Statement by CAGTC President Blakey on EPW bipartisan Transportation Reauthorization Bill

“The Coalition for America’s Gateways and Trade Corridors (CAGTC) commends Chairman Carper (D-DE), Ranking Member Capito (R-WV) and Members of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works (EPW) for introducing the bipartisan Surface Transportation Reauthorization Act of 2021. Included in the proposed bill are provisions that would help advance the state of our nation’s multimodal goods movement infrastructure.

We applaud the EPW Committee for introducing a bipartisan reauthorization bill that responds to some of the core funding and policy objectives of our Coalition, and we appreciate and support the overall funding increases – 34 percent above FAST Act funding levels for road, highway, and bridge programs.

We are encouraged by EPW’s leadership in releasing proposed legislation that includes sustained, flexible levels of investment in our national freight network. Notably, the bill:
Since our founding in 2001, our Coalition has championed targeted, sustained, and robust freight funding, maintaining that freight infrastructure investment will pay dividends by improving America’s competitiveness for years to come.

• Increases INFRA/ Nationally Significant Freight and Highway Projects Program funding to $4.8 billion over five years (the FAST Act authorized the program at $4.5 billion over five years). Funds available to multimodal projects through this program increase significantly – from a cap of $500 million over five years to a cap of 30 percent of funding annually, or $1.44 billion. The proposal also calls for greater transparency measures in the grant decision making process.
• Increases freight formula program funding to $7.15 billion over five years (the FAST Act authorized the program at $6.3 billion over five years). It also increases the percent of program funds that may be used for eligible multimodal projects from a 10 percent cap to a 30 percent cap, or $2.15 billion.

As the reauthorization bill advances, we look forward to working with Congress and the Biden-Harris Administration toward our shared goal of improving our multimodal goods movement network.

As our national economy continues to reopen, much will be asked of our multimodal freight system. Sustained, dedicated investment that is commensurate with the infrastructure needs of our supply chain is critical to supporting our nation’s return to prosperity.”