2/15/2008

New GAO Report: US DOT promotes PPPs but gives little consideration to public-interest concerns

A new Government Accountability Office report exposes that there is NO "FREE MONEY" in privatizing toll roads. We already know that the public private partnerships deals are just another layer of pigs at the though.

Many tollers, including Sen. Kirk Watson, want to keep the billions for their own special interest pals. Watson opposes PPPs but still pushes to toll our freeeways. Watson is one of the leading founders of Frontier Bank of Texas. Bankers love toll roads since they benefit big time from the massive debt.

Journal of Commerce says:

The report said that while there are cost benefits to public-private partnerships (3Ps), they could be overshadowed, for example, if a private toll road operator uses its market power to charge excessive tolls. Where 3Ps have been successful, the government has established performance and other standards at the outset.

Washington has had little experience so far with 3Ps, but the Department of Transportation has been actively promoting them.

So far little consideration has been given to public-interest concerns, the report said. The DOT disagreed with several findings in the report.

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