US Rep. Alan Lowenthal (D-CA) on Oct. 3 said he has
introduced a bill that would annually provide billions of dollars for
construction of seaport projects such as on-dock rail, terminals and cargo
loading areas.
The bill, HR 5624,
is also known as Economy in Motion: The
National Multimodal and Sustainable Freight Infrastructure Act, was submitted
to the House of Representatives Sept. 18. It proposes the formation of a
freight program that would be funded through the implementation of a one
percent waybill fee on transported cargo.
Lowenthal’s legislation would create a two-part incentive
formula program, available in states that develop freight plans and form
freight advisory committees as encouraged under the Moving Ahead for Progress
in the 21st Century Act, aka MAP-21, which President Obama signed into law in
2012.
The measure also would establish a national competitive
grant program with broad, multimodal project eligibility. A new freight trust fund
would provide as much as $8 billion annually for freight infrastructure-improvement
projects across all modes.
“The movement of goods is one of the most important economic
engines in our nation,” Lowenthal said in a news release announcing the
legislation. “The infrastructure this engine depends on is crumbling and we
must fix it, make it stronger, and make it better. My bill would do this while
also taking action to mitigate the adverse environmental impacts that are the
unintended consequence of goods movement.”
Leslie Blakey, President and Executive Director of the
Coalition for America’s Gateways and Trade Corridors, which represents a
coalition of more than 60 public and private organizations dedicated to
increasing federal investment in America’s intermodal freight infrastructure,
said she applauds the Congressman for proposing both an investment plan and a
revenue generation strategy.
“Congressman Lowenthal’s bill has added a significant piece
to the freight dialogue,” she said. “Each day, our nation’s freight
infrastructure needs grow and a strategic campaign of public investment is
needed.”
