House panel recommends ways to improve nation's freight transportation efficiency

The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee's Panel on 21st Century Freight Transportation yesterday released a final report on the current state of U.S. freight transportation and recommendations for improvement.

Led by U.S. Rep John Duncan Jr. (R-Tenn.), who serves as chairman, and ranking member Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.), the panel recommended the following to help meet freight movement needs in the 21st century:

• The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT), in coordination with the U.S. Army and Coast Guard, should establish a comprehensive national freight transportation policy, designate a national, multi-modal freight network, and identify sustainable sources of revenue across all modes for necessary freight investments;

• Robust public investment in all modes should be ensured and additional private investment in freight transportation facilities should be incentivized;

• The development and delivery of freight projects and activities should be promoted and expedited;

• Dedicated, sustainable funding for multi-modal freight projects should be authorized through a grant process and clear benchmarks for project selection should be established; and

• The USDOT's freight funding and revenue recommendations should be reviewed, working through the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and Committee on Ways and Means, and specific funding and revenue options for freight transportation projects should be developed prior to Congress' consideration of a surface transportation reauthorization bill in 2014.

"Because bottlenecks at any point in the transportation system can seriously impede freight mobility and drive up the cost of the goods, improving the efficient and safe flow of freight across all modes of transportation directly impacts the health of the economy," said Duncan in a press release.

The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee established the panel in April. To examine freight-movement issues, the panel held six public hearings and three roundtable discussions, toured various freight facilities, and held numerous briefings with freight industry professionals and other interested parties.

The Coalition for America's Gateways and Trade Corridors (CAGTC) hailed the panel and its recommendations. Panel members did a "tremendous job" by consulting with the nation's foremost freight experts and "synthesizing recommendations that, if executed properly, will drive our nation's global trade competitiveness for decades to come," said CAGTC Chair Sharon Neely, the Southern California Association of Governments' executive director, in a press release.

"The thoughtful and on-point recommendations represent six months of exhaustive research and tours of freight-related infrastructure that took place across the country," she said.

American Chemistry Council (ACC) officials also commended the panel and its recommendations, primarily for enabling shippers to offer their perspectives on key freight transportation issues.

"As an important transportation stakeholder along with other shippers, we have serious concerns about the lack of rail competition and its impact on U.S. manufacturers," ACC officials said in a press release. "As the members of the committee review the recommendations of the report, we urge them not to overlook the issue of rail competition as they examine an array of freight rail policies."