Transportation industry

Congressional committee leaders have sent a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder expressing concerns that the proposed settlement agreement with US Airways and American Airlines might hurt less populated and rural areas.

Moody's Investors Service has downgraded the rating on the Port of Seattle's intermediate and subordinate revenue bonds ahead of its $140 million refunding deal.

An Indiana legislative panel Thursday approved a transit proposal for central Indiana that would rely on new local taxes for financing.

Without a labor contract extension, Boeing could pursue out-of-state production locations, which would be a credit negative for Washington State and the Puget Sound region, Moody's Investors Service said.

Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett still has unfinished financial business, but was able to bask in a rare win - passage of a $2.4 billion transportation bill.

A coalition of local leaders is asking Congress to generate an additional $30 billion a year for transportation efforts by almost doubling the federal gasoline tax.

Pennsylvania's House of Representatives was scheduled to debate a $2.4 billion transportation bill that Senate counterparts approved a day earlier.

Moody's Investors Service downgraded Tulsa International Airport's revenue bonds to Baa1 from A3, citing five straight years of declining enplanements.

A high-speed rail line along Colorado's Front Range could carry 13 million passengers a year and would likely cost $9.8 billion, according to a state estimate.

Chicago plans to enter the market Thursday with $326 million of Midway International Airport second lien refunding bonds in a long planned restructuring that was on hold as the city pursued a privatization deal.

The federal government will swap obsolete office buildings in Washington for more modern facilities through P3 arrangements.

The improved forecast New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority revealed in its November financial plan is a credit positive, according to Moody's.

American Airlines will ask a bankruptcy court to approve an agreement with federal regulators that settles the government's antitrust lawsuit against American's proposed merger with US Airways Group Inc.

Vice President Joe Biden used a visit to the Port of Houston to renew the Obama administration's proposal for a $50 billion infrastructure renewal program.

Legislation recently introduced in Congress would transfer nearly all authority over federal highway and transit programs to states and substantially reduce federal motor fuel taxes over a five-year period.

New York's MTA will receive $30.5 million for its capital program through the sale of Bronx property for a retail complex and possibly senior housing.

Tolls from managed traffic lanes can be an effective way to fund expensive highway projects, but investors need to consider revenue volatility.

Illinois hopes to select a private partner to develop its estimated $1.1 billion share of the proposed Illiana toll road by next fall with the goal of closing on a finance package as soon as early 2015, a top state transportation official said Thursday.

States are no longer waiting for the federal government when it comes to trying to drum up new revenue for transportation infrastructure, said Victor Mendez, administrator, Federal Highway Administration, Friday morning at the Bond Buyer's Transportation Finance/P3 conference here.

With motor fuel tax in a long-term slide, transportation advocates need to get better at convincing the public and elected officials about the link between infrastructure and regional economic health, transportation experts here at the Bond Buyer's transportation conference said Thursday.