Letter to Congressional Leadership - Kennedy Outlines Infrastructure Priorities for Massachusetts

Letter

Thank you for your leadership of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and your commitment to long-term economic recovery for American workers and their families following the COVID-19 dual health and economic crises. As your Committee begins compiling legislative priorities, I am writing to urge your attention to several items I believe are worthy of consideration.

1. Offshore Wind -- the United States is on the cusp of harnessing offshore wind as a renewable energy resource, with over 25,000 MW in state commitments, 9,000 MW of which has already been purchased. Nevertheless, the only U.S. offshore wind project currently producing energy is the 30 MW Block Island Wind Farm off the coast of Rhode Island. The tidal wave of oncoming projects, which feature the largest turbines in the world, will surely overwhelm the U.S. system and result in massive lost opportunities if we do not properly evaluate, strategize, and create the infrastructure necessary to harness our offshore wind energy resource. While the federal government has supported research and development, we must now focus on developing the infrastructure, supply chain, grid planning, and transmission systems that will enable us domestically to shape this $100 billion near-term energy opportunity and position us to drive what is becoming a trillion dollar global industry. We must expand and improve port infrastructure to provide needed staging grounds for offshore wind. This does not mean a single port must support all offshore wind projects for a region, but networks of ports can assist with different aspects. In Massachusetts and New England for example, the Commonwealth has invested in the Port of New Bedford, but we have other ports in Fall River and Providence, Rhode Island ready and willing to support the industry. Further, Massachusetts government and academic institutions are thoroughly evaluating factors needed to best enable the industry. From the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center and the Wind Technology Testing Center to the first graduate-level program in offshore wind infrastructure at Tufts University, and from the technical programs at Bristol Community College and training programs at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy to marine science studies at UMass Dartmouth, federal investments in this area will accelerate the jobs and economic impact of offshore wind across the region not to mention the climate and energy cost benefits associated with offshore wind. The Committee should look to American shipbuilders, large and small, to produce Jones Act-compliant vessels to support this burgeoning industry. A federal infrastructure package should focus on port development and improvements. Additionally, all federal investments and grants must guarantee prevailing wage and labor protections to support an American labor union workforce. Finally, Congress must put the weight of the federal government behind this industry and domestic energy resource. The Committee should support the establishment of a Department of Energy Center of Excellence focused on offshore wind energy infrastructure, supply chain, and transmission required to support offshore wind in the United States. A federally-backed Center of Excellence would provide the needed expertise and convening authority to coordinate and support a multi-state offshore wind strategy with private industry, state governments, public agencies, academic experts, and non-governmental organizations to move the needle on U.S. offshore wind energy planning, deployment, and operation.

2. South Coast Rail -- the South Coast Rail project was designed to build a new southern line of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) commuter rail system to bring commuters from the south coast of Massachusetts to the metropolitan Boston area. The project was planned to restore passenger rail service to Boston utilizing several abandoned and freight-only rail lines as well as the former passenger lines of the Old Colony Railroad and the New York, New Haven, and Hartford Railroad. The communities that will benefit from this project include the major cities of New Bedford, Fall River, and Taunton as well as the surrounding communities of Berkley, Middleborough, and Freetown. New Bedford, Fall River, and Taunton are the only cities within 50 miles of Boston that do not currently have commuter rail access to Boston. These cities combined are home to a quarter million residents and offer access to housing that is more affordable than the greater Boston area. In addition, with access to Boston's vast opportunities for research and development, service providers and international connections, the economic assets available in these cities can be tapped to strengthen the overall economy of the state. Phase I of the project began construction in July 2019 and is expected to be completed at the end of 2023. This phase will provide interim service to Fall River and New Bedford with a projected cost of $1.047 billion. Phase II will complete the northern section of the line with a projected completion at the end of 2023. Total estimated cost of the project is $3.42 billion. Federal support of this project would be invaluable in ensuring and accelerating its implementation.

3. Combined Sewage Overflow -- localities across Massachusetts suffer from aging and inadequate infrastructure to deal with current demands on their combined sewage systems. Cities like Fall River and Taunton are already facing financial and physical challenges. Given sea level rise, historic weather events now occurring annually, and climate change, more and more localities are going to need to improve their infrastructure. Some cities are already currently suffering from unsustainable debt payments on State Revolving Fund (SRF) loans and cannot acquire the needed capital to improve their systems to deal with increased weather events pushing combined sewage systems to the brink. Federal increases to the SRF to support additional investment and more flexibility in loan interest terms would provide much needed assistance to communities across the state.

4. Cape Cod Bridges -- the Cape Cod Canal bridges are the sole lifelines for the people of Cape Cod, Nantucket, and Martha's Vineyard. The Bourne and Sagamore bridges were built in the early 1930's and after 85 years they have reached the end of their useful life. The Army Corps of Engineers, as the owners of the structures, have rated the bridges functionally obsolete. The Army Corps just released the final Major Rehabilitation Evaluation Report (MRER). The MRER concluded the best and most cost-effective way for the Federal Government to live up to its Congressional mandated responsibilities to the citizens of the Cape and Island's is for the bridges to be replaced with modern structures. The cost of this endeavor is approximately $1.5 billion.

5. East-West Rail -- this refers to the improvement, restoration, and expansion of rail lines connecting Boston to the western portion of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, including funding for high speed commuter rail service between Pittsfield and Boston via Springfield and Worcester. Currently, travel within New England is heavily concentrated on aging highway systems insufficient to meet the demand and need of communities outside the greater Boston region. Expanded public transportation options, like passenger rail, will alleviate congestion on current infrastructure while multiplying the economic opportunities of regional communities. The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) is currently studying the costs, benefits, and investments needed to implement this passenger rail service. However, prior studies have concluded the benefits and cost-effectiveness of broader regional systems. The 2016 Northern New England Intercity Rail Initiative (NNEIRI) examined the broad opportunities of more frequent and higher speed intercity passenger rail service on two rail corridors, an Inland Route between Boston, MA and New Haven, CT, and a Boston-to Montreal, Canada Route. Federal stimulus investment would include planning and analysis costs, construction, and potential right of way purchases. It would support infrastructure improvements including installing new tracks and platforms at existing stations, as well as the extension of rail lines in certain areas.

6. Affordable Safe Drinking Water -- last fall, I introduced H.R. 5513, the Affordable Safe Drinking Water Act. This legislation would amend the State Revolving Fund (SRF) program to give states the discretion to (1) would strike the 30-year loan term limit and allow states to make loans up to the useful life of the project giving local communities the option to repay loans over a longer period of time, and (2) use SRF funding to install lead and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) filtering systems and other lead and PFAS remediation measures in a broad range of municipal and state facilities by amending the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA). The most recent Drinking Water Infrastructure Needs Survey and Assessment in 2018 indicated the need for over $472 billion over the next 20 years to improve drinking water infrastructure. Though Congress recently provided the options of a 30-year amortization, the costs can still strain a community's budget and require making cuts in other area such as education, firefighters, police, etc.

Thank you for consideration of these proposals. I stand ready to work with you to support the resurgence of the American economy following the COVID-19 pandemic.

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