Dear CAGTC Members,
During the first week of June, the Senate Committees on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and Environment and Public Works each held hearings to discuss the impacts of COVID-19 on the transportation supply chain, industry strategies to mitigate those effects, and the investments needed to support economic recovery.
A full video of the June 3 Commerce hearing and all witness testimonies can be found here, and the June 4 EPW hearing can be found here. Please find brief summaries of the Commerce hearing here and the EPW hearing here, as well as a few key takeaways below:
- Senators and witnesses called for the passage of a long-term surface transportation reauthorization bill providing increased funding, flexibility, and reliability for infrastructure investments;
- Various funding mechanisms were discussed, such as fuel tax increases, VMT fees, and the use of deficit financing, though some advised delaying any tax or fee increases until at least 2021 to allow time for pandemic recovery first;
- Senators and witnesses emphasized the importance of transportation workforce safety provisions, including sanitation and social distancing protocols and access to COVID-19 testing and PPE;
- Several Republican Senators advocated for additional permitting streamlining to expedite project delivery.
Thank you,
Cecile
Cecile Entleitner
Manager, Member Communications & Policy
Coalition for America’s Gateways and Trade Corridors
1625 K Street NW
Suite 1100
Washington, DC 20006
tradecorridors.org
T: (202) 828-9100
C: (850) 766-2411