Brandford Shank & Co. has announced the formation of a transportation finance group.

DALLAS - Dallas Area Rapid Transit expects to make history with its record $1 billion bond issue today. The triple-A rated deal is not only DART's largest ever, but the biggest in the Southwest so far this year.

Standard & Poor’s revised its credit outlook on Howard University to negative as the school and its affiliated hospital have suffered operating losses.

BRADENTON, Fla. — The Atlanta Board of Education on Monday affirmed its participation in two of the city’s tax allocation districts, clearing a major hurdle to advancing up to $200 million of bonds for the long-delayed BeltLine project.

DALLAS - With the fate of five state agencies in limbo, Texas Gov. Rick Perry confirmed that he will call a special session of the Legislature, but said he has not decided when or what issues will be included.

Bucking a nationwide trend of decline for most airports, the rating outlook for Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport last week was revised to stable from negative when its credit ratings were affirmed.

CHICAGO — The Illinois Finance Authority board signed off on more than $1 billion worth of nonprofit health care deals and accepted the resignation of executive director John Filan, but then rehired him in an advisory capacity to help implement a revamped $3 billion program for renewable energy.