In an effort to strengthen America’s economic competitiveness, United States Rep. Alan Lowenthal (D-CA 47) has introduced bipartisan legislation to provide a dedicated revenue source to invest in rebuilding the nation’s crumbling freight infrastructure, according to the congressmember’s office.
“Goods movement is one of the most powerful economic engines in our nation,” Lowenthal said. “And yet, the infrastructure this engine depends on is crumbling around us. We have the ability to fix it, make it stronger, and make it better, while also taking action to address the negative impacts of goods movement on our communities.”
The bill, H.R.1308, Economy in Motion: The National Multimodal and Sustainable Freight Infrastructure Act, would raise roughly $8 billion a year dedicated to freight-related infrastructure projects throughout the nation, with a focus on multimodal projects and projects that help relieve the bottlenecks in the freight transportation system, according to Lowenthal’s office.
“Because we have been neglecting our infrastructure, the stresses and strains causing our roadways and bridges to deteriorate threaten our quality of life,” said U.S. Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA 48), an original cosponsor of the bill. “We cannot allow the transport of consumer goods, agricultural products and industrial equipment to be taken for granted. I am happy to be cosponsoring this farsighted legislation to keep our economy in motion and thus Americans’ livelihoods sustained well into the future,”
The bill would establish the Freight Transportation Infrastructure Trust Fund and be funded through a national 1-percent waybill fee on the transportation cost of goods.
“The City and Port of Long Beach need funding to improve the Long Beach Freeway’s (I-710) increasing traffic volumes, aging infrastructure and serious congestion,” said Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia. “H.R. 1308 will provide an ongoing source of funding, which will allow us to implement freight specific solutions, while delivering air-quality benefits to the greater Long Beach community.”
To invest the funds, the bill creates two freight specific grant programs.
The first is a formula system, in which each state would receive funds each year based on the amount of existing freight infrastructure within the state. To be eligible, states must develop comprehensive State Freight Plans. They must also have, or form, State Freight Advisory Committees, as encouraged under MAP-21, the federal highway authorization enacted in 2012.
In addition, the state freight plans will contain environmental goals and strategies developed by state freight advisory committee members, providing a path for freight projects to address and reduce the environmental and community impacts of goods movement.
A second funding mechanism is a competitive grant program that would be open to all local, regional, and state governments.
Source: Lowenthal’s office
