Works committee. Its about two hours. I call this hearing to order. Todays hearing is about the need for this committee to draft and to pass a bipartisan Highway Infrastructure bill. Both Ranking Member carpers staff and my staff have been working on drafting this legislation along with all of the members of this committee. We appreciate all the input we received from our home states, from our fellow members and from transportation stakeholders. Its our shared goal to advance a bill out of the committee this summer. That means the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee will be first out of the gate to pass a Highway Infrastructure bill. This is appropriate given the history of bipartisan efforts to pass previous surface as far as surface transportation bills. Chef crumbling roads and bridges and they need to replaced. Projected population growth and existing congestion require states to build new capacity to meet future needs. Our economy is built upon a well functioning road system that allows products from rural areas to get to our population centers. Americas workforce uses highways to to get to the office, factory or to the farm. In 2015 the u. S. Transportation system moved a daily average of about 49 million tons of freight that was worth more than 52 billion. Thats a daily average. Annually thats around 18 billion tons of freight valued at over 19 trillion. And these numbers are going up. According to the department of transportation by 2045 our aging roads and bridges will carry an additional 4 billion tons of freight annually. Our nations highways need to keep pace. The authorization of the highway the federal highway funding will expire in september of next year. And the Congressional Budget Office projects the Highway Trust Fund will become insolvent sometime in 2021. Our bridges and roads are in need of serious investment. Im working with Ranking Member carper to advance the most substantial bipartisan highway bill ever passed by congress. We lange with the other members of the committee are working to pass a fiveyear Highway Infrastructure bill to fix our roads, our bridges and our highways. If we could fallout pass a longterm surface transportation bill and instead pass a series of shortterm extensions we will undermine our states abilities to plan for these challenges. Its not a good option. We have an obligation to get this done. Our Highway Infrastructure legislation will be for all of america. It will ensure both rural and urban areas have access to funding. That means maintaining each states share of highway formula funding. Formula funding gives each state the flexibility that they need to address specific surface transportation needs. Maintaining the federal Highway Programs current approach of distributing over 90 of the funds for the states by formula is the key to this. Using the formulabased approach expedited the delivery of Highway Infrastructure spending. So states get the funds they need faster its a proven approach that work for everyone and should be continued. Our bill will speed project delivery through streamlining by Cutting Washington red tape highway projects can get done better, faster, cheaper and smarter. In our legislation we must reduce the time it takes for federal permitting. We need to lower paperwork burdens on states and incorporate innovative construction approaches and other technologies. In will be the most substantial highway bill ever passed by congress, and it needs to be paid for. The Environment Public Works Committee doesnt have jurisdiction over revenues for the highway bill. Ranking member carper and i are working with other members to find ways to responsibly pay for the legislation. I believe highways should be paid for by users. Im committed to making sure that everyone who uses the roads contribute to maintaining and improving them. That must include electric vehicles and other alternative fuel vehicles which will become an increasing share of the cars on road. We will also work with other surface transportation committees including the commerce and banking committees to include their input in the legislation as we move to the senate floor. Im thankful to Ranking Member carper for his partnership and look forward to kinning to Work Together with him in a bipartisan way to pass a Surface Transportation Infrastructure bill. A bill that will grow americas economy, will improve the safety of ruds and enhance quality of life for the american people. Id like to recognize senator carper for his opening remarks. Mr. Chairman thank you for your kind words. And to our witnesses not that you know this this is the committee one of thegys of serving in the senate you think all we do is fight with one another. Actually we Work Together pretty well too. And we try to really set an example in this committee to our colleagues both in the senate and house. I think thats what the people of our 49 states plus the its what they want and its a joy to work chairman with barrasso and his staff and ben and our colleagues were happy here. Thank you for coming today. Some of you came on fairly short notice and were grateful for that especially. But its an honor to be joined by a panel as distinguished as the five of you. And i want to especially contend a warm welcome to my seat meat on the drain train from dwir. Carolann wicks the our transportation secretary for a a number of years. A 28 career year cereal and at dell gof but welcome especially. Its my hope today that our conversation will serve to inform the committees ongoing work as we proceed with negotiating the reauthorization of nations surface Transportation Program. And i want to begin by sharing why i believe this particular reauthorization is so important. This last week we sbrited 243rd anniversary of the signing of our nations declaration of independence. 243 years. I remember that day. But not really. A day on which our Founding Fathers asserted americans inalienable rights. And i think the three rights with the work we do on this committee because americans cannot be guaranteed life, liberty or the pursuit of happiness without clean air to breath or safe water to drink. And the fact is americans cannot truly noinl life liberty or pursuit of happiness wutt a safe Transportation System that nurt urs our economy protects our environment and enhances mobility. Over the fourth of july Holiday Weekend some 49 million americans traveled on roads highways and bridges to head for the beaches. Mountain trails. Visit loved ones or visit and celebrate our nations history. They visited all of our states. Some of them made it the 49th largest state in the u. S. Thats us to enjoy our five star beaches and pg shopping and more. Oerps traf traveled to yellow stone to denll National Park in alaska and to the grand canyon to experience some of the nations many natural wonders. And wherever whatever the destination, wherever the destination thes trips had one thing in common. Almost all of us relied on a nations Transportation Systems to get us to the destinations. Hopefully most travelers found the roads and bridges they traveled on smooth and uncongested. They were able to arrive safely at distinction on time. But unfortunately that was not always the case. Based on data from previous years we know roughly 600 people died over the Holiday Weekend as they navigated our road ways more than the total mep ship of the house and senate combined. We know as americans traveled over the holiday we released millions of tons of harmful Greenhouse Gas emissions contributing to our climate crisis. Emissions on Holiday Weekends are higher than usual due to increased traffic in some cities emissions three or four times the worse than average. While none of us travel with the goal of sitting in traffic, or getting into an accident or worsening Climate Change, so many of our roadways are so outdated they are in dangerous conditions or in desperate need of redestine that they are leading to outcomes that none of us want. Far travelers there are simply no low emission travel options available. Electric vehicles are an option but without a comprehensive National Network of electric vehicle charging infrastructure and other alternative fueling infrastructure in place many consumers lack the confidence needed to purchase the electric vehicles that can help us address our climate crisis. In order to address these challenges our committee began bipartisan work on the next reauthorization bill for the Transportation Program earlier this year as the chairman has said and im proud to say we made demonstrable progress thanks to the contributions of every member of the committee. Thanks to the leadership of senator barrasso our chairman as well as the hard work of staff members. We thank you all. As we undertaken thiswork we have recognized that we start with Transportation Programs that help us achieve many mobility goals but can be improved. I like to say everything we do i know we can do better. But particularly with respect to enhancing Climate Resilience reducing harmful emissions and reducing safety. For example, just this past week people in maryland, virginia, washington, d. C. , experienced record breaking rain and flash flooding. Nearly 4 inches of rain fell in one hour right here. Water began seeping into the white house and all kinds of building shallwaying out roads flooding transit sigss creating sink holes. Some roads im told remain impassible. Not far from here alcott city maryland with stood two one thousand years floods. Weve had two of those in the 18 month period in nearby city. But earlier this year communities across nebraska, iowa and missouri other parts of the midwest experienced unprecedented flooding destroying bridges and dams and levees. One in missouri was flooded with 15 feet of water. 11 states reporting enormous wildfires including in alaska where 700,000 acres have burned this month. Thats an area almost the size of rhode island. Our nation scientists tell us Climate Change left unchecked means more frequent and intense storms, record breaking rainfalls bomb cyclones and wildfires the size of even larger states. Smart planning, and targeted investment in the resiliency of our nations infrastructure will ensure that roadways can better withstand the worsening effects of Climate Change. This will save american taxpayers untold billions by allowing us to avoid rebuilding the same Infrastructure Projects again and again after Severe Weather events. At the same time Smart Investments in electric charging and low emission alternative fueling infrastructure will provide travelers with better choice of traveling to visit loved ones doesnt come at the expense of our climate. So its also essential we make the safety of the road wayways a top priority. More than 37,000 people die on the roads each year. They are our friends and our neighbors and our constituents. We can do better than that. A lot better than that. Especially for the bicyclists and pedestrians sadly a growing smar of the deaths we witness in all states. I may also note its imperative we better shenz that the roads and Transportation Systems we destine and build today will meet the travel and commerce needs of the future. That includes integrating new technology, so that the advanced vehicles increasingly automated will be able to operate safely on the roads in the future. And finally i always believed that a longterm focus ever National Needs must include sustainable user fee based revenues to support investments into transportation, as the chairman suggested. In closing these are some of the important issues where i believe this committee can find bipartisan agreement. And in doing so lead by example for other committees who will be responsible for developing other titles of a major surface transportation reauthorization. The work that we do on this committee is of critical importance to the people of our country. None is more important than work we focus on today. The people we privileged are or are privileged to represent are counting on us lets show them we are up to the challenge by doing our part and by helping to restore surface Transportation Programs solvency so that we can keep that promise of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness on which our nation was founded. Thank you. Thank you, senator carper. Just for our friends in the audience as well as the witnesses we have a series of three votes this morning starting at 11 00. So members youll see coming and going but there is great interest in the hearing. Youll see some that have commotion up here. We apologize for that with you but we will continue the hearing throughout this as different people chair the Committee Meeting so youll continue uninterrupted in your testimony and questioning. Before we hear from witnesses i want to take a moment to welcome to the committee luke reiner, the director of the wyoming department of transportation. Luke was appointed the 18th director of the department of transportation this march of this year. He recently retired as the adjunct general for wyoming for our national guard. In that role he directed the wyoming military department in cheyenne where he was responsible for formulating, developing and coordinating all policies all plans and programs that affected more than 3,000 army and air natural guard members. Director reiner served as a commander of a camp in kuwait during Operation Iraqi freedom 2 and commanded the wyoming army narm National Guards 115th fire brigd. He has extensive educational background including an accounting degree and a masters of Public Administration degree interest from the university of wyoming. Director reiner i want to thank you for your service to our question country and for everything you are doing for the people of wyoming. Thank you for being here to testify today. And i now would like to call on senator karper to introduce a witness from delaware. Thank you. Mr. Chairman id ask that her biowhich we have part of our record be included as part of our record for carolann wicks. I had the privilege of not just riding on the train from the wilmington with former secretary bup to have known her and to call her my friend for gosh over three decades. And i will just briefly mention she grew up in delaware. Educated in delaware. Delaware Civil Engineer as i recall went to work at dell dot served 28 years. I call her the zyrena of bicycling rufrlgs it used to be not a dwood biking greenway state were among the best started with her early involvement. She wanted it to become our dell dot secretary and serve with distinction. If you are on i95 thats a big part of what she did. We surfaced i95 shut down i95 the year i ran for u. S. Sfat and still won. Still won. People said have you lost your mind . She ran that project. We resurfaced i95 both ways. The built the state one. And you name it she was involved. The River Front Development of the river front if you come through wilmington on the train look out the sweeds and finns landed in america 380 years ago. That transformation was one she worked on. A million different projects. Went on to become a the partner and still helps out in a variety of ways. Lives on a farm very successful family farm in middle part of our state. And we are delighted she is here thank you have vem very much carolann for joining us. And in addition to those distinguish guesses we have carlos, and the executive director of the utah dch of transportation. And max cuney the president of max j. Cuney company testifying on behalf of associated general contractors of america. And the executive director of georgetown climate center, vicki arroyo, i agree growth you all welcome you here. Mr. Chairman of if carlos keeps come back again and again we have to the put him on the payroll. He is a frequent flier when it comes to this committee. Id like to remind the witnesses that your full written testimony will be made part of the official hearing record. Please try to keep statements to five minutes so we have time for questions. Look forward to hearing testimony from each of you. Beginning with mr. Reiner. Thank you chairman barrasso, Ranking Member carper and members of the committee. Good morning my name is luke reiner. And i am privileged to be the director of the wyoming department of transportation. Chairman thank you for that very kind introduction. And on behalf of the women serving in uniform thank you for your solid and consistent support of them and thank you for support of transportation as well, yeah. I am pleased to report to you that the transportation departments much idaho, montana, north and south dakota have joined in our written statement today. We do wish to commend you mr. Chairman and Ranking Member carper for your hard and very timely work on needed reauthorization legislation. We applaud your effort to move legislation through the committee. In terms of our rura