The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“AMERICA'S TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE ACT” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Transportation was published in the Senate section on pages S5232-S5235 on July 31, 2019.
The Department handles nearly all infrastructure crisscrossing the country. Downsizing the Federal Government, a project aimed at lowering taxes and boosting federal efficiency, said the Department should be privatized to save money, reduce congestion and spur innovation.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
AMERICA'S TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE ACT
Mr. CRAMER. Mr. President, I rise in support of America's Transportation Infrastructure Act, a bill we on the Environment and Public Works Committee passed today with broad bipartisan support.
Our bill contains the largest funding commitment in highway authorization history. It grows our economy, enhances roads and bridges, improves transportation safety, provides funds for necessary projects, eliminates burdensome regulation, promotes innovation, and invests in our Tribal lands.
Our EPW chairman said the bill would ``enhance quality of life for the American people.'' Our ranking member believes it ``can endure the test of time and keep up with the evolving demands of a 21st century global economy.'' I agree with their assessments, and as a member of EPW, I want to thank them for listening to our priorities and collaborating with each of us.
Since joining the Senate, I have expressed my belief that divided government presents an opportunity for us to achieve mutually beneficial goals and shared priorities. President Trump, myself, and my colleagues in Congress agree on the importance of investing in our Nation's infrastructure. This bill is proof that we can work together in a bipartisan manner on behalf of the American people.
More important to me than anything else, our bill also reflects the needs of my great State of North Dakota. As a large, rural State built on agriculture and natural resources, we are heavily dependent on our extensive infrastructure to get our goods to market.
With that in mind, I reached out our stakeholders at the very beginning of this process to glean their perspective. We received input and comments from city, county, and State leaders all across North Dakota, expressing their desire for a highway bill reauthorization that works best for our State.
Their feedback and priorities are very important to me. While not all of their requests were met, I want them to know their voices were heard. I therefore ask unanimous consent for the letters they sent us to be printed in the Record following my remarks. Full versions of each of these letters can be found on my official website.
I would also like to take a moment to highlight some of the bright spots in this legislation.
First, at $287 billion, this is the largest highway bill in history. North Dakotans made it clear: They want a real, long-term reauthorization that does more than the status quo and actually invests in our Nation's roads and bridges.
Second, 90 percent of these funds will be distributed to the States via formula. That is incredibly important to large, rural States like North Dakota. The main point for the formula is that it is not discretionary, so it is stable, predictable funding. We have vast stretches of highway system that contribute greatly to our Nation's economy and interstate commerce. Despite our low population, rural States contribute much more to the highway trust fund per capita than the rest of the country. In fact, North Dakota contributes the second-highest amount in the country, roughly three times more than the national average. Maintaining the current formula ensures that our State's contribution is acknowledged and paid back to us in a consistent, unbiased manner, giving North Dakota steady funding and flexibility to prioritize our State's transportation needs. Under this bill, transportation funding has increased by 27 percent, and North Dakota will receive nearly $1.6B over the next 5 years, which is welcome news to communities back home.
Third, America's Transportation Infrastructure Act cuts duplicative bureaucracy and delays. For example, it establishes a 2-year goal for completing environmental reviews, a 90-day timeline for related project authorizations, and an accountability system for these projects. The days of half-finished, never-ending projects must come to an end. This bill acknowledges that. In addition, it creates incentives to lessen carbon emissions and reduce methane and energy waste.
Lastly, this bill includes multiple provisions I have cosponsored. The bipartisan USE-IT Act, which incentivizes carbon capture and sequestration technology, is included in this package; as is the Addressing Underdeveloped and Tribally Operated Streets Act, also known as the AUTOS Act. The AUTOS Act, sponsored by my fellow North Dakota Senator John Hoeven, would enhance the safety of roads on Indian lands by streamlining existing federal procedures and increasing funding to repair roads and bridges in Indian country.
These just a few of the many aspects of our bill that I support. As I have demonstrated, this is an economically and environmentally responsible bill. It is a win for both sides of the aisle and a win for our country. I am grateful our committee was able to take this first step today. I encourage my colleagues in the House to be proactive and to avoid procrastinating until the last minute. Let's work together in a timely fashion to deliver a significant investment for the constituents we serve.
There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in the Record, as follows:
North Dakota
Department of Transportation,
Bismarck, ND, February 19, 2019.North Dakota Priorities for the Next Highway Reauthorization
Bill.
Hon. Kevin Cramer,U.S. Senator,Washington, DC.
We appreciate the opportunity to offer input on State Priorities for the Next Highway Reauthorization Bill. Below are some key points that are vital to transportation funding in North Dakota:
Good infrastructure, including highways, is important for North Dakota and the National Economy.
This allows us to efficiently move agricultural, manufactured goods, and energy resources to the World Markets.
Increases personal mobility.
Promotes safety.
Legislation must provide North Dakota a share of Federal highway and transit formula programs at least as high as it receives today.
Current level of fuel tax is not keeping up with current needs.
Allows states the flexibility to efficiently plan for projects.
Disruptive technologies (such as autonomous, hybrid, and electric vehicles) are having an impact on the amount of revenue generated for transportation.
Congress should continue the distribution of highway and transit program funds by formula.
Historically, North Dakota has not been very successful with the competitive grant programs such as TIGER and INFR.
Maintain the current Federal share of project cost--80/20
Public Private Partnerships do not work well in rural states.
The volume of traffic in rural states is not sufficient to attract private investments in roadway infrastructure
(Example: tolling).Thomas K. Sorel,
Director.Doug Burgum,
Governor.
____
Associated General Contractors
of North Dakota,
Bismarck, ND, February 22, 2019.Hon. Kevin Cramer,U.S. Senator,Washington, DC.
Dear Senator Cramer: Thank you for the opportunity to offer input from our industry's perspective for the next Highway Reauthorization Bill. We applaud the EPW committee for beginning these discussions in advance of the 2020 expiration of the current act.
A strong federal program is extremely important for a geographically large, yet sparsely populated state like North Dakota. We simply do not have the critical mass to fund the transportation needs on the state/local level. The current administration seems to favor more local participation but we'd caution the utilization of that to areas where it is feasible and not a detriment. Maintaining the 80/20 federal/state split is imperative in a state like North Dakota. Private Public Partnerships work well in higher populated areas but they are not feasible in North Dakota. Being rural and sparsely populated make the interest of private entities nearly impossible.
Funding solutions for the Highway Trust Fund is long overdue and the user fee of the federal motor fuel tax has not generated enough revenue to fund the program for many years. It needs to be addressed and soon. The 18.4 cent per gallon user fee has not been adjusted since October 1, 1993. The decline in buying power is obvious and better fuel economy of vehicles adds to the issue. Adjusting it upward makes sense to us. Looking at any other funding options should also be considered. In our previous Congressional visits, AGC of ND representatives have provided an outline of various funding options. We'd be happy to provide them again if interested.
With an extremely short construction season in our state, it is imperative the ND DOT have certainty for federal funding payments. Too many times, there have been delays in sending the appropriations which lead to delayed bid lettings. This is a significant issue in North Dakota. Even a one month delay can cause huge issues in completing projects.
Those are but a few of our suggestions for the next federal highway act. Again, we appreciate the opportunity to submit them and are available for any subsequent deliberations.
Sincerely,
Russ Hanson,Executive Vice President.
____
Fargo-Moorhead Metropolitan
Council of Governments,
Fargo, ND, March 6, 2019.Subject: Reauthorization of the Surface Transportation Bill
(Highway Bill).
Senator Kevin Cramer,Washington, DC.
Dear Senator Cramer: The Fargo-Moorhead Metropolitan Council of Governments (FM Metro COG) is very grateful for the opportunity to share our input about the surface transportation reauthorization bill. Metro COG serves as the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) for all jurisdictions within the Fargo-Moorhead metropolitan area, including the North Dakota jurisdictions of Cass County, Fargo, Horace, and West Fargo, which are all in our designated urbanized area, and Casselton, Mapleton, and Harwood in our metropolitan planning area. In Minnesota, our urbanized area includes Clay County, Dilworth and Moorhead, and our metropolitan planning area includes Glyndon, Hawley, Sabin, and Barnesville.
On behalf of the local jurisdictions, Metro COG administers the federal transportation and transit planning funds received by our metropolitan area and carries out the required planning and programming activities to ensure a continuing, cooperative and comprehensive transportation planning process. Our Policy Board, made up of local elected officials and planning commissioners, represents citizens throughout the metropolitan area.
Our input on reauthorization of the surface transportation bill is as follows:
Retain the Transportation Management Area population threshold of 200,000. The Highway Bill establishes the population threshold of 200,000 as the point when an MPO may choose to become a Transportation Management Area (TMA). Our metropolitan area has exceeded this threshold, and will officially exceed it as part of the 2020 Census. Local leaders have been looking forward to becoming a TMA and carrying out planning efforts that will ensure we are in good standing to meet TMA requirements when the time comes. We ask that the threshold remain at a population of 200,000.
Retain local flexibility in the use of Highway Funds. The FAST Act allowed our local leaders a certain amount of flexibility in the use of Highway Funds to help update our transit vehicle fleet, thus keeping the fleet in manageable condition from a maintenance standpoint. This flexibility has been seriously considered and put to good use in our metropolitan area, and we request that this type of flexibility be retained, and even increased in the reauthorization bill.
____
The City of Fargo,
Fargo, ND, March 1, 2019.Re Surface Transportation Reauthorization Bill (Highway
Bill).
Senator Kevin Cramer,Washington, DC.
Dear Senator Cramer: I sincerely appreciate the opportunity to weigh in on the next surface reauthorization bill. The City of Fargo has benefitted tremendously from the current Highway Bill and I strongly support future appropriations. Previous allocations have allowed the City of Fargo, and the North Dakota Department of Transportation, to construct and maintain high quality, long lasting infrastructure projects by allocating upwards of $10-$12 million annually. Without these necessary funds, our citizens and businesses would be burdened with higher taxes that would undoubtedly stifle our growth.
As Fargo continues to grow and moves closer to becoming a TMA (Transportation Management Association) long term, sustainable funding sources will become even more important to ensure that Fargo remains an economic engine in the Upper Midwest. For this reason, among many others, I strongly support the reauthorization of the next surface transportation bill.
Sincerely,
Brenda E. Derrig, PE,City Engineer.
____
City of Valley City,
Valley City, ND, March 4, 2019.Hon. Kevin Cramer,Washington, DC.
Dear Senator Cramer: Please accept this letter as an expression of support on behalf of the City of Valley City, North Dakota for the reauthorization of the FAST Act. In my role as Mayor, I can attest to the fact that infrastructure funding in this critical piece of legislation is a key priority for our community.
At the local level, the City of Valley City funds transportation infrastructure projects through special assessments and the local renew and replacement fund (R&R) which uses sales tax and utility fees. To fund critical infrastructure projects, voters passed a half percent sales tax in 2007 and an additional half percent sales tax in 2010 for a total of 1 percent dedicated for infrastructure.
At the state level, legislators are currently debating a bill commonly referred to as ``Operation Prairie Dog'' which is designed to provide and increase in infrastructure funding to townships, cities, and counties throughout North Dakota.
Despite significant efforts on the local and state level to fund infrastructure needs, federal funding can often be the determining factor as to whether or not many projects come to fruition. Uncertainty of federal funding after the FAST Act's expiration in 2020 would jeopardize many needed infrastructure projects in our community and state. Many communities, like the City of Valley City, rely on the certainty provided by an entirely funded and planned federal highway bill. A reauthorization would mean more projects in North Dakota and the City of Valley City can proceed, much like those successfully funded by the current FAST Act and other authorizations preceding it.
Our community has seen success through critical programs such as the Transportation Alternatives (TA) program and the Urban Grant Program (UGP), and we urge you to consider those programs favorably throughout the legislative process.
Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me via telephone at (701) 845-8126 or email at
[email protected]
Sincerely,
Dave Carlsrud,Mayor, City of Valley City.
____
City of Grand Forks,
Grand Forks, ND, February 27, 2019.Re Grand Forks comments on Federal Transportation
Authorization.
Senator Kevin Cramer,Washington, DC.
Dear Senator Cramer: Thank you for this opportunity to provide comment on the reauthorization of Federal Surface Transportation bill and, particularly, your personal interest and involvement through the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. We support the committee's current strategy and timeline of reauthorization and we thank you for your work and support.
Infrastructure needs are a national issue and we support ongoing efforts that ensure transportation programs are right-sized to meet the needs of all cities, particularly those of the size and needs of North Dakota cities.
I would also like to take this opportunity to express how very fortunate we are to have such solid partners in the NDDOT and we continue to strive to maintain this productive partnership that best coordinates resources from federal, state and local partners.
Our comments will follow three key themes: 1) Continue to deregulate and encourage further confluence of programs to provide for effective and efficient use; 2) Continue and expand funding and funding flexibility that best leverages federal, state and local--as well as private Investment. 3) Continue focus on local transit solutions that promote a state of good repair and levels of service necessary to North Dakota communities.
1) Continue to deregulate and encourage further confluence of programs to provide for efficient use.
We applaud the streamlining policy changes of the current bill, Fixing America's Surface Transportation (FAST) Act. These include environmental review deregulation efforts that reduce project costs and the consolidation of ``siloed'' programs that enables more effective flexibility.
Deregulation can go further, for example, by providing for categorical exclusions for projects under $5M, which would cover a significant number of projects in cities across North Dakota.
Michael R. Brown,Mayor.
____
City of West Fargo,
West Fargo, ND, February 27, 2019.Re Surface Transportation Reauthorization.
Hon. Kevin Cramer,U.S. Senate,Washington, DC.
Dear Senator Cramer: It is with great pleasure that I write to you to share the City of West Fargo's thoughts related to the reauthorization of the next Highway Bill. Of course funding to continue to support our residents and the great amount of commerce coming out of our City is important, but we'd like to inform you of items within the current bill that we'd like to improve upon.
Increased Emphasis on Land Use: Planning funds are under tremendous scrutiny by the Federal Highway Administration. The City feels strongly that land use decisions are closely tied to transportation and the use of Consolidated Planning Grants (CPG) in transportation studies should reflect this. We believe that by decreasing the focus and weight on levels of service of roadways and increasing the focus on adjacent land use and increased connections will result in a more reliable transportation network.
Increased Funding Opportunities for Infrastructure Preservation, Replacement and Maintenance: The City believes that although growth requires extending infrastructure, it is the ongoing maintenance and upkeep of existing infrastructure that will burden our citizens. Increasing funding opportunities will help strengthen our City and allow us to thrive into the future.
Continue Accelerated Project Delivery: The FAST Act helped streamline the environmental review process. The City recommends that this continue and that any opportunity to improve upon this may be explored under the reauthorization.
We thank you for your time and consideration and offer our assistance in any way we can as your work on this Committee.
Sincerely,
Bernie L. Dardis,
President of the Board of City,Commissioners.
____
Memorandum
Cass County Government,
West Fargo, ND, February 25, 2019.Re FHWA Reauthorization Bill for the FAST Act.
Senator Kevin Cramer,Washington, DC.
Senator Cramer: As the Cass County Engineer, I am writing to request your support for the reauthorization of the FAST Act. Across the country our counties face infrastructure challenges every day. In North Dakota, our counties have varying issues from traffic around key hub cities, oil impacts, and agricultural impacts. On top of these issues, we face aging infrastructure with deficient bridges and roads designed to the safety standards of the 1960s. To improve our aging roads and bridges, I support our National Association of Counties and Association of County Engineers in these three core areas:
Ensure that the federal highway program dedicates funds for rural secondary infrastructure, particularly bridges.
Make the federal permitting process simpler and more streamlined.
Ensure the long-term certainty and solvency of the Federal Highway Trust Fund.
I have also been working with our neighboring counties across the Red River for a critical bridge replacement project. We have three bridges along the Red River in eastern North Dakota/northern Minnesota have fallen into severe disrepair, and our county will need help to procure funds for the building new structures. Our group of counties applied for a federal grant through the Competitive Highway Bridge Program. I ask for your support in innovative project delivery through project bundling and other FHWA Every Day Counts Initiatives.
If you have questions, please call Jason Benson.
Sincerely,
Jason Benson, P.E.,Cass County Engineer.
____
American Council of Engineering Companies of North Dakota,
Bismarck, ND, February 28, 2019.
Re Highway Bill Input Request.
Hon. Senator Kevin Cramer,Washington, DC.
Dear Senator Cramer: We appreciate the opportunity to outline our industry priorities for the reauthorization of federal surface transportation programs. We are very pleased that your seat on the Senate Environment & Public Works Committee gives you a strong position to advocate for our state's needs.
As you know, in December 2015, Congress passed and the President signed into law the Fixing America's Surface Transportation (FAST) Act, providing five years of increased funding to support highway and transit projects, while including new reforms to enhance program efficiency. The American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) at both the state and national levels strongly supported this landmark legislation, and now urges Congress to remain focused on adopting long-term, sustainable funding mechanisms to support the nation's transportation needs.
ACEC North Dakota represents the consulting engineering firms in the state by assisting members to provide better consulting engineering services for their clients while protecting the public welfare and safeguarding the ethical standards of consulting engineers in private practice. We strive to cooperate with public bodies and other organizations in matters of common interest. In addition, ACEC North Dakota acts as a resource among our members to provide cooperative services and support the advancement of the science and practice of engineering.
We believe that infrastructure is the backbone of the United States economy. A modern and efficient transportation system is critical for protecting public health and safety, promoting commerce, and providing mobility. It enables manufacturers to get their products to market, farmers to get their goods to stores, and workers to get to jobs.
Unfortunately, our nation's infrastructure remains severely deficient and underfunded. According to the U.S. DOT, improving the condition and performance of highways and bridges requires $142 billion annually from all levels of government; we currently invest approximately $105 billion. North Dakota faces a $2.5 billion shortfall from 2018 to 2023.
____
Bismarck Mandan
Chamber EDC
Hon. Senator Kevin Cramer,Washington, DC.
Dear Senator Cramer: Please accept this letter as an expression of my personal support for the reauthorization of the FAST Act.
In my role as President of the Bismarck Mandan Chamber EDC, I actively advocate for probusiness policies on behalf of the organization's more than 1,200 members. Recently, those efforts have focused on infrastructure funding.
At the local level, voters in the City of Bismarck recently passed a half-cent sales tax increase dedicated to arterial roadway construction. And at the state level, legislators are currently debating a bill dubbed ``Operation Prairie Dog'' designed to provide even more infrastructure funding to townships, cities and counties around North Dakota.
However, there is concern among all of the aforementioned political subdivisions regarding the uncertainty of federal funding after the FAST Act's expiration in 2020. That's because while we can attempt to fund projects to the best of our ability at the local and state level, the federal match for some projects can mean the difference between them happening or not.
The certainty provided by an entirely funded and planned federal highway bill means more projects in Bismarck-Mandan can proceed. As a result, we provide badly needed infrastructure improvements for our residents and continued opportunity for our businesses.
Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me via telephone at (701) 223-5660 or email at
[email protected]
Sincerely,Brian Ritter.
____________________
