Citing limited Highway Trust Fund revenue, Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.) has floated the idea of a two-year highway bill. The Obama administration has proposed a six-year highway-transit authorization, a span many in industry like. At an April 14 Environment and Public Works Committee hearing, Baucus said if currently projected trust-fund revenue were spread over six years, annual highway spending in that period would be cut to $28 billion from $42 billion now. Baucus says, unless new revenue is found, a shorter bill that the trust-fund can finance at $42 billion a year, may be better than a six-year measure with lower annual funding.

Baucus chairs the Finance Committee and is a senior member of the environment panel, which oversees highway authorizations.