By: Amanda Hampton, CAGTC Staff
Legislators on the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure kicked off the 119th Congress with an ambitious hearing schedule to begin outlining their transportation priorities. The Committee is well poised to begin its important work, with continuity in leadership from both Chairman Sam Graves (R-MO) – who was successful in his bid to waive the six-year leadership term limit – and Ranking Member Rick Larsen (D-WA). With the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) expiring in Fall 2026, this Congress will be primarily responsible for producing a new comprehensive bill to reauthorize the nation’s surface transportation programs. To date, the Committee has held hearings to examine the state of the nation’s maritime infrastructure, highway system, and freight rail network.
Maritime Infrastructure
Paul Anderson, Chairman of the Coalition for America’s Gateways & Trade Corridors (CAGTC) and the President and Chief Executive Officer of Port Tampa Bay, testified before the Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation. Throughout his remarks, Anderson was a strong advocate for the competitive grant programs that fund port infrastructure, such as the Port Infrastructure Development Program. He urged Congress to address inefficiencies that exist in the funding delivery processes to ensure projects are delivered on time and on budget.
As the subcommittee examined the state of the nation’s maritime infrastructure, concerns about the competitive advantages that foreign adversaries, primarily China, have in the maritime sector emerged as a top issue for both Republicans and Democrats. Witnesses and legislators specifically discussed China’s dominance related to infrastructure investment, owning and building ships, and the country’s control over most of the world’s chassis, maritime cranes, and shipping containers. To compete with foreign adversaries who heavily subsidize their maritime infrastructure, witnesses urged Congress to appropriate additional funds to help U.S. ports grow and accommodate increased supply chain demands.
Highways and Transit
While assessing the current needs of the nation’s highway system, lawmakers debated whether federal funding is best distributed to the states via formula programs or discretionary grants. Several congressional Republicans praised the formula programs for delivering funds to states faster than discretionary grants and expressed concerns over excessive government spending. Other representatives, including Committee Ranking Member Larsen (D-WA), were supportive of discretionary grants like the Mega Program and the Bridge Investment Program, while recognizing the need to improve the application and delivery processes.
The needs of the nation’s intermodal freight system were brought into the spotlight by Reps. McDowell (R-NC) and Moulton (D-MA), with McDowell expressing interest in providing dedicated funding for freight intermodal connectors and Moulton discussing congressional efforts that could be undertaken to enhance intermodal service.
Freight and Passenger Rail
Joe Daloisio, Chairman of National Railroad Construction & Maintenance Association (a member of CAGTC), recommended that lawmakers increase funding for key rail programs in the next iteration of the IIJA, specifically the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) Program. Recognizing that the timeframe for finalizing grant agreements is too long, Daloisio urged Congress to eliminate red tape and expedite the permitting process.
Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials Chair Webster (R-FL) agreed that red tape must be eliminated and expressed interest in encouraging private sector involvement and decreasing dependence on government funding. Railroad industry representatives specifically recommended eliminating red tape by allowing for batch processing of National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Categorical Exclusions to reduce the time between grant announcement and obligation and allowing for more aggressive uses of pre-award authority.
In conversations about shoring up the Highway Trust Fund, railroad representatives stressed to Congress that the revenue source should be a user-based fee – such as a gas tax increase, vehicle miles traveled fee, or weight-distance fee for motor carriers.
CAGTC Priorities
Notably, many of the priorities outlined during the congressional hearings by both lawmakers and industry stakeholders align with CAGTC’s recommendations for improving the competitive grant programs in the next surface transportation reauthorization. Among CAGTC’s recommendations include opportunities to simplify notices of funding opportunities, streamline funding delivery, and improve transparency throughout the grant making process.
On February 14, the Oakland Board of Port Commissioners named Kristi McKenney as the Port’s new executive director. The appointment follows the announcement of Executive Director Danny Wan’s retirement on February 28.
The Port Commissioners unanimously approved a three-year contract for McKenney at their February 13 Board meeting.
“I’m grateful and excited for this opportunity to lead during such a transformative time in Port history,” said McKenney. “I look forward to implementing the Port’s 5-year Strategic Plan that will help grow local employment and contracting opportunities and strengthen our economic base.”
McKenney joined the Port as an environmental planner. She has held several positions at the Port, from Assistant Aviation Director to Interim Executive Director. She has been the Port’s Chief Operating Officer (COO) since February 2020. McKenney will be the first woman to serve as executive director in the Port of Oakland’s 98-year history.
McKenney was instrumental in managing Port operations during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. During her tenure as COO, she helped bring hundreds of millions of dollars in state and federal grants to create a more sustainable Port.
Read the full release here.
The Board of Directors of the Community Planning Association of Southwest Idaho (COMPASS) announced the appointment of Craig Raborn as the new COMPASS Executive Director in a special Board meeting on January 13, 2025, following a nationwide search.
Raborn comes to the Treasure Valley from Houston, TX, where he served as the Director of the Houston-Galveston Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO). Prior to Houston, Raborn was the Director of the Las Vegas, NV, MPO and worked at the Kingman, AZ, Council of Governments as the Transportation Program Manager. Raborn has also served as a policy researcher and analyst across multiple planning disciplines. He is certified by the American Institute of Certified Planners and is a graduate of Kansas State University and the University of Texas at Austin.
Raborn will lead a staff of 19 and oversee the agency’s policies and programs as it plans for the future of the Treasure Valley at the direction of the Board of Directors. He will take the reins on February 17, 2025, following the retirement of Executive Director Matt Stoll, who will retire on February 14, after nearly 23 years with the agency.
Read the full release here.