Freight interests aim to shape transportation bill
A large coalition of public and private freight transportation service providers and users on Thursday said they are united in their desire for the creation of a dedicated national freight fund to help pay for infrastructure that will accommodate the efficient movement of cargo shipments.
The request is part of a 10-point platform issued by the Freight Stakeholders Coalition seeking greater federal attention for freight transportation as Congress prepares to craft a new multiyear bill that spells out how billions of dollars will be spent for surface transportation needs.
The 17-member group, which includes associations representing retailers, manufacturers, motor carriers, railroads, ports, container lines, state transportation officials and waterfront labor, said intermodal freight investments are critical to maintain the competitiveness of the United States and prepare for an estimated doubling of domestic and international freight traffic in the next 20 to 30 years.
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“The businesses, large and small, represented by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce understand how critical it is to maintain, modernize and expand the nation’s freight transportation system. Economic recovery and long-term growth are supported by reliable and safe networks that are operated efficiently. Freight may not vote, but members of our organizations do, so Congress and the Obama administration must make moving the commerce a central focus of any transportation-related legislation,” said Janet Kavinoky, the Chamber’s director of transportation infrastructure, in a statement.
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The coalition’s top principles for the upcoming transportation reauthorization bill include:
' A mandate for a national multimodal freight strategy to set priorities and guide investment. The strategy should be developed by the Department of Transportation in conjunction with state DOTs, cities, counties, metropolitan planning organizations, ports, shippers and freight carriers.
' A dedicated fund to support capital investment in key trade corridors for freight infrastructure such as intermodal connections to ports and rail hubs, and highways that support continuous, congestion-free freight flows across regions. The groups, however, avoid the issue of how money for the fund should be raised or who should pay any fees.
' A freight fund firewall so that money can only be used for designated freight investment and not other purposes. Priority should be given to projects of national and regional significance based on a competitive grant process using objective, merit-based criteria.
' Authorization of a state-administered freight transportation program as a new core element of the federal highway program apportioned to states.
' Establishment of an intermodal freight office within the Office of the Secretary of Transportation so that freight expertise is readily available at the highest level of policymaking. The Marine Transportation System National Advisory Council, which includes some members of the Freight Stakeholders Coalition, made the same recommendation earlier this year.
' Creation of a national freight advisory group to provide regular industry input to the Transportation Department about freight chokepoints and potential solutions.
' Funding multistate freight corridor planning organizations to help states plan and invest in projects where costs may be concentrated in one state but benefits accrue to several states.
' Increase support for successful existing freight programs such as the Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act, the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Program and private activity bonds for intermodal facilities.
' Funding for professional freight experts at the state and local planning levels so that each jurisdiction can have its own freight
plan for how to connect to the national system. ' Eric Kulisch