Investing in A New Vision for the Environment and Surface Transportation in America Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. LOWENTHAL. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 2, the Moving Forward Act.

This bill is the product of collaboration across House committees and takes a bold step to rebuild our infrastructure while reducing emissions and enhancing resilience in communities across the country.

H.R. 2 makes key improvements that will address challenges we face in Southern California. It ensures that states can use more freight funds for multi-modal projects, critical improvements we need at freight hubs. It invests over $100 billion in transit and has a dedicated program to reduce congestion on our highways. And it devotes over $100 billion to affordable housing to help make sure every American has a place to call home.

The bill also includes a crucial provision to examine the administration of a fee on freight transportation. I have advocated for years to implement this fee, which would provide a sustainable revenue stream to fund sorely-needed freight improvements.

The Moving Forward Act tackles climate change in every title. It invests in zero-emission transit buses and port equipment, incentivizes the development of wind and solar energy, and emphasizes resiliency to help our communities adapt to rising sea levels. The bill also gives key federal support to expand broadband access and re-build schools across the country.

This legislation is a bold step forward for our nation, and I urge all my colleagues to vote yes.

I also wish to include in the Record a letter from the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Coalition for America's Gateways and Trade Corridors.

Thank you for introducing the Investing in a New Vision for the Environment and Surface Transportation in America (INVEST in America) Act. We appreciate the robust funding proposed in the INVEST in America Act and particularly support the freight investment provisions which, with proper implementation, offer the opportunity to strengthen our nationally and regionally significant goods movement infrastructure. While the COVID-19 pandemic has yielded a great deal of uncertainty, it has also shone a light on the essential nature of our nation's supply chain infrastructure. When much of the nation was asked to stay home, the U.S. supply chain continued working to deliver desperately-needed medical supplies and equipment, food, as well as everyday items previously taken for granted.

The Coalition for America's Gateways and Trade Corridors (CAGTC) is a diverse group of more than 60 public and private organizations dedicated to increasing federal investment in America's multimodal freight infrastructure. In contrast to single mode interests, CAGTC's foremost mission is to promote a seamless national goods movement transportation system across all modes to enhance capacity and economic growth.

As the legislation advances, we would like to highlight the following for your consideration:

If top-line funding levels are adjusted as the bill moves forward, Congress should seek to increase--or at least maintain--the funding proposed for freight infrastructure programs, including the Nationally Significant Freight and Highway Projects program (INFRA), Projects of National and Regional Significance (PNRS), and the National Highway Freight Program. Annual funding levels proposed in the INVEST in America Act through these three programs would reach nearly $4 billion per year whereas $12 billion annually is needed for freight infrastructure based on previous INFRA application rounds. Decreasing the amount of funding available to freight projects would jeopardize our nation's ability to move goods through the supply chain quickly, cost effectively, and safely. Not only is an efficient national supply chain critical for COVID-19 relief--it will also be just as essential in supporting our nation's economic recovery.

We applaud the proposal's continued investment in competitive grant programs, first through the INFRA program and subsequently under the PNRS program. Competitive grants are critical to funding large-scale freight infrastructure projects, which are difficult to fund through traditional distribution methods such as formula programs.

We support the increased flexibility for funding multimodal freight projects, reflected in both the PNRS and the National Highway Freight Program. Freight does not move on highways alone--where public benefit is demonstrable, federal investment should be made available regardless of transportation mode.

We have a concern with the PNRS program limitation that reads: ``the project will make a significant improvement to the movement of freight on the National Highway System.'' This limitation, which also appears in the INFRA program, challenges certain projects that are otherwise eligible and meet the listed merit criteria and other considerations. For example, port modernization projects that provide public benefit but do not have a rail component are disadvantaged.

We appreciate the evaluation and rating requirements included in the INFRA and PNRS programs. Clearly-defined, consistent and transparent merit-based criteria as well as public disclosures of application scores are critical to the integrity of and confidence in competitive grants.

We support the creation of a task force to study the establishment and administration ofa fee on multimodal freight transportation. In addition to participation by the Internal Revenue Service and the Departments of Transportation and Treasury, we recommend the task force incorporate public and private stakeholder participation, including perspectives offered by the supply chain industry.

We commend the incorporation of several additional programs and policy advances that CAGTC and its membership have championed, including: establishment of the grade crossing separation grant program; increased funding for the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements grant program; designation of a final National Multimodal Freight Network (NMFN) and including in the NMFN designation ports with a cargo value of at least $1 billion annually; updates to the criteria for the National Freight Strategic Plan; and initiation of a National Cooperative Multimodal Freight Transportation Research Program.

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