Transcripts For CSPAN3 Freight Movement Hearing 20180111

Witnesses today, and ill save the introductions. I know there are a couple introductions that will be made from up here. This morning well go ahead with our Opening Statements, myself and senator cardin, and then were honored to have both the chairman and the Ranking Member of the whole committee here. So senator barrasso, senator carper, and then i understand senator cardin, you have an introduction to make also. Yes. All right. Well do that. Lets recognize first senator carper, because hes going to be coming back and doing his a little bit later. Just very briefly, welcome to this important hearing. I want to thank our chair and Ranking Member for pulling us all together and giving us a chance to say something. I have a statement. I would like to ask unanimous consent it appear in the record. And if i have a chance to come back and give it live later this morning, i will do that. Again, its good to see you all. Thank you for joining us. This is important. Important stuff. Thank you, senator carper. And i want to thank all of you for being here today. I would like to thank my friend, Ranking Member cardin, for his staff, for their help in getting this hearing together. You know, ive taken count, and i think the last one, other than you and me, that came in the 100th congress is retiring this year. That leaves you and me. I hope thats not a message. All right. But anyway, we did come in. We have spent a lot of time together working together in a bipartisan in accomplishing things. And we have enjoyed and continue that. Looking forward to working with my colleagues on this committee as we benefit the users of our Transportation Networks and the economy. Since President Trump has benefit in office, we have seen a 3 growth in the economy. We have added over 2 million jobs and the Consumer Confidence has skyrocketed. However, the economy will only continue to grow if our infrastructure is maintained and expanded to meet our future needs. In 2015, over 18 billion tons of freight worth 19 trillion moved over our highways, railways, waterways and through the air. These numbers are only expected to grow with an estimated 25 billion tons of Freight Movement by 2045, worth an estimated 37 trillion. Yet when freight is delayed on congested highways, diverted around deficient bridges or awaiting movement at our ports or waterways, an estimated 27 billion annually in increased costs are borne by businesses raising prices on consumer goods. The more delays we see, the further behind well become. According to the World Economic forum, the u. S. Ranks 12th in overall infrastructure quality and the American Society of engineers, which we have heard several times from, scored our infrastructure as a dplus earlier this year. Estimating that we need to spend close to 2 trillion in the next ten years to improve all of our infrastructure and our overall economy. In order to address this need, last Congress Passed the fast act with authorized 305 billion over five years. The fast act also established a 6. 3 billion great Formula Program for states to invest in the freight projects on the national highway Freight Network. And its the first time that had been done. Its created a 4. 5 billion over fiveyear Grant Program to improve the safety and movement of freight. Though the fast act was the largest transportation authorization in a decade, we have more work to be done before we close the gap between our funding and our needs. Im looking forward to hearing from our witnesses today, and enjoyed meeting them individually, and reminding mr. Parker that we and the state of oklahoma, our bestkept secret is we also are [ inaudible ] senator cardin. Senator inhofe, thank you for reminding me how long weve been here. I appreciate that very much. But senator inhofe and i have been friends since we both came to the United States congress in 1987. And i do thank him for his dedication, his willingness to try to find ways to move things forward. Particularly off infrastructure. Senator inhofe has been one of our great leaders. So its a pleasure to work with you on this subcommittee that deals with infrastructure, with senator barrasso and senator carper and members of this committee. Todays topic is critically important. Freight movement, assessing where we are now, and where we need to go. This nation was built by the fact that we were able to build up an economy, and our infrastructure was critically important for us being able to develop that economic strength that we all are so proud, and gives that opportunity to so many people. The u. S. Freight system depends upon the multimodal system of infrastructure. Roads are critically important for our trucks. Rail is important for our freight moving by rail. Yesterday i had a meeting of the maryland delegation with mr. Foot, new acting ceo of csx. As we talked about freight issues, including the challenge we have in baltimore with the Howard Street tunnel, where you cant double stack. So thats incredibly important that we maintain and strengthen our rail. We talked about the waterways, and im glad that mr. Thomas is here in regards to the port of baltimore and the importance to the movement of freight and our barges. Our pipelines. And certainly our airports. And our airports are becoming more congested. And its an important part of our freight. So, mr. Chairman, over the next 30 years, our Transportation System, which is powered to rise our nation and enable generations of economic growth, could could become a drag if we do not Pay Attention to investing in americas infrastructure. We already know how many hours a week are wasted in transportation through trucks stuck in traffic. Try to get through the Washington Area on any day, even on weekends, its becoming difficult. Even in the middle of the night. Mr. Chairman, i went home yesterday morning, but from here to baltimore, and there was some construction. It took me longer than it should have to get home last night to baltimore. So theres congestion and we need to do a better job in dealing with that. Trucks lose 28 billion in wasted time and fuel per year. 28 billion. So we have major tensions that we have to pay. Our major hub airports face severe congestion, aging locks and dams, raising the cost of fuel and freight along the inland waterways. Ports need dredging and modernization if theyre going to continue to compete and sustain jobs in a regional economy. Transit systems are the estimate is 100 billion of maintenance backlog in our transit systems in this country. And i can attest to the one here and the need for a maintenance there. The companies that depend upon our nations Transportation System and the millions of workers who power these companies will feel these effects. A robust, multimodal freight Transportation System is essential, despite advances. And i really do applaud the leadership of this committee and the fast act, the map 21, that provides Funding Sources for these types of programs. We need to build upon the prior success of this committee to provide the wherewithal to modernize our infrastructure. Im just going to highlight, because as Ranking Member of the subcommittee, i should at least promote one aspect of my state. Since mr. Thomas is here, let me take that opportunity to brag a little bit about the port of baltimore and the importance it is to our economy. We are one of only i think four ports on the east coast that can that has the depth and width necessary to take on the new ships that are coming through the panama canal. Thats an important part of our economy. Baltimore has a 50foot shipping channel, and a 50foot container berth. We look at what we are able to do, i can give a lot of statistics and put it in the record, mr. Chairman, so i dont to read the entire the entire numbers in regards to the port of baltimore. But let me just point this out. Business at the port generates 13,650 direct jobs direct jobs, in the port of baltimore, with more than 127,000 jobs in maryland linked to port activities. The port is responsible for nearly 3 billion in individual wages and salaries and contributes to more than 310 million in state and local tax revenues. So none of this can be done without a strong federal partnership. We cant do it on our own. We need a strong federal partnership. Yesterday, we had a long discussion about jobs on the floor of the United States senate. We all know that investing in infrastructure, it will not only build the tools necessary so that we can grow our economy, it will create the jobs of the future we need to support the people of this nation. I look forward to hearing from our distinguished panel, and i thank them all for being here. Thank you, senator cardin. Senator barrasso. Thank you, mr. Chairman. Senator carper, i would be happy to defer to you so that you dont have to then come back later. I appreciate you doing that. Listening to what ben just said about the port of baltimore, before i leave, i want to say the top port in america is wilmington, delaware. And my staff was good enough to drop off some bananas here so i can have a prop. And i told them just jokingly yesterday, were not only the top port for importing bananas, also top for importing prunes. And so they dropped off thats not true. But they dropped off this package of prunes. Ill be happy to share them with my colleagues. After the experience of this last few days, we could probably all use that. Im not going to say more than that. No, i do on a serious note, i do want to say this. I went through last night, when i gave my floor statement, talked about all the ingredients part of a nurturing environment for job preservation, access to capital, access to foreign markets. Worldclass work force. And infrastructure done well. Infrastructure not just roads, highways, bridges, not just ports, not just rail. All of the above and more. Broadband, deployment, so forth. We have this reluctance to pay for this stuff. We have this reluctance to pay for this stuff. And a big part of our challenge is to figure out costeffective ways to make these investments and ways that leverage nonfederal monies, state and local monies, private sector monies, and thats our challenge. That is our challenge. And we its important having gone through a tough period of time on tax reform, my hope is that when we tackle infrastructure in the months to come, we do it the right way and we do it together. And its a great opportunity. If we do that, well do a much better job, and our what did mark twain used to say . If we do that, well confound our critics and amaze our friends. Thats what we need to do. Thanks so much. Senator barrasso. Thank you, mr. Chairman. Before i introduce mr. Speaker to the committee, i would like to say a few words about todays hearing. This morning the subcommittee is examining Freight Movement, assessing where we are now, and where we need to go. Freight is a vital part of americas economy, and i thank chairman inhofe, Ranking Member cardin, for holding this important hearing. Everyone benefits from goods being shipped on our roads, across our bridges and through our ports. The freight industry how allows for products to go from the heartland to the coast and even across the world. This hearing will underscore the need to upgrade and maintain our highways and shipping lanes. Addressing americas aging infrastructure is a shared, bipartisan goal of this committee. This year alone, the environment and Public Works Committee has held seven hearings on the importance of modernizing americas infrastructure. We have heard testimony on the infrastructure needs of both rural and urban communities. The new innovative Building Techniques being used, the value of streamlining so we can cut government red tape and get building projects started and finished faster. As well as the success of loan leveraging programs so taxpayers get the most bang from their buck. President trump has made fixing our roads a top priority. In january, will outline a broad vision for infrastructure. We have a unique opportunity ahead of us. If we can pass major infrastructure legislation, we will grow our economy and help ensure the health and safety of every american. I look forward to partnering with President Trump and members of our committee as we work to improve americas roads, bridges, water systems, dams and ports. I would also now like to introduce chris spear, who has served as president and ceo of the American Trucking Association Since july of 2016. Chris is a longtime friend with extensive wyoming connections and im very pleased hes been invited to offer his expertise at this mornings subcommittee hearing. He attended college at the university of wyoming where he earned his bachelors and masters degree. Creme sits on the board of directors for the center for global studies. He began his career with the senate in 1993, working as a professional staff member for then wyoming senator, al simpson. He continued his work under senator enzi. In 1998, he was nominated by president george w. Bush and confirmed by the senate as assistant secretary of labor for policy in the United States department of labor. Chris also served as Deputy Representative for the Coalition Provisional authority in iraq, and was awarded the u. S. Department of Defense Joint civilian service medal. In 2004, he entered the private sector at Honeywell International and then Hyundai Motor company. In his current role as president and ceo of American Trucking associations, chris leads the at as efforts to advocate and educate on behalf of the trucking industry. He knows how vital freight transportation is to the economy, and how states like wyoming depend on an industry that employs upwards of 7 Million People and is responsible for moving more than 10 billion tons of freight annually. No better expert to discuss how we better move americas economy forward. Mr. Speaker, thank you. We look forward to hearing your testimony. Thank you, mr. Chairman. Thank you, senator barrasso. Senator cardin im very happy to have david thomas here today. He was named the deputy executive director of logistics and Port Operations for the Maryland Department of transportation, maryland port administration. In december of 2016. But david has been with the port now i believe 16 years. And has a distinguished record and understands all the operations of the port. Under his current responsibility includes facility maintenance, crane maintenance, terminal operations, cruise operations and intermodal logistics. So were pleased that hes here. Were pleased of his expertise for maryland, but also i think he can help us better understand the challenges that we have in moving our commerce and freight through our ports. He received his bachelor of science degree from towson university, one of the Great Schools in maryland in 1982, and in business administration. Two children. Married, and resides in forest hill, maryland. Nice to have you here. Thank you, senator cardin. Our other two witnesses that have not withbeen introduced, j parker jr. , tuscaloosa. And mark pullasinski of the ohio regional government. Were going to start with Opening Statements. We would ask you to confine your remarks to five minutes. Your entire statement will be made part of the record. So mr. Speaker, well start wit you and working across. Thank you, chairman inhofe, and members of the subcommittee. Appreciate the opportunity to testify on this critical subject. We are grateful to each of you for recognizing freight in the previous two authorization bills that is important federal responsibility. This is proven necessary as the freight sector will need to move 5 billion additional tons over the next decade. Thats a 40 increase. This year alone, trucks will move 71 of the nations freight tonnage, worth more than 10 trillion. Yet our national Highway Network is rapidly deteriorating. Costing the average motorist nearly 1500 a year in higher maintenance and congestion expenses. Highway congestion also adds more than 63 billion to the cost of freight transportation each year. In 2015, Truck Drivers sat in traffic nearly 1 billion hours, equivalent to more than 362,000 drivers sitting idle for an entire year. Most concerning, in 53 of highway fatalities, the condition of the roadway is a contributing factor. The Highway Trust Fund is projected to run short of the revenue necessary to maintain current spending levels by fy2021. Creating a huge funding gap that could force states to cancel or delay critical projects. The u. S. Spends less than half of what is necessary to address these needs. As the investment gap continues to grow, so too will the number of deficient bridges, roads, bottlenecks, and most critically, fatalities attributable to inadequate roadways. At as proposed solution is the build america fund. The fund would be supported with a new indexed 20centpergallon fee built into the price of transportation fuels collected at the terminal rack which would generate nearly 340 billion in new revenue over the first ten years. This proposal would stabilize the trust fund and resource project backlog. However, we recognize that over time the fuel taxes of diminishing revenue source. To that end, we encourage the subcommittee to implement a tenyear plan that identifies and provides longterm stability for the federal aid program with new, more sustainable user fees. Ata recognizes that trucks are but one part of the supply chain. We rely on our air, water and Rail Partners to keep the supply chain moving smoothly and efficiently. And we are grateful for the resources provided specifically for freight projects in recent legislation. We urge you to retain those programs and increase funding for freight, while maintaining the share currently dedicated to highway projects. Particularly freight intermodal connecter roads deserve dedicated funding. Creating greater connectivity between the modes and a more efficient and safer movement of our nations freight. Finally, mr. Chairman, i want to state the unequivocal support for continuing a strong federal role in funding and overseeing highway improvements. States arent waiting on congress to act. Several have already adopted funding schemes that toll class a trucks only to fund their roads and brijsz. Representing an industry that pays nearly half the tab into the Highway Trust Fund, and is willing and ready to pay more, we consider such state schemes as nothing more than a fleecing of our industry. Other states have chosen regulatory regimes, such as the duplicative meal and rest breaks. These burdensome barriers are elevating safety risks to the motoring public, while lining the pockets of highly inefficient toll booth operators and trial lawyers. Thats trucking revenue that would have been spent on driver pay, training and purchasing safer, more environmentally friendly equipment. Federal inaction has allowed states to create a maze of added Compliance Costs that impede our industrys ability to grow and support our nations economy. Making state preemption a top priority of trucking companies. This is not about states rights. Rhetorical statements in support of devolving fail to acknowledge the federal governments constitutional obligation to support interstate commerce and projects whose benefits extend beyond jurisdictional boundaries. My written testimony includes gps heat maps, tracking the Live Movement of freight. These illustrations underscore how freight isnt a local, state or even a regional problem. As much as todays political rhetoric tries to suggest. Its a federal issue. And one with serious and measurable National Economic and security implications. I applaud this committee for its razor focus, each of you bring to these problems. Ata is a committed partner to helping each of you and your Senate Colleagues produce an infrastructure bill in 2018 that republicans, democrats and most importantly, the American People can be proud of. Thank you for the opportunity to testify. Thank you, mr. Spear. Chairman inhofe, Ranking Member cardin, and distinguished members of the subcommittee, thank you for allowing me to share my views. Im representing both the ohio, kentucky, Indiana Regional council of governments, as well as a coalition of americas gateways in trade corridors. These are diverse groups of public and private organizations seeking to increase federal investment in multimodal freight infrastructure. Oki, as the metropolitan Planning Organization for the Greater Cincinnati region, has final authority over all federal spending on surface transportation. The region is home to the nationally significant brent spence bridge. The bridge is a lynch pin on the i75 trade corridor. It is a bridge that connects michigan to miami and carries over 1 billion of goods every day. But it is suffering due to structural deficiencies and overcrowding. This results in costing around 750 million annually in wasted time and fuel. It is a prime example of u. S. Freight needs. The constitutions Commerce Clause calls on the federal government to make investment supporting interstate commerce. 77 of all freight crosses state lines. But states and localities cannot shoulder investment to improve them. I applaud this committee for prioritizing freight in the fast act. It is a down payment on our needs. But as we know, more is needed to keep pace with a growing Global Economy. We must remember that as a percentage of gdp, china spends four times what the United States does on infrastructure. The fast act created a Formula Program designed to target freight investments and improvements. However, the ability of formula dollars to fund complex freight projects is limited. Recognizing this, the fast act created a muchneeded competitive Grant Program designed to target large freight and highway projects, which obvious span modes and jurisdictions. Competitive programs encourage applicants to bring forward their best ideas, and they frequently incentivize nonfederal dollars to get involved. Infraawarded 8 million dollars, and leveraged 3. 6 million in total investment. But just because a project is more affordable to the federal government does not mean it is the most valuable investment for a countrys economy. Projects should first be evaluated on their ability to meet congressionally defined program goals. To foster strategic investment, we respectfully make five recommendations. Number one, a National Vision and Investment Strategy should shape and guide the nations freight infrastructure system with active coordination among states and regions. A focus on multimodal freight should be established within u. S. D. O. T. s off of the secretary to guide policy and programming with a focus on nationally significant projects. Number two. Provide a dedicated, sustainable and Flexible Funding source. Investment in the Freight Network has a much larger return on investment than other transportation spending. Existing programs available for freight infrastructure, like infra and tiger are vastly oversubscribed. In the first round, infra sought 13 in requests for every 1 available. A minimum annual direct federal investment of 2 billion above current levels is necessary. Congress should also eliminate caps on nonhighway spending under the freight formula and Infra Programs. Freight does not only move on highways. Where Public Benefit is derived, Public Investment should be made. Number three. Successful grant applications must meet meritbased criteria that prioritize projects with the demonstrable contribution to the National Freight efficiency. Number four. Congress should oversee a fast act implementation to ensure investment aligns with congressional intent, and there is sufficient decisionmaking transparency. Despite Congress Development of strong, meritbased criteria for infra, gao was unable to determine u. S. D. O. T. s rationale for selecting the first rounds 18 successful projects. And lastly, a partnership with the private sector. Funding should Leverage Private participation and provide the largest possible two box of funding options. An Advisory Council of freight industry members and system users could assist u. S. D. O. T. To foster partnerships with the private sector. I thank the committee for their time and attention to this critically important topic. Thank you. And also, thank you for being specific. Because you specified five things, and this is this committee is going to have to make some decisions, and i think those are excellent suggestions. Mr. Parker. Thank you, chairman inhofe, Ranking Member cardin and members of the subcommittee. Thank you for the opportunity to testify before you today on the topic of Freight Movement, assessing where we are and where were going. I know other witnesses this morning will concentrate in their testimony on map 21 and the fast act, so i will not do that. Instead, i will focus on the importance of the inland waterways Transportation System and potential reforms, a critically important system. I serve as chairman of Parker Towing Company. We are headquartered in tuscaloosa, alabama, and operate 26 tow boats and 340 barges. Im also chairman of the board of directors of the waterway council, inc, wci, the National Public policy organization that advocates for modern wellmaintained system in inland waterways and ports. The inland waterways Transportation System is made up of nearly 12,000 miles of commercially active inland waterways, including intracoastal waterways. Of this total, nearly 11,000 miles comprise the fuels tax portion of the system on which commercial operators pay a diesel fuels tax deposited into the trust fund. Users like Parker Towing Company successfully advocated in support of raising our taxes by 45 in 2015 to its current level of 29 cents per gallon. This tax currently pays to up to half the cost of new construction and major rehabilitation of inland waterways infrastructure, principally locks and dams, but also including channel deepening. At the outset i would note that after having only one border enacted between 2001 and 2013, it is very encouraging to see this committee putting water bills back on a twoyear cycle with the enactment of the 2014 and 2016. I would especially like to thank this committee for passing the important policy changes contained in 2014, particularly the change in cost share policy for olmstead locks and dams. This 50 inland Waterways Trust fund and 50 general fund to 15 trust fund. This has led to significant improvements in the construction time line and cost of the project. At the november 3rd inland waterways user Board Meeting a few weeks ago, the corps reported that the olmstead project will be operational next year, perhaps as early as june, with full completion now expected in 2022. In both instances, four years ahead of the previously estimated project operation and completion dates. In terms of cost, olmstead is now scheduled to be completed approximately 330 million below the new estimated cost. Also noteworthy not only did the cost share change help olmstead, it has allowed construction to resume on the locks 2, 3 and 4, kentucky lock and chick amagazina lock. Starting in early september, 2017, locks and dams 52 and 53, which are the locks and dams that olmstead will be replacing, have been experiencing repeated failures, causing multiple, complete closures of the ohio river. At one point, there were 74 tow boats and 842 barges waiting to lock through. These recent emergencies vividly show that locks and dams built in the 1920s, like locks and dams 52 and 53, are in critical need of modernization to maintain american competitiveness. Currently, we have a portfolio of 25 highpriority inland projects, either in construction or waiting to begin construction with a total cost estimated at 8. 8 billion. At the current rate, many of these projects will not begin their construction in the next 20 years. We would hope the committee will consider the same kind of change for the inland waterways included in last years water for deep draft coastal ports. In 2016, congress changed the cost share policy for funding the construction of deep draft ports with depths of 45 to 50 feet from 50 nonfederal project sponsor and 50 government to 25 nonfederal project sponsor and 75 federal government. By doing the same thing for the inland Waterways Trust fund, this committee would allow for the inland navigation, capital program, to remain operating at or above the 400 million level that has been achieved since the cost share at olmstead. Thank you for the opportunity to be here today and i look forward to participating in this round table discussion. Thank you, mr. Parker. And mr. Thomas. Chairman inhofe, members of the committee, thank you for inviting me to this hearing. The port of baltimore is one of the busiest and most diverse seaports in the United States. We have six public marine terminals and 30 privately owned marine terminals located in our harbors. Of approximately 190 major u. S. Ports, the port of baltimore ranks first and handles more cars and light trucks, farming Construction Equipment and imported sugar than all other major u. S. Ports. In total, it ranks ninth among major u. S. Ports for total value of International Cargo handled, and 14th for the total amount of International Cargo tonnage. For the last several years, the port of baltimore has been ranked among the most productive container ports in the nation. The journal of commerce named us the fourthfastestgrowing port in north america in 2016. Overall last year, our port saw 31. 8 million tons of International Cargo cross its piers, valued at approximately 39. 9 billion. And we expect to surpass both of those numbers this year. Today, the port of baltimore can accommodate some of the largest container ships in the world. We have the necessary infrastructure to welcome ships that can safely transit the newly expanded panama canal. The port of baltimore is a leading economic engine for the state of maryland. We feel strongly that if freight is moving efficiently through our port, then our economy is moving efficiently, as well. Business in our port generates over 13,600 direct jobs, while 127,000 jobs in maryland are linked to port activity. Yes, we are having success now, but we also have hurdles we need to clear. A pressing need is for doublestack rail clearance in and out of our port. For those of you unfamiliar, double stacked rails is stacking of two international or domestic containers on top of one another on a rail car for transportation into or out of our major port. The ability to do this doubles capacity and creates operating efficiencies in the overall supply chain. The class one railroads do not currently have that ability to handle double stack trains in baltimore. The csxowned Howard Street tunnel located in the city of baltimore is a 122yearold freight tunnel that does not have the required clearances under its current configuration. Recently, new Engineering Technologies were developed that would bring the total project cost for increasing the clearances of the tunnel to less than a 500 million project. The Maryland Department of transportation and csx agreed to share 290 million of the total 445 million project cost. We then submitted as a Public Private team for federal funding for the balance of the project costs under the 2016 fast lane Grant Program. Despite very positive feedback from u. S. D. O. T. Officials, we were unsuccessful. Still, we felt we have a strong application and were optimistic we would be successful if we applied again in round two. The deadline to apply for funding under the Grant Program was november 2, 2017. Only a few short days before that deadline, we were informed by csx they were pulling their support for the project. Without csx, the owner of the asset, we could not move forward with the grant application. The ability to handle double stack trains is not only critical to the long term future, but would create an improved intermodal connection. Currently the Howard Street tunnel is viewed by industry as a Freight Logistics bottleneck. The tunnel with increased clearances would remove trucks from highways and generate 640 million benefits to 25 eastern states. An improved tunnel would be a more efficient logistics network, creating more intermodal movements and supporting additional jobs. We must also be sure our waterways can handle these larger ships. Efficient Freight Movement through the ports like baltimore depend on adequate authority through the u. S. Army corps of engineers to create channel maintenance and dredging. Channel dredging is the maritime equivalent to highway construction and maintenance. We also must dispose of the dredge sediment responsibly. Congress has provided many allowsances for this purpose, including dredge sediment for eco system restoration. The port of baltimore, for example, has a congressnally authorized project known as mid Chesapeake Bay allen project that uses dredge sediment from our 50footdeep channels to restore natural habitat in the Chesapeake Bay. The project is waiting design funding. The port of baltimore urges you to support a project like this tied directly to Freight Movement. Like all 2014 projects, it faces deauthorization in calendar year 2021 if it does not receive federal funds for construction. The mid bay allen project is critical because it will provide approximately 40 years of sediment placement capacity. I ask this subcommittee to support report language in the next Water Resources Development Act to ensure continued authorization of the mid bay allen project. In closing, the federal government plays a vital role in providing efficient freight to flow performance. For ports to perform efficiently, customs and Border Protection must be adequately funded and staffed. In 2015, the last time cbp was funded to hire additional staff, only 10 of 2,000 staffers were assigned to our seaports. This is a supply chain problem. Ports need this Additional Support of cbp to keep cargo moving. Without it cargo cannot perform at peak levels. Again, thank you for allowing me the opportunity to speak before the committee. Thank you. Thank you, mr. Thomas. As was made obvious to us in our Opening Statements, senator cardin and i have been on this committee since we have been on this senate, and were on the comparable committee in the house prior to that. So we have been through all of the reauthorization bills since 1987. So i was kind of amused and remember that one of our big problems used to be, we had too much money in the Highway Trust Fund. Thats not a problem any more. So were looking at its called to your attention by you, mr. Spear, we didnt have a freight provision until map 21 and then again in fast act. So lets start with you. Is there anything you didnt see in your Opening Statement concerning the progress that you the positive things you could attribute to the freight provisions in both map 21 and the fast act . I think both bills, mr. Chairman, represent a significant step forward. Largely because youre prioritizing, youre trying to look at a problem as its growing, alongside with the economy. Were seeing congestion. As i stated in my written and oral statement, 63 billion our industry loses each year to congestion. We know where the bottlenecks are. We track them every year, report on them every year. That research is done in concert with our industry and the department of transportation. So taking the authorization bills and prioritizing it, and putting a real good focus on freight, not just the program itself, but the grants, as well as the Strategic Plan, which is understanding, map 21, were delinquent on in terms of reporting back to you, you know, on what that is supposed to look like. So the administration, i believe, needs to do more in terms of prioritization and building a Strategic Plan that allocates that money accordingly, and has the most impact in those bottleneck areas. I think the last two authorizations were quite significant. Because they put the focus on where the problem is. Now we need to continue funding it, and begin really working with the agencies, federal, state and local, to get the maximum out of the requirements. Yeah, and mr. Pulicinski, you stated and i didnt write it down, repeat it for me, the amount of applications made as opposed to the awards on the Grant Program. 13 in request for every dollar. 131. 13 in requests for every 1 available. I see. I see. So then that problem would you agree with the comments made by mr. Spear on the things that were good on the program . Its just a matter of its not adequate enough . Well, its monumental what you did. For the first time you recognized freight as being a primary driver of transportation spending. We believe that freight is the future. We are all part of a Global Economy for the first time. Our competitors are from all over the world. As are our business partners, bankers, or lawyers. The simple fact is that by concentrating on freight, you can you elevate projects from large projects that in our region, like the bren spence bridge, a project that is going to move freight dramatically for the nation. All the way down to smaller projects, like double stacking, which we invest in, as well. By bringing freight to the forefront, you make it easier for us to carry the case to the public that this type of spending must be done. So whats been done is invaluable. Well, you know, i was chairman of this committee during the 21 and then the fast act. And i have to give credit where credit is due. The one who actually focused on this was alex harigot on our committee. Now hes in the white house, and so he is transferring that initial concern that he has for freight, that youll see i think in the legislation that comes forward. Mr. Parker, you know, ive said one of our bestkept secrets in oklahoma is our navigation way. Everybody knows about baltimore and all of this. But were there too. And heres the problem that weve got. Is that we are considered to be a newer state. Our state was in 1907. And so we we came along later in this. However, now were past our life span on all the locks and dams we have. Were having really Serious Problems right now, particularly in two of our locks and dams, the deterioration taking place. One of the best things to happen, allowing users to participate financially. That didnt happen in government very often. That they want they actually want to and they have to get permission to give the government money. Thats essentially what we went through. So weve come a long ways on that. But we also have on some of the far inland like we are in oklahoma, the life span has already passed us. So im interested. You said in your testimony that a change in the cost share and inland Waterways Trust fund might be helpful. How would you suggest that would impact project delivery . Thank you, senator. Using the example of olmstead, when you made the policy change there, that enabled the corps to go in and with Adequate Funding and proper planning, able to bring the olmstead lock and dam 330 million in, early, underbudget and under time, we can take the same policies. And if were able to make this policy change that were requesting, i think it will enable us to go ahead and reinvest in these aging locks and dams we have in the system. Not only the arkansas river, but throughout the country. And i think thats an important aspect of that to keep this infrastructure up to speed and up to date. Yeah, thats very good. I appreciate that. Senator cardin. Again, thank you, mr. Chairman. I thank all four of our witnesses, and i think this committee will continue to strengthen our authorization bills, including the movement of freight. But were going to need to come together on revenues necessary to support the type of infrastructure this country needs. Which will help our economy and will create jobs. And mr. Parker, i appreciated your statement of your industry supporting increased diesel fees in order to get the necessary resources to deal with our inland waterways. I think we need to look at that type of an example to figure out how we can make sure we have adequate resources devoted towards infrastructure improvements. And its intermodal. If you dont Pay Attention to all of the means, youre going to shortchange the efficiency factors of moving freight through america. Mr. Thomas, i want to talk about two issues that you did raise. First, let me talk about midday for one moment. Mr. Parker also mentioned the fact that this committee has been successful, at least recently, in passing biannual water bills. I hope well have a chance to pass another water bill next year. We do that because we can then adjust some of the policy issues to keep projects on track. Midday i find to be very interesting. My predecessor, senator sarbanes, authored the Popular Island authorization, which was unique for its time, because it allowed for the availability of dredged material to be placed, which is not always without controversy. This was one that was supported, because it was part of environmental restoration. So we not only were able to keep our shipping lanes dredged to the necessary level, but we were able to put the dredged material to use by reclaiming islands that used to exist in the Chesapeake Bay, and actually habitation, to be returned for the natural importance within the Chesapeake Bay of having these land masses to protect erosion, et cetera. And gives us the habitat for different species that are in the region. So it was a winwin situation. Very popular. Everybody likes it. And it was very efficient. And lo and behold, we recognized that Popular Island will be at capacity. And we recognized that many years ago. We recognized it, i guess, with the army corps in 2009 when it produced a chiefs report recommending the construction of midday. Now, heres the interesting thing. They recognized that probably about 20 years before it would be ready to actually be functioning. Because thats how long it takes. Its not something that can be done overnight. And thats i guess one of the points i want to raise, mr. Chairman. You need lead time for a lot of these projects. And now were running into a situation because its inactive, and may not be further authorized, were working to make sure, in fact, it continues congress not only authorized it, its prepared to move forward on it. But how important is it that we stay on track for mid bay . [ inaudible ] put your mike on. Sorry. Every port of baltimore job adds benefit to the national economy, and there would be substantial job losses and Economic Impact without this project if the dredging of the 50foot authorized channel depth is delayed due to the acceptable dredge material placement site being put online. Without mid bay, mpa expects within two to three years, the 50foot channel would shoal to a 45foot depth, resulting in the following losses that we calculate. Approximately 12,780 direct jobs, 800 million in personal wage and salary income and 656 million in Business Revenues and 85 million in state and county municipal taxes that would be put at risk if we were not able to maintain our 50foot channel. I thank you for that. And mr. Chairman, i want you to know that mid bay for the maryland delegation, bipartisan delegation, this is our top priority to make sure we stay on track with mid bay for the dredging of the baltimore harbor. You talked a little bit also about the double stacking. Thats somewhat unique, that we have one of the few bottlenecks for double stacked trains through baltimore. You gave numbers. You were ready for an infra grant request, and you had to pull it because csx changed their views. That was the former ceo who recently passed away. I take it you strongly support us moving forward if we can get csx to move forward . Yes, senator. Thanks for that question. Yeah, i think the port of baltimore, were very wellpositioned today due to our Public Private partnership that we entered into back in 2010. It gave us the ability to expand our that we signed we are a big ship ready. We have a very strong consumer market, we have a 50foot channel. We have productive labor. The one box we do not check off is the double stackable. It would increase our roll you mean 110 containers annually, 6,000 construction jobs, and another 7,200 linked to the Howard Street activity. The letter from the port of los angeles including two charts be made part of our record. Without objection. Senator moran . Thank you, senator, for having this hearing. Ill start with mr. Spear, good morning, you indicate in your testimony some doubts about the Infra Program or the consequences . Rural aspects. That program has a 25 set aside and i would like you to expand on what we should be concerned about when it comes to rural projects. Prioritization is critical, i think making certain that we preserve the 1956 highway and bridge program, and it does trickle down to the state and local municipalities, but theyre also receiving their funding as well. I think what were seeing because funding is so strained, is that everybodys competing for the same type of funds. The last few authorizations was helpful, but increasing the funding on top of whats already been done is really where we need to see more results, i think will occur on the local level. I think its a funding issue. Youve got the framework in place, but putting more money into the programs is whats really going to see a lot of results at that level. I appreciate you highlighting that, and what we have found time and time again, is offinterstate roads and bridges, in getting grain to market, there is no source of any revenue to rebuild, restructure, infrastructure, that lends itself to trucking across the country, getting it from farm to market, has to begin someplace, its a pretty rural place in the case of our state. So thank you for that reminder. My broader question is, and i use this as an opportunity to tout something that i think is important to the economic wellbeing of our country and would have an impact upon all transportation modes, and thats nafta. The value of our ability to export commodities and manufactured goods across borders, particularly those to the north and south of us in my view is a significant component certainly of how we earn a living in kansas. I would highlight, i believe theres a sense out there that agriculture in particular will always be just fine, because mexico, canada and others will always want our agricultural commodities. I wish that was true, i hope thats true, i think when it comes to quality, no one can compete with us. But its interesting to me to see the cost of freight and the differential between our ability to get grain to mexico, as compared to argentina, or even russia, when we use water ways and the gulf to get grain to mexico. We have a competitive, i dont know that i would say disadvantage, but the competition is great for us to compete economically with grain coming from someplace else, being shipped even as close as our neighbor to the south. So i wanted to give you first the opportunity to tell me how if nafta went away, what it might mean to the consequences of freight and the use of trucks or the use of our water ways and secondly the opportunity to highlight what you have been telling us in this hearing, the importance of investment in infrastructure so we can compete in a Global Economy. And that could be you mr. Parker, you mr. Spear or anyone, but if you can highlight for me the value of trade with mexico, and secondly how important it is to be able to be competitive globally result of being able to compete with sufficient infrastructure. Ill quickly answer it, from our perspective in trucking its absolutely essential. To tweak or even walk away from our obligations from nafta since 1994 is not a perfect agreement. Perfect agreements, i dont believe in that, its trying to improve it from the economy that we find ourselves in. Trucks move 81 of our freight. 71 with canada. To tweak or walk away from it, we talk about the recession in 2008, its not like a recession we would be looking at, it would be catastrophic to our economy and i also think our partnerships to the north and south, canada being our largest trade partner in the world would really jeopardize our National Security, to be able to work with each other on National Security benefits. Trucks are a part of that, we connect all the modes, we really make a lot of the freight move through connected means and to walk away from those obligations or to really tweak them would have a dramatic affect on every state including kansas. Mr. Parker . Senator, with or without nafta, american agriculture is in intense competition around the world, we know what the brazilians are doing and everything else, and as you so correctly stated, our key is our interior infrastructure, our rivers, our rails, our highways and our ports. I think the single thing we can do to make sure that we keep american agriculture competitive as it relates to the rivers, is the general Fund Obligation and the user fund fee, that would be a huge step toward modernizing these aging locking dams and making sure that we can keep agriculture competitive in world markets. A key component Going Forward and we would hope that the congress will direct some steps to start that funding and look at those changing those locks to 400foot locks to help agriculture moving forward in that area. We dont have navigatable waters in kansas, at least that i can find, but i would say as a kansan, we care deeply about those water ways, those locks and dams, they are our connection to the rest of the world. Thank you. Thank you. Senator white houhouse . Welcome to the panel and i appreciate where we can have these remeetings that the bipartisanship of the panel and the bipartisanship of the committee is so parent. The epa has taken a position that it would support adding a tax to gas and diesel to pay for highway related roads and inf infrastructure, is that correct . That is correct, senator. Does your we do support increasing the gas tax. And one of the reasons for this i take from an article titles ata president pushes federal gas tax hike to pay for infrastructure plan in which mr. Spear is quoted as saying, taxpayers are already paying dearly for the governments inaction on fixing our nations highways. Could you explain what you mean by that . Yeah, i do. And your state is a good example, senator. Were actually one of the highest cost states in terms of car damage from bad road repair that there is out there, coastal and old and so forth. It doesnt matter how big your state is, everybodys feeling it. So youre referring to the hundreds of dollars that consumers have to pay for repairing their vehicles for bad roads . I testified and have written 1,500 on average per motorist is what theyre spending on maintenance and congestion fees. States like rhode island would probably not have to pay for roads and bridges, which we have already paid for in our taxes, and the federal government is not adequately funding the programs that its created. So thats a problem. In contrast, that 340 billion through the 20 cent increase that i testified about, that is on average 100 per motorist, per year, for all roads and bridges to the country. So by adding a little bit to the cost of fuel, you could make an investment in the quality of roads that would save far more than the motorist would experience from paying that added price in savings to them in wear and tear and damage and delay in their vehicles . Absolutely. That 100 extra from the 20 cent tax gives you all 340 billion in new revenue in the first 10 years for roads and ridbridges. You got out here to i66, theyre now hitting you at 44 just to go a few miles. Youve almost paid half of what youve paid for a year on the taxation were talking about on all roads and bridges. We have seen a lot of freight go through rhode island and in and out of rhode island by rail a and it goes in and out by highway, 95 goes right along the coast through rhode island. In sandy, we saw 95 closed because it was flooded and we have seen flooding of the amtrak rail system, particularly in connecticut, its very, very high risk from Sea Level Rise and from storm surge. Let me ask you guys, how alert do we need to be to the Sea Level Rise and storm surge effects on coastal infrastructure . Chris or mark . Go ahead, mr. Spear, let me ask you first. Its certainly a concern. As infrastructure ages, youve got to maintain it, but you also have to add to it. The economy demands it. The demands that are on our industry if theres new risks, we should prepare for the new risks . As freight increases, you have to add infrastructure. Theres no way that you can look at the statement that you just stated and say that we wont be prepared, we have to be prepared. Let me turn to our Ports Authority representative. And let me thank you for the port authoritys support for the marine Planning Efforts that help keep our ports efficient. And i would like to have their letter made an exhibit in this proceeding if i may. Without objection. Mr. Thomas, what we have heard from Norfolk Naval station is that Sea Level Rise is r paralyzing that its an economic ecosystem and the military is now predicting that Norfolk Naval station may be out of business in just a few decades. Whats the lesson for us for our commercial ports like yours . Thank you for that question, and in the recognition with the napa, i was just able to attend the annual napa meeting and its all their radar screens. We have come up with a port resiliency for Climate Change that contains a 2010 vulnerability for all of our infrastructures. So currently all of our infrastructures we build right now, we have raised it two feet above current elevations, our newest automobile taking into consideration what the studies are showing us with Sea Level Rise, its a real thing. At our marine terminal, we have three bursts there that were going to raise to 10 feet. You can raise the birth to 10 feet, what happens behind it. Those are the things were struggling with now. It we have a couple of strategies. We are constructing storm water vaults. If you want to fill out your answer a little bit further, i more than welcome you do it in writing, but were now a minute over, and there are other colleagues waiting, so if you forgive me, ill defer to my other colleagues. Thank you. Thank you, senator. Senator shelby. First i would like the bioof tim parker to be entered as part of the record . Without objection. I believe that the infrastructure, the ports, the intermodal centers, the river systems, the lockes, everything that goes with it, our highways, are at a critical time that we have got to do something here in the congress about. If we dont, were going to cripple our economy, i believe down the road. You have to move things, everybody here knows this. Youve got to move freight. Its the key to it, whether its through the oceans, our ports, through the river system, through the trucks,through the railroads, it works together. Mr. Chairman, i believe and i have talked to you about this before and a lot of them. This is ripe for a bipartisan infrastructure bill. Its going to cost money. And we got to figure it out and we cant think small, we have got to think big, as chairman inhoff has over the years. Let me interrupt you at this point and share what i have shared with you with this committee. We have already been doing this. I know. Over to the democrats side we have had private meetings on the floor and we have been successful in the past. Absolutely. And not just in these areas as well as the water bills. Its ripe for a bipartisan push right now, i believe, mr. Chairman. So i would like to focus, im very interested in the port of baltimore, which is very important and we heard senator carden and thomas talking about. Youre 50 feet deep right now, is that right . Yes, sir. Thats about optimum. Mobile in alabama, we have 45 feet, if we go to 50, well be one of the deepest ports on the gulf. And everybody knows, and you spoke for that, what that means for the port, what it means for baltimore on the east coast and what it could mean for mobile, alabama, which is a busy port, moving toward more and more like the freight of the world container, we used to be mainly a commodity, shipping commodities in and out, and we still do that, most ports do, but mr. Parker, whats your observation, youve been chairman of the port authority, youve been in the you and your family have been in the barge business a long time, transportation on water, you speak for the water council. How important is the modernization, all of it, highways, but speaking of the port of mobile, to the southeast and to the state of alabama . Senator, it is critical as you can imagine, not only for our balance and trade deficits, keeping our products moving, and our manufacturing plants, youre a champion of the port of mobile, as all ports do, deeper drafts means lower Ocean Freight rates, more competitive products moving in and out so i applaud you for what youve done and keep pushing in that direction and get a deeper channel. On behalf of the truckers association, i know a lot of your remarks have been spot on. Whether its rhode island, whether its alabama, whether its new york, whether its california, were facing the same challenges, are we not, sir . Absolutely, senator, mobile, baltimore, i was just at the new Jersey Port Authority giving a talk and we talked about how they have deepened and moderned sized. Its more efficient, but if you cant move the boxes off the trucks, just to illustrate that it doesnt stop right there, those trucks, those rails, those things go well beyond that port into many states and the economy reflects that, the price of goods that we pay for reflect that so it is absolutely paramount to invest. The health of the economy is based on efficiency in the market place, isnt it . Yes, sir. And so important to moving goods and services. Thank you all of you, i think we have gotten something out of this, im a Junior Member of this committee, im on a lot of others, i came on this committee because i believe that were going to do an infrastructure bill, we need it desperately and i want to work with the chairman and the ranking on all of this, we have got to do it and we have got to do it soon, havent we, senator . Yes, sir, senator. I thank the chairman Ranking Member for having this hearing and i would like to thank our witnesses in helping us understand few states play a greater role in our National Freight system than my home state of illinois. It is the epicenter of our rail network and our inland water ways system. To compete in a global marketplace we must consider our infrastructure system as a competitive advantage, unfortunately this advantage is rapidly eroding. Broadly speaking, do you agree with the American Society of Civil Engineers that the United States has somewhere in the ballpark of 2 trillion in Infrastructure Investment gap over the next ten years . Not only do i agree with it, but i wish that people would shout it from the rooftops over and over again. It it is a driving force, the need is so great. We cant look the other way, and comments that senator shelby made about a bipartisan approach. Its very important to the country that we do this, not just economically involving this problem, but the idea that congress can come together and address such an important issue that has such a direct impact on jobs is something that we cannot just turn from. The steps that this committee has made and congress has made to put freight forward have been dramatic and very important. But our job isnt done. People often say, well, we have to do more in freight because there will be 70 more million americans by the year 2045. Well, there will be 2 billion more people on this earth in 2045 and those people will be residing in countries and economies that will be competing for our jobs, for our income, so the idea that we have a short fall in how we fund our freight program, how we fund our highways and our ports is a dramatic statistic and we cannot look away from it because literally freight is the future. Thank you. Thank you. I couldnt agree with you more. Mr. Parker, with that 2 trillion gap, would you agree that our inland water way system requires somewhere around 110 billion over ten years to rebuild our lockes, levies and dams . These are fuel taxes that we pay, we would generate about 110 million, 115 million per year, but if we get the policy change were talking about, we would get a 400 million per year, which would go a long way to getting our older lockes and dams modernized and we keep the state of illinois competitive in world markets. I couldnt agree more, we had bumper crops the last several years in illinois, but the southeast United States bought corn and soy bean from brazil because they could get their crops into the United States faster than we could move it down to the gulf coast. The a fax cut that is geared toward larger corporations and the wealthy. I hope we can see a plan the president s allies prioritized the trickle down shell game through building up the middle class through Infrastructure Investment. And this to me is a really disturbing trend. Mr. Spear, you suggest that the president s bug, a road map of his policy priorities that cuts 150 billion from transportation spending is misguided as it relates to Infrastructure Investment. I wouldnt go as far as to say its misguided. We go big, we go bold, and were already paying half the tab as a trucking industry, and were only 4 of the vehicles on the road. When youre moving 70 of the straight in this country, thats our backyards, having good roads and bridges decreases maintenance costs. The lack of funding coming down to the states and localities and to address all the modes and to address the economic demand, states are picking up the slack, and theyre doing a lot of things that are instructive to our industry, they impede our ability to grow and to serve commerce in the way they would expect. During the campaign President Trump repeatedly suggested that repatriating overseas capital those revenues were exclusively used to buy down the Corporate Tax rate in this new tax bill and zero repatriated dollars would actually be set aside for infrastructure. Theres about a trillion there. The republican tax cut provided a loophole that would allow Hedge Fund Managers which President Trump repeatedly pledged to eliminate. Responsible reforms that close this loophole would generate what we need to modernize every locke twice. Cuts that will hurt illinois families and businesses. So let me just sum rise, despite all the rhetoric, the president and his allies did nothing to plan for Infrastructure Investments and their budgets, in fact they cut infrastructure by almost 2 billion, their tax cut does nothing to build up infrastructure, and now the president wants to pay for it on the backs of hard working illinois families while giving handouts to wall street. This 4 million jobs rely on our transportation network. We need to roll up our sleeves and figure out how to grow our economy, because countries like japan and china are making these investments and we are not. And so were going to get left behind when we should be dominating the world. And ill yield back. My partner in the mccullen knave gag way. Very much, and speaking of that, the senator inhoff mentioned the importance of that system and the wear and tear on the lockes and dams and hes been a tremendous champion and we really do appreciate. The state of arkansas really does appreciate your leadership in that area. Sometimes i dont think were very smart in the way that we do things. Arkansas now has a 9foot channel, we would very much like to go to 12 feet, we can do that with a relatively inexpensive expenditure. Certainly that would make less openings, less wear and tear on the lockes and dams and since you can carry about 40 more product on the same barge. Can you talk a little bit about that, just the importance of really thinking through these things, the importance of trying to get a situation where we can take the dollars that we have and spend those most efficiently. Well, youre absolutely right, senator, a more efficient system, whether it is loading barges deeper, or bigger lockes or more efficient lockes that are less down for maintenance, that will make the whole freight cost, american agriculture, our industrial plants, steel mills, coal mines more competitive in the markets they have to serve, so theres a lot we can do, and i appreciate the commitment this committee has, and if we can initiate policy changes we talked about this morning, imconvinced that we can manage these projects and effectively move this country forward. I was going to talk about the importance of the intermodal system. And the good news is you have heard from every member of the panel regarding that, democrats and republicans are united in getting a system and its important that they Work Together and that its so, so important to our economy. Mr. Spear tell us about lets talk about some specific things, i understand now that theres a significant shortage in Truck Parking spaces. Can you talk a little bit about that and if theres anything that we can help you with in that regard, or whats the solution . There is a shortage and within the last five to seven years we have begun to do a lot of research to capture the problem and its reflected on the lack of investment in our infrastructure. While were maintaining a lot of the infrastructure, were notin were also adding a lot of environme requirements on our industry, so you have drivers, which is good, to have to pull off on to shoulders in undesignated spaces, putting other people on the roads at jeopardy. Were requiring these drivers to be rested. So its a reflection, its a regulation, its indirect, but it has an impact on our industry and the movement of freight. Because were not investing to expand infrastructure, this is what you get. Very good. You mentioned increase in the future tax as a pay for. Have you got any other ideas besides that that we could delve into . Yeah, we definitely do. In the written testimony, i go into greater detail, but registration fees, states already collect them, so theres a very low administrative burden, thats 29 billi 29 bill new moneys you would receive. And we look for other ways to work with congress and other modes to raise revenue, particularly for connectivity. We put some criteria in the testimony, you know, to be certain that its consistent, whatever policy, to make certain that its inexpensive, to pay and collect, that it has a low evasion rate, that it be tied to highway use, not diverted to other causes, especially if were paying into it. Thats a sensitive point with our industry. And avoiding creating impediments to our interstate commerce. We would entertain any proposal that Congress Puts on the table, meeting those criterias we would shape our support around that. We recognize that the infrastructure is antiquated, and in ten years, its not going to capture the environment were in. So we could challenge congress to look beyond a 10year bill, and Start Talking about now, what are we going to do to collect fees to fund future instra structure, youre going to have a lot more hybrids, a lot more fuel efficient vehicles coming on the road. So we would look, you know, work with you to identify new means to raise revenue, but our build america fund is our centerpiece and we think its the weiisest, most Cost Effective to put money into roads and bridges immediately. Very quickly, mr. Parker, we went without the big Water Resources bill from 2007 to 2014, can you talk about the importance of getting the water bills done on a twoyear cycle, so that we dont get ourselves in that situation again . Thank you, senator, yes, i think its critically important if we were not constantly playing catch up, we stay ahead of the curve, we do the problem planning, the studies, the chief report done so i think that twoyear cycle is critical in this whole process so we can look ahead and adapt to the changes and just not playing behind the curve, so to speak. Right. Thank you mr. Chairman. Thank you mr. Chairman. Mr. Spear, i would like to ask you some questions relating to an important safety issue ive been working on preventing truck under ride crashings, an under ride crash is when a car slips under a a cars safety features are not able to protect passengers because most of the car slides under the trailer and the truck crashes straightthroustraight through the windows and into passengers, the passengers in the car often suffer severe head and neck injuries including decapitation on impact with the truck. These stent caccidents are fata at low speeds, this year four people were killed when their car went under a fan ker. Two cars crashed into the truck and continue to slide under the truck, all four people were pronounced dead at the scene. I recently introduced a bill for trailers to be fitted with under ride guards, are you aware that the National Transportation safety board has recommended that the trucks be equipped with side guards and rear guards since 2014 . Yes, maam. And are you aware that the National Transportation safety board have required to put under rail guys, because. I am, senator. And are you aware that the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety produced a acceptable side under ride guard at 40 miles an hour . Yes, maam. Make it easier for the industry to add the safety measure . Most definitely, senator. And do you think this is a safety measure we should push forward with . I wouldnt dismiss it. And i applaud you, one fatality is too many. 40,000 a year is just inexcusable. We need to be doing more. One area that i would ask that you press nitsa on a dot is to speed up their analysis of this and report back the added weight of the under ride guard to be sure that it does not compromise the integrity of the trailer itself. Were talking 80,000 pounds in these trailers, youre adding more weight underneath it, you dont want to be trying to solve a safety problem by creating another one. I would very much like to have that report, that data back that validates that the added weight of the under guards would not compromise the integrity of the trailer itself. I think the weights not that much. I think its about 800 pounds a panel. So relatively to the overall weight, its not a lot. And from what i understand the only opposition is it just means they carry less freight. Its putting money ahead of safety. And it would also add to the cost of the requirement. If youre saying that we have to reduce freight to pay for the added weight of the under guards, that is going to be a massive figure, were talking millions of trailers, thats a big number. So i think the exemption is well taken but if cost is the only issue, those are the kinds of Things Congress can address. Im saying that the added weight, making certain it does not compromise the integrity of the trailer, if its not a problem, then why not report on it . Separate topic, with regard to Highway Infrastructure, leasing Highway Infrastructure to private entities, in your opinion who would benefit from selling or leasing our highway or infrastructure to private entities. Thats really hard to say, certainly not my history and certainly not the American People. Were 7. 4 million strong. One in 16 jobs in the u. S. And were the top job in 29 states, were paying half the tab into the trust fund and were moving 70 of the freight. If we did the 20 cents on the gallon, thats 340 billion in extra money that you all can spend on these priorities, on the great framework that you put together. Were paying half the tab and were willing to pay more. I think that is the best means of doing it. We believe that tolling, particularly on existing roads and bridges, these schemes are extortion. Theyre double dipping. Were happy to pay more and were offering it up here, i would recommend that you take that thats a good deal. Thank you, thank you mr. Chairman. Thank you, senator, and senator carden, do you have any further comments to make . I just want to thank the panel, i think this has been an extremely important hearing and i just would underscore the point that senator shelby made and i think our witnesses that we have got to find a bipartisan way to get the revenues we need in a package that will allowi a infrastructure in this country. I can remember during the last year, or the year before last, we would have our meetings and i would report on what this committees doing, i would always say, now from the committee that really does things, and were going to continue to be the committee that really does things. Its been very helpful to have all of you, your input in this committee. We thank you very much for coming. Join us later today when the American Constitution Society looks at the judicial nominations process in the trump administration. Live coverage starts at 6 15 p. M. Eastern on our companion network, cspan. Watch cspans profile series on White House Administration officials. This week well feature Energy Secretary rick perry. Today as we market u. S. Produced liquefied natural gas, lng, as we sell our technology on carbon capture, being able to use coal in a responsible way to other countries, the department of energy, those National Labs, those 17 National Labs are probably some of the best investment that the american taxpayer made over the course of the years because of the basic research that was done there and then the commercialization of that research to change peoples lives. Rick perry, friday night at 8 00 eastern on cspan, cspan. Org and with the free cspan radio app. This weekend on American History tv, on cspan3, saturday at 8 00 p. M. Eastern, lectures on history, Legendary College Professor James broussard on the leadup to the american revolution. We had a tax on the things the colonists imported, paper, tea, lead, big surprise, more outrage, more anger, and more fear. Sunday at 4 00 p. M. On real america. He learns techniques to sustain himself in distant reaches of the jungle, or an arctic waste land, above all he knows the ultimate challenge, adjust or die. On american artifacts, a preview of collections from the Artifacts Museum set to open next year. Arthur lee who was americas first diplomat conducted these the two treaties and this treaty of commerce granted france most favored trading nation status. And the french were very excited to get into that economic trading war with Great Britain after the war was over, and this treaty would remain in effect for several years afterwards. American history tv, every weekend on cspan3. Virginia democratic government Terry Mcauliffe who is term limited delivered his final state of th