CAGTC Members,
Today, the House Transportation & Infrastructure Subcommittee on Highways and Transit held a hearing titled “Building a 21st Century Infrastructure for America: Highways and Transit Stakeholders’ Perspectives.” Witnesses included Mr. Patrick McKenna, Director, Missouri Department of Transportation; on behalf of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials; Mr. James Roberts, President and CEO, Granite Construction; on behalf of the Transportation Construction Coalition; Mr. Brent Booker, Secretary-Treasurer, North America’s Building Trades Unions; Mr. Ray McCarty, President and Chief Executive Officer, Associated Industries of Missouri; on behalf of the National Association of Manufacturers; and Mr. Peter Rogoff, Chief Executive Officer, Sound Transit.
A full hearing summary can be found here and below are some top takeaways:
- Full Committee Chairman Shuster (R-PA), as well as other Members, called for diversification in infrastructure funding. Chairman Shuster specifically recommended asset recycling (when the government leases infrastructure assets and invests the collected money into new infrastructure).
- Witnesses, and many Members of Congress, were in agreement that Congress must address the chronic insolvency of the Highway Trust Fund (HTF) but disagreed about the specific method. Suggestions included raising and indexing the gas tax, a vehicle miles traveled tax, and increased use of public-private partnerships (P3s), among others.
- Virtually all witnesses and Members of Congress acknowledged that P3s are an important tool for funding infrastructure projects but are not the silver bullet. Most called for strong Federal investments.
- Congressman Lowenthal (D-CA) and Congressman Gibbs (R-OH) both spoke about the freight elements of the FAST Act and asked witnesses if they were effective. Congressman Lownethal stressed the importance of the INFRA grant program and criticized the Administration’s focus on projects with the lowest Federal cost share. Mr. McKenna applauded the state freight plan requirement, saying to helps to focus state funding efforts.
- The witnesses advocated for various permit streamlining measures, including the designation of one lead Federal agency (Mr. Roberts and Mr. Rogoff), the adoption of certain Federal authorities by states (Mr. McKenna), and expedited environmental reviews (Mr. Roberts, Mr. Rogoff, and Mr. McCarty). However, Mr. Rogoff emphasized that any streamlining should not short circuit the environmental review process.
Thank you!
Katie Cross
Manager, Member Communications & Policy
Coalition for America’s Gateways and Trade Corridors
1444 Eye St N.W.
Suite 1100
Washington, DC 20005
(202) 828-9100
tradecorridors.org