Point/Counterpoint: DOT’s New MPO Consolidation Rule

August 10, 2016

This week, we inaugurate a new recurring feature in ETW where we publish a matched set of op-eds giving the pros and cons of a particular issue.

On June 27, the U.S. Department of Transportation issued a surprise rulemaking that will have the effect of forcing the consolidation of many metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) in metropolitan regions. Eno’s Alex Bond explained the ramifications of the rule last month in an ETW article.

This week, we have two perspectives on the proposed rule. First, we have Barry Seymour, the executive director of the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission, who does not believe that forcing MPO consolidation would serve the public interest, particularly in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic areas. His op-ed is here.

We also have Eno’s Emil Frankel (writing in his individual capacity as a former state DOT commissioner and former U.S. Assistant Secretary of Transportation), who writes of his belief that many MPOs are too small and fragmented to serve the public good efficiently. His op-ed is here.

Interested in submitting an op-ed to ETW? Contact Alexander Laska at grogers[at]enotrans.org. 

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