Transcripts For CSPAN3 Hearing On COVID-19 Impact On Transpo

Good afternoon. The committee will come to order. The today the committee convenes for a hearing on the state of transportation and Critical Infrastructure examining the impact of the covid19 pandemic. I welcome our panel of witnesses and thank them for participating. Today we will hear from mr. John bazella, president and ceo, alliance for automotive innovation. Mr. Randy gill yot, chairman of the board, American Trucking associations. Mr. Ian jeffries, president and ceo association of american railroads. Mr. Alex oler, interim president and ceo interstate Natural Gas Association of america. And mr. Larry willis, president Transportation Trades Department aflcio. Thank you all for being here. I understand, mr. Gilliot is testifying remotely. Welcome to each and every one of you. The committee has conducted several oversight hearings on quid pro quo 19 including a comprehensive look at the aviation industry. We are considering the impact of the covid19 virus on surface transportation and its Critical Infrastructure employees. The pandemic has underscored the importance of our Transportation Network in moving goods and people safely and efficiently as well as insuring supply chain fluidity in response to the unexpected events. We are grateful for the many front line workers who have shown remarkable resilience and resourcefulness to help deliver critical care, services, and supplies to those in need. The transportation sector has countless numbers of these unsung heroes. Ranking member cantwell and i recently introduced the Critical Infrastructure employees protection act along with senators sullivan and young to provide support for our front line Critical Infrastructure employees. The bill would direct the department of transportation to coordinate with the centers for Disease Control and prevention and the federal Emergency Management agency to support state and local governments in making sure that Critical Infrastructure employees have access to testing and personal protective equipment. The covid19 crisis has had dramatic effects on the transportation sector. U. S. Rail traffic has seen some of the weakest levels since the great recession. The American Trucking associations for hire truck tonnage index dropped 12. 2 in april. Automotive production reached its lowest level since world war ii. In mississippi we saw the closure of auto and truck manufacturing plants, affecting thousands of employees and families. Yet in the face of adversity, our Transportation Network and its hard working employees persevered. During the pandemic some automakers have been producing vent lators, and they continue to do so as they reopen manufacturing plants. Freight railroads prioritized movement of essential materials to manufacturers who are making protective gear for hospital staff. Truck drivers have continued delivering goods to hospitals, markets and hopes. And pipeline employees have ensured their operations keep our homes, businesses and hospitals running. The transportation sector has also embraced technology in responding to covid19. We have seen the use of Automated Vehicle systems and ride haling vehicles to deliver food to front line workers and transport medical supplies and testing equipment. The u. S. Dot has worked diligently through emergency actions stake holder guidance and regulatory relief. The cars act provided help to amtrak, aviation, and strans it. We included languages to give states flexibility on Highway Safety grants and two weeks ago the committee passed legislation which Ranking Member cantwell and i introduced with other senators that would give states flex. On their use of federal funds for commercial Motor Vehicle safety activities. Todays hearing provides an opportunity for witnesses to discuss how covid19 has affected the transportation sector, including its employees and customers, and further to discuss how congress can support these efforts. I would ask our witnesses to describe the work of their members to provide Critical Services throughout this crisis and how they see transportation policy being affected as our nation begins to move forward. This hearing highlights only a few elements of the transportation sector to gain additional insight ranki member cantwell and i are sending a letter to other transportation groups to solicit their feedback as well. Again, i would like to thank our witnesses for participating in this hearing as well as the entire transportation sector. And their workers for their response to this pandemic. I now recognize my dear friend and Ranking Member senator cantwell for her comments. Thank you, mr. Chairman, thank you for holding this hearing on the state of our Critical Infrastructure. And thank you for the witnesses to be here to give testimony on these issues. Our front line workers have been tirelessly, woulding to help contain and mitigate the spread of the virus and to keep america functioning with your critical areas like health care, infrastructure, transportation, i am glad to hear from you today about these issues. Transportation workers in particular have been critical for getting people to and from work, getting life saving goods out to hospitals and to First Responders, transportation workers have also kept food moving to our supply system, to our kitchen tables, and they have spokd our stores with stocked our stores with intention goods. Those workers have put themselves in harms way on a daily basis to try to keep America Running during this pandemic. Unfortuna unfortunately, we have lost these transportation workers and our families have been impacted. I want to bring one to mind. Is a mena drove a bus in king county and leaves behind a husband and was also a bus driver with three children. My heart goes out to her and her family and the loved ones that are impacted by this. Weve held a hearing recently on how our airports and airlines were doing as it related to Public Health. And we heard from dr. God win of the university of washington about the need for guidelines. We sent a letter to then the task force for the covid19 crisis, Vice President pence, and to secretary chow and to other members asking for guidelines. I think they still have not been issued and i am not sure they are going to be issued, which i think is a mistake. Guidelines can help us move forward, help us put the right Safety Measures in place so our economy can move forward. Our colleagues also last month as the chairman was saying introduced the Critical Infrastructure employee protection act. I was glad to join chairman wicker on this bill. And this bill would direct the federal government to direct states in prioritizing testing and access personnel protective equipment to those people on the front line that includes firefighters in my state. One thing that has gotten left out in the ppe funding were the firefighters. You wouldnt think they would, but they have. It is weird because they are essential in transporting individuals from our nursing home facilities into hospitals and we have a high, high number of deaths occur in nursing homes. That transport is deny by firefighters. And they deserve access to this personal protection equipment. I am also pleased to cosponsor the senator blumenthal essential transportation employees safety act. It would require passengers and Freight Transportation Companies to abide by the cdc guidelines including mandatory cleaning, disinfecting areas and provisions of ppe the our front line workers. I also want to thank larry willis for being here and speaking on behalf of millions of transportation workers who are also on the front lines of this pandemic and delivering service. The transportation sector has been critically impacted. And the covid19 pandemic has turned our transportation trade into a mere small impact of what it was before. So, again, i believe that if we want to get this right, having good guidelines continuing to open the prospects for not just the movement of people, but freight capacity, our shipping vessels, and moving forward so commerce can continue is really important. I also want to mention that having the right personal protective equipment is critical. Vin tech life systems a Company Based in washington, partnered with automotive gm to increase the production of ventilators. Other auto workers have been producing masks and shields as well as the boeing company has been producing shields. So these efforts of front line workers to help us produce the products that we need to keep safe as the pandemic continues is also something we should talk about because as we see those transportation sectors moving or having people not fully employed, thinking about what we can do to use their talents and helping us get this product of security of ppe right in the supply chain i think is a national priority. We need to to more to continue to reopen. I look forward to hearing the discussion and the impacts of these infrastructure areas today. A lot of the previous legislation focused on the Aviation Transportation sector. I am sure today we are going to hear about other infrastructure, not just transportation infrastructure, but broadband, hospitals, housing and education, should also be on the list. Again, mr. Chairman thank you very much. And look forward to hearing from our witnesses today. Thank you, senator cantwell. We will now move to our witnesses. Your entire testimony will be included in the record at this point. And we ask each of you to summarize for no more than five minutes. So thank you very much. And we will begin with mr. Bazella. Thank you, chairman wicker, Ranking Member cantwell and distinguished members of the committee. On behalf of the alliance of auto mobile innovation, imhere to talk to you about how the coronavirus has affected our industry and how we are responding. We are meeting during a time of great stress in our country as we watch what is happening following the deaths of george floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and Brionna Taylor we need to reaterm our commitment to justice and peace, to safe communities and to workplace where is we are all valued and respected. Recent events weigh heavily on us as we enter this hearing room today. The work force of the American Auto industry fully represents the diversity of our country and for generations the Auto Industry has been a powerful engine for Economic Advancement and mobility for americans of all races, creeds and backgrounds. The leaders of our Member Companies have spoken out with powerful words reiterating their values and emphasizing that racism and hate have no place in their organizations in our industry, in our society, we stand in solidarity against racism and advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion. Let me turn now to the topic of todays hearing, covid19. It will take months, if not years, to fully comprehend the toll the covid19 pandemic has inflicted on individuals, families, communities, the economy, and the nation. But i am proud of how the industry and the men and women we employ across the country have stepped up to this challenge. And they are counting on all of us to care just as deeply about the future of their industry. Following the great recession, the auto sectors strength was key to our national recovery. After seven years of growth, nearly 40,000 more americans work in our industry than when the recession began. Then the pandemic hit. In just weeks, strong Industry Sales in february dropped 33 in march, and nearly 50 in april. By then, and for the First Time Since world war ii, all major north american production facilities were idled. While the gears of Motor Vehicle ever inning ground to a halt, the Automotive Industry did not stop working. Instead our members continued to innovate. They redeployed supply chains. Leveraged purchasing networks and utilized their manufacturing prowess to make and debate medical devices and ppe to those on the battles frontlines as well as their own employees. Mobility companies deployed Automated Vehicles to provide contactless delivery of supplies and meals to individuals and communities in need. They have contributed and retrofitted vehicles to provide transportation for Health Care Workers and community members. The contributions of auto innovators Member Companies underscore why Motor Vehicle manufacturing and associated supply chains are designated Critical Infrastructure. Today i shared with the committee a list of those contributions in response to a may 12 letter from the chairman. I would ask they be submitted for the record. These are a few examples of hundreds across the industry and behind each are the incredible stories of the men and women, the amazing ingenuity and the collective spirit that made them possible. As we speak, production facilities and suppliers are responsibly resuming operations, but it is not business as usual. Over the past two months, our companies have worked closely with Public Health authorities, collaborated with Industry Partners and observed Lessons Learned from around the globe to develop a broad range of precaution. The industry is bringing sly chains back to life. This requires extensive collaboration among suppliers, the states and trading partners such as mexico and canada to facilitate a safe and viable restart to automobile production. We must be prepared to adapt and evolve to protect our employees, customers, and suppliers. There is still a high degree of uncertainty when it comes to supply base, Consumer Confidence in the overall economy. Before the Public Health crisis analysts were projecting 2020 sales of almost 17 million units. Current market predictions suggest we wont reach those levels until 2023. Fairly optimistic assumptions of a 14 million unit year this year could result in job losses of 100,000 and result in 2 million jobs lost across the economy. We are working hard to avoid that. The reality is, absorbing covidrelated losses while investing in future technologies will be a challenge for the industry. Yet the comeback of the u. S. Auto industry from this crisis can once again draw a broader economic resurgence. I look forward to working with you as we find ourselves on the cusp of this transformative moment in the u. S. Auto manufacturing industry. Thank you, mr. Bazelli. You mentioned in your remarks an additional dukes which you asked to be included in the record. If it is if it can simply be attached to your written statement, without objection, it will be. Yes. Thank you. Admitted into the record at this point. And now, testifying remotely, is mr. Randy gilliat. You are welcome. Can you hear us . Yes, sir, i can. Thank you. Welcome. Thank you chairman wicker, Ranking Member cantwell, and members of the committee. My name is randy my name is randy gilead, and im the president of triple g express in jefferson, louisiana. It is my honor to speak to you as chairman of the American Trucking association. For seven years, ata remains the largest Trucking Industry representing the Trucking Industry. With affiliates in 38 estates our industry encompasses more than 35,000 Motor Carriers and suppliers representing the industry. Since the onset of the covid19 covid19 pandemic, the Trucking Industry has been thrust into the forefront of our national consciousness. While most productivity ground to a halt across the country, americas 3. 5 million professional Truck Drivers kept moving. These heroes kept serving on the front lines, ensuring that everyone has the good to get through these challenging times. Were hear to talk about the potential here of late as america wakes up to the gravity. Truckers are the difference between a fully stocked Grocery Store and one line with empty shelves. And thats why nurses and doctors have ppe to protect themselves. Their test kits in hot spots is for those to prevent the various to spread. The reysilience of these heroes perhaps the president said it best when he recently proclaimed from the south lawn of the white house, thank god for truckers. Beyond the trucker nation, lawmakers would be wise to look beyond our industry for answers. There are several answers why. First, as the crisis has illustrated, the health of our nation and the viability of our entire economy rests on the strength of the Trucking Industry. When our industry lacks the Critical Infrastructure<\/a> examining the impact of the covid19 pandemic. I welcome our panel of witnesses and thank them for participating. Today we will hear from mr. John bazella, president and ceo, alliance for automotive innovation. Mr. Randy gill yot, chairman of the board, American Trucking<\/a> associations. Mr. Ian jeffries, president and ceo association of american railroads. Mr. Alex oler, interim president and ceo interstate Natural Gas Association<\/a> of america. And mr. Larry willis, president Transportation Trades Department<\/a> aflcio. Thank you all for being here. I understand, mr. Gilliot is testifying remotely. Welcome to each and every one of you. The committee has conducted several oversight hearings on quid pro quo 19 including a comprehensive look at the aviation industry. We are considering the impact of the covid19 virus on surface transportation and its Critical Infrastructure<\/a> employees. The pandemic has underscored the importance of our Transportation Network<\/a> in moving goods and people safely and efficiently as well as insuring supply chain fluidity in response to the unexpected events. We are grateful for the many front line workers who have shown remarkable resilience and resourcefulness to help deliver critical care, services, and supplies to those in need. The transportation sector has countless numbers of these unsung heroes. Ranking member cantwell and i recently introduced the Critical Infrastructure<\/a> employees protection act along with senators sullivan and young to provide support for our front line Critical Infrastructure<\/a> employees. The bill would direct the department of transportation to coordinate with the centers for Disease Control<\/a> and prevention and the federal Emergency Management<\/a> agency to support state and local governments in making sure that Critical Infrastructure<\/a> employees have access to testing and personal protective equipment. The covid19 crisis has had dramatic effects on the transportation sector. U. S. Rail traffic has seen some of the weakest levels since the great recession. The American Trucking<\/a> associations for hire truck tonnage index dropped 12. 2 in april. Automotive production reached its lowest level since world war ii. In mississippi we saw the closure of auto and truck manufacturing plants, affecting thousands of employees and families. Yet in the face of adversity, our Transportation Network<\/a> and its hard working employees persevered. During the pandemic some automakers have been producing vent lators, and they continue to do so as they reopen manufacturing plants. Freight railroads prioritized movement of essential materials to manufacturers who are making protective gear for hospital staff. Truck drivers have continued delivering goods to hospitals, markets and hopes. And pipeline employees have ensured their operations keep our homes, businesses and hospitals running. The transportation sector has also embraced technology in responding to covid19. We have seen the use of Automated Vehicle<\/a> systems and ride haling vehicles to deliver food to front line workers and transport medical supplies and testing equipment. The u. S. Dot has worked diligently through emergency actions stake holder guidance and regulatory relief. The cars act provided help to amtrak, aviation, and strans it. We included languages to give states flexibility on Highway Safety<\/a> grants and two weeks ago the committee passed legislation which Ranking Member<\/a> cantwell and i introduced with other senators that would give states flex. On their use of federal funds for commercial Motor Vehicle<\/a> safety activities. Todays hearing provides an opportunity for witnesses to discuss how covid19 has affected the transportation sector, including its employees and customers, and further to discuss how congress can support these efforts. I would ask our witnesses to describe the work of their members to provide Critical Services<\/a> throughout this crisis and how they see transportation policy being affected as our nation begins to move forward. This hearing highlights only a few elements of the transportation sector to gain additional insight ranki member cantwell and i are sending a letter to other transportation groups to solicit their feedback as well. Again, i would like to thank our witnesses for participating in this hearing as well as the entire transportation sector. And their workers for their response to this pandemic. I now recognize my dear friend and Ranking Member<\/a> senator cantwell for her comments. Thank you, mr. Chairman, thank you for holding this hearing on the state of our Critical Infrastructure<\/a>. And thank you for the witnesses to be here to give testimony on these issues. Our front line workers have been tirelessly, woulding to help contain and mitigate the spread of the virus and to keep america functioning with your critical areas like health care, infrastructure, transportation, i am glad to hear from you today about these issues. Transportation workers in particular have been critical for getting people to and from work, getting life saving goods out to hospitals and to First Responders<\/a>, transportation workers have also kept food moving to our supply system, to our kitchen tables, and they have spokd our stores with stocked our stores with intention goods. Those workers have put themselves in harms way on a daily basis to try to keep America Running<\/a> during this pandemic. Unfortuna unfortunately, we have lost these transportation workers and our families have been impacted. I want to bring one to mind. Is a mena drove a bus in king county and leaves behind a husband and was also a bus driver with three children. My heart goes out to her and her family and the loved ones that are impacted by this. Weve held a hearing recently on how our airports and airlines were doing as it related to Public Health<\/a>. And we heard from dr. God win of the university of washington about the need for guidelines. We sent a letter to then the task force for the covid19 crisis, Vice President<\/a> pence, and to secretary chow and to other members asking for guidelines. I think they still have not been issued and i am not sure they are going to be issued, which i think is a mistake. Guidelines can help us move forward, help us put the right Safety Measures<\/a> in place so our economy can move forward. Our colleagues also last month as the chairman was saying introduced the Critical Infrastructure<\/a> employee protection act. I was glad to join chairman wicker on this bill. And this bill would direct the federal government to direct states in prioritizing testing and access personnel protective equipment to those people on the front line that includes firefighters in my state. One thing that has gotten left out in the ppe funding were the firefighters. You wouldnt think they would, but they have. It is weird because they are essential in transporting individuals from our nursing home facilities into hospitals and we have a high, high number of deaths occur in nursing homes. That transport is deny by firefighters. And they deserve access to this personal protection equipment. I am also pleased to cosponsor the senator blumenthal essential transportation employees safety act. It would require passengers and Freight Transportation Companies<\/a> to abide by the cdc guidelines including mandatory cleaning, disinfecting areas and provisions of ppe the our front line workers. I also want to thank larry willis for being here and speaking on behalf of millions of transportation workers who are also on the front lines of this pandemic and delivering service. The transportation sector has been critically impacted. And the covid19 pandemic has turned our transportation trade into a mere small impact of what it was before. So, again, i believe that if we want to get this right, having good guidelines continuing to open the prospects for not just the movement of people, but freight capacity, our shipping vessels, and moving forward so commerce can continue is really important. I also want to mention that having the right personal protective equipment is critical. Vin tech life systems a Company Based<\/a> in washington, partnered with automotive gm to increase the production of ventilators. Other auto workers have been producing masks and shields as well as the boeing company has been producing shields. So these efforts of front line workers to help us produce the products that we need to keep safe as the pandemic continues is also something we should talk about because as we see those transportation sectors moving or having people not fully employed, thinking about what we can do to use their talents and helping us get this product of security of ppe right in the supply chain i think is a national priority. We need to to more to continue to reopen. I look forward to hearing the discussion and the impacts of these infrastructure areas today. A lot of the previous legislation focused on the Aviation Transportation<\/a> sector. I am sure today we are going to hear about other infrastructure, not just transportation infrastructure, but broadband, hospitals, housing and education, should also be on the list. Again, mr. Chairman thank you very much. And look forward to hearing from our witnesses today. Thank you, senator cantwell. We will now move to our witnesses. Your entire testimony will be included in the record at this point. And we ask each of you to summarize for no more than five minutes. So thank you very much. And we will begin with mr. Bazella. Thank you, chairman wicker, Ranking Member<\/a> cantwell and distinguished members of the committee. On behalf of the alliance of auto mobile innovation, imhere to talk to you about how the coronavirus has affected our industry and how we are responding. We are meeting during a time of great stress in our country as we watch what is happening following the deaths of george floyd, Ahmaud Arbery<\/a> and Brionna Taylor<\/a> we need to reaterm our commitment to justice and peace, to safe communities and to workplace where is we are all valued and respected. Recent events weigh heavily on us as we enter this hearing room today. The work force of the American Auto<\/a> industry fully represents the diversity of our country and for generations the Auto Industry<\/a> has been a powerful engine for Economic Advancement<\/a> and mobility for americans of all races, creeds and backgrounds. The leaders of our Member Companies<\/a> have spoken out with powerful words reiterating their values and emphasizing that racism and hate have no place in their organizations in our industry, in our society, we stand in solidarity against racism and advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion. Let me turn now to the topic of todays hearing, covid19. It will take months, if not years, to fully comprehend the toll the covid19 pandemic has inflicted on individuals, families, communities, the economy, and the nation. But i am proud of how the industry and the men and women we employ across the country have stepped up to this challenge. And they are counting on all of us to care just as deeply about the future of their industry. Following the great recession, the auto sectors strength was key to our national recovery. After seven years of growth, nearly 40,000 more americans work in our industry than when the recession began. Then the pandemic hit. In just weeks, strong Industry Sales<\/a> in february dropped 33 in march, and nearly 50 in april. By then, and for the First Time Since<\/a> world war ii, all major north american production facilities were idled. While the gears of Motor Vehicle<\/a> ever inning ground to a halt, the Automotive Industry<\/a> did not stop working. Instead our members continued to innovate. They redeployed supply chains. Leveraged purchasing networks and utilized their manufacturing prowess to make and debate medical devices and ppe to those on the battles frontlines as well as their own employees. Mobility companies deployed Automated Vehicle<\/a>s to provide contactless delivery of supplies and meals to individuals and communities in need. They have contributed and retrofitted vehicles to provide transportation for Health Care Workers<\/a> and community members. The contributions of auto innovators Member Companies<\/a> underscore why Motor Vehicle<\/a> manufacturing and associated supply chains are designated Critical Infrastructure<\/a>. Today i shared with the committee a list of those contributions in response to a may 12 letter from the chairman. I would ask they be submitted for the record. These are a few examples of hundreds across the industry and behind each are the incredible stories of the men and women, the amazing ingenuity and the collective spirit that made them possible. As we speak, production facilities and suppliers are responsibly resuming operations, but it is not business as usual. Over the past two months, our companies have worked closely with Public Health<\/a> authorities, collaborated with Industry Partners<\/a> and observed Lessons Learned<\/a> from around the globe to develop a broad range of precaution. The industry is bringing sly chains back to life. This requires extensive collaboration among suppliers, the states and trading partners such as mexico and canada to facilitate a safe and viable restart to automobile production. We must be prepared to adapt and evolve to protect our employees, customers, and suppliers. There is still a high degree of uncertainty when it comes to supply base, Consumer Confidence<\/a> in the overall economy. Before the Public Health<\/a> crisis analysts were projecting 2020 sales of almost 17 million units. Current market predictions suggest we wont reach those levels until 2023. Fairly optimistic assumptions of a 14 million unit year this year could result in job losses of 100,000 and result in 2 million jobs lost across the economy. We are working hard to avoid that. The reality is, absorbing covidrelated losses while investing in future technologies will be a challenge for the industry. Yet the comeback of the u. S. Auto industry from this crisis can once again draw a broader economic resurgence. I look forward to working with you as we find ourselves on the cusp of this transformative moment in the u. S. Auto manufacturing industry. Thank you, mr. Bazelli. You mentioned in your remarks an additional dukes which you asked to be included in the record. If it is if it can simply be attached to your written statement, without objection, it will be. Yes. Thank you. Admitted into the record at this point. And now, testifying remotely, is mr. Randy gilliat. You are welcome. Can you hear us . Yes, sir, i can. Thank you. Welcome. Thank you chairman wicker, Ranking Member<\/a> cantwell, and members of the committee. My name is randy my name is randy gilead, and im the president of triple g express in jefferson, louisiana. It is my honor to speak to you as chairman of the American Trucking<\/a> association. For seven years, ata remains the largest Trucking Industry<\/a> representing the Trucking Industry<\/a>. With affiliates in 38 estates our industry encompasses more than 35,000 Motor Carriers<\/a> and suppliers representing the industry. Since the onset of the covid19 covid19 pandemic, the Trucking Industry<\/a> has been thrust into the forefront of our national consciousness. While most productivity ground to a halt across the country, americas 3. 5 million professional Truck Drivers<\/a> kept moving. These heroes kept serving on the front lines, ensuring that everyone has the good to get through these challenging times. Were hear to talk about the potential here of late as america wakes up to the gravity. Truckers are the difference between a fully stocked Grocery Store<\/a> and one line with empty shelves. And thats why nurses and doctors have ppe to protect themselves. Their test kits in hot spots is for those to prevent the various to spread. The reysilience of these heroes perhaps the president said it best when he recently proclaimed from the south lawn of the white house, thank god for truckers. Beyond the trucker nation, lawmakers would be wise to look beyond our industry for answers. There are several answers why. First, as the crisis has illustrated, the health of our nation and the viability of our entire economy rests on the strength of the Trucking Industry<\/a>. When our industry lacks the Capital Resources<\/a> for clearance it needs to get from point a to point b, the impact is felt immediately. Far and wide. Not only by us, but by the people we serve, our customers. Grocery stores. Pharmacies. Hospitals. First responders. Farmers, manufacturers. Business owners. And the consumer, the American People<\/a>, just to name a few. Second, as weve demonstrated over the last few months, truckers by nature are industrious and forward looking. We know how to get the job done. We dont complain about problems. We propose concrete solutions. We dont point to obstacles. We Work Together<\/a> to find and clear the way forward. As our country turns from crisis to recovery, our industry is ready to lead. With that in mind, here are three policy points for congress in this committee that id like to emphasize. Number one, invest in infrastructure. You will create jobs and advance our recovery while improving our nations crumbling roads and Highway Safety<\/a>. Make no mistake, this can and should be fully paid for. We have a plan to generate hundreds of billions of dollars in due revenues without a dime to the federal government. Number two, provide incentives to Trucking Companies<\/a> to invest in newer, cleaner in safer trucks and equipment. A temporary holiday and the federal excise tax in calendar year 2020, bringing certainty to manufacturing jobs and improve road safety in the industries and environmental impact. Number three, provide reasonable protections against excessive litigation. Trial lawyers wont lead this economic recovery. They dont create jobs. They destroy them. The Trucking Industry<\/a>, however, will create jobs. 1 in 18 in the u. S. Today, we continue to live with essenties supplies to help weather this crisis and trucking will lead the way for recovery. Thank you for working with us to ensure that americas Trucking Industry<\/a> has the support it needs to serve our country through these tough times and into a better tomorrow. I look forward to answering any questions. Thank you. Thank you, very much, will gilliot. Now mr. Ian jeffries with the association of the american railroad. Good afternoon, chairman wicker, member cantwell, thank you for the opportunity to represent todays railroads. I appear before you in what are truly tragic times, quite frankly, for all americans. Were grateful for all of the professions confronting the covid19 pandemic, especially our medical professionals but the thousands of critical workers keeping our supply chain moving. Rail workers are are delivering goods to businesses and families across the country. To be clear, the railways first is the onset of the pandemic. Americas railroads have exceeded cdc and other experts recommendations to protect employees from this devastating disease. Most railroad jobs require employees to be onsite to keep railroads moving. So railroads quickly implemented rigorous protocols for the environments. Ppe is warranted and protocols in place for those with the virus or showing symptoms. Our profession is blessed with rigorous safety protocols for which are the norm and its diligence has provided encouraging results to date. In the meantime, freight railways have worked closely with customers throughout the times to create flexible highquality services to meet the shippers needs, even if the needs have changed relative to the pandemic. Rail roroads are truly and are k a reflected railroad volumes. Weekly rail traffic has been roughly 20 lower versus this time last year for the past 2 1 2 months. But every day, railroads continue to deliver things like chlorinebased disinfectants for water treatment. Consume goods moving in ecommerce. Food and Energy Products<\/a> to meet the needs across the country. This continuity and reliability are a testament to the close relationship between railroads and their customers. The power of ingenuity, and the criticality of the railway industry. I often say that railroads play the long game. And the strong levels we see now are direct result of years of sustained investment paired with modernized plans that enable highly resilient and flexible operations. Central policy has been and guidance from dhs and supporting document from the Service Transportation<\/a> board has been valuable until clarifying the critical nation of freight rail operations especially as hundreds of state and local governments determined how best to protect their populations through the issuance of regular orders. Additionally, temporary waivers issued by the federal railroad very critical to implementing social distancing policies. And railroads are essential to the c. A. R. E. S. Acts and individuals on this committee that make the rail employees eligible for enhanced sickness and insurance benefits, matching those benefits made available to other u. S. Workers. As congress discovers the scope and nature of additional legislation, we ask you that emphasize the here and now. For instance, legislation from chairman wicker, Ranking Member<\/a> cantwell and others on this committee for infrastructure workers for testing ppe and other is wise. You should pursue legislation to support economic recovery . The focus should be on the funding andfund ing and project delivery. In contrast, congress should reject special policy riders pursued by special interests. In closing, despite the unknowns, one thing is clear, successful navigation of these times requires flexibility, innovation and determination, all characteristics not only of todays freight Rail Industry<\/a> but also our country. Why the country endures todays challenges, the future is indeed bright. Thank you, im happy to answer any questions you might have. And thank you very, very much, now mr. Alex oler, interstate national gas. Chairman wicker, Ranking Member<\/a> cantwell and members of the committee. Good afternoon, im interim president and ceo of the international Gas Association<\/a> of america or inga. Inga appreciates the committees interest in ensuring that our nations Pipeline Infrastructure<\/a> continues to safely and reliable deliver the energy that americans need during the covid19 pandemic emergency. Ingas members transport gas that are analogous to the highway system. These are systems that span multiple states or regions to bring the nations Natural Gas Resources<\/a> to market. Our members provide a successful link between every natural gas supply basin in the country, to every major consumption area in the lower 48 states. And all of this infrastructure is built and maintained using private capital. Our industry is relentlessly committed to safe, reliable and responsible operations which includes meeting the Nations Energy<\/a> needs during the covid emergency. And taking every necessary step to protect the health of our workforce and the communities in which we operate. Ingas members have made significant changes to their operations to confront covid19. And have also contributed millions of dollars towards relief and Recovery Efforts<\/a> in their communities. I wish to convey four main points today. First, because most end uses of natural gas are essential to the health, safety and wellbeing of American Families<\/a> and businesses, our nations demand for intrastate Natural Gas Transportation Service<\/a> has largely persisted throughout the covid19 emergency. Though some pipelines have experienced changes in their utilization profiles that reflect the new ways americans are living and working during this time. Interstate natural gas pipeline operators are quite confident that we will continue to deliver Energy Supplies<\/a> safely and reliable throughout the crisis. Both the stability and interconnected nature of the International Pipeline<\/a> grid and the diverse sources of Natural Gas Storage<\/a> provide a high level of Energy Reliability<\/a> for the nation. Second, Pipeline Companies<\/a> recognize that as operators of Critical Infrastructure<\/a>, it is our responsibility to implement safe guards that ensure pipeline operations, maintenance and construction activities can safely continue. Our front line employees and contractors have demonstrated remarkable resilience during this challenging time. And inga Member Companies<\/a> have taken numerous actions to protect them, consistent with the guide denance of cdc, osha other local health departments. Examples include using backup pipelines to consolidate central workers. Collaborating with contractors to implement pandemic supply changes and respond to a covid19 infection if needed at a work location. Third, id like to commend several federal agencies for providing the targeted work that the pipeline needs. For example, the pipeline and hazard us Safety Administration<\/a> or phimsa has established a mechanism for operators to notify an agency of the need to temporarily reschedule certain less essential compliance activities until after the covid19 emergency subsides. Other federal agencies including fema, cdc, doe and sisa have taken lead roles in working with agencies to ensure that essential infrastructure workers have access to covid19 testing, personal protective equipment and other healthrelated supplies. We are grateful for these joint efforts. And it is important that this coordination continues. To that end, we strongly support the Critical Infrastructure<\/a> employee protection act of 2020 which will ensure Government Agencies<\/a> continue to manage this effort. Finally, although not directly related to covid19, the reauthorization of our nations Pipeline Safety<\/a> programs will help provide stability, as phinsa will work to adapt. Inga supports an operation bill that increases funding for federal pipeline and safety programs and establishes clear policy priorities for phinsa for the next four years. We appreciate this committees work for a bipartisanship last july and look forward to continuing to work with you on this important legislation. Thank you again for the opportunity to testify today. I will be happy to answer any questions you have. Thank you, mr. Oehlor. Our timer shows that you still have five minutes on your remarks. I hope were not malfunctioning here. And our final witness is mr. Larry willis, president of Transportation Trades Department<\/a>. A aflcio, and mr. President , were glad to have you. And youre recognized. Well, thank you, chairman wicker, and senator cantwell for the opportunity to testify this afternoon. And im proud to represent our 33 affiliated unions and the millions of workers that belong to those affiliates. Our workers operate and build a network that brings people, goods and critical supplies to over corner of our nation. Whether they work in aviation, transit, rail, construction or long shore maritime sectors, they are essential by any definition of the word. Mr. Chairman, you called them unsung heroes. And i could not agree more. As covid19 has spread across our country, many of these workers have continued to perform their essential duties. Often at great personal cost. Im talking about transit workers who have continued to drive and maintain busses in the face of the pandemic, despite hundreds if not thousands of deaths in this sector alone. For the long shore workers who continue to load and unload vessels in close quarters, despite outrigs in ports and harbors, to freight rail workers who forge ahead, even as carrier workforces are already dangerously thin. Im also talking about those who have lost their jobs as our economy has ground to a halt. Are unsure of when their next paycheck is coming. And now find themselves without health care during a pandemic. Since the beginning of this crisis, transportation labor has prioritized the safety of our nations front line workforce. We have called for appropriate ppe, workplace sanitation and cleaning procedures and proper social distancing. Despite these repeated calls for actions, this administration and far too Many Employers<\/a> have failed to appropriate an appropriate response to this virus and have flat out refused to act. Those failures have directly caused infections and a loss of life, many of which could have been prevented with early and well coordinated strategy. In the absence of leadership and quick action, it has been working people. Working people and or unions who have sounded the alarm and used our collective power to make change. While some progress has been made, we cannot continue to forge ahead with piecemeal solutions. A crisis of this magnitude demands a national response. Congress must act decisively with the full authority of the federal government. For transportation workers, this means enforceable models or specific rules which we know will keep our members, passengers and their families safe. Many of these mandates we have called for were included in legislation to be introduced by senator blumenthal, i know senator cantwell is a cosponsor as well, senator markmarkey, i to thank all of you and urge to pass this common sense bill. We also support the every Worker Protection<\/a> act of 2020 introduced by senator baldwin. It would require osha to issue an Emergency Temporary Standard<\/a> within seven days. By adopting these measures, congress can make a real difference in the lives of front Line Transportation<\/a> employees and all workers. Your job, however, cannot end there. The Economic Impact<\/a> of covid19 will reverberate years beyond this Immediate Health<\/a> care crisis. As States Reopen<\/a> and some americans return to work, the economy will not immediately snap back to precovid levels of productivity. Congress must use every tool at its disposal to mitigate the incredibly hard Economic Times<\/a> that we know are to come. As part of that, we need bold federal investments in our Transportation Network<\/a>. Public Transit Needs<\/a> billions more to maintain Critical Services<\/a> and to avoid job cuts in communities across the country. Amtrak reports that optimistically, well see a 50 cut in ridership next fiscal year and plans to furlough 20 of its workforce, a shortsighted plan that should be rejected. The closure of School Facilities<\/a> have resulted in loss of right for thousands of school bus drivers. Congress must do better with targeted funding for these critical employees. Slowing cargo volumes shred the credibility. Stipends for those enrolled in the maritime project should be increased to keep these skilled maritime employees working. And to sustain good jobs and Construction Maintenance<\/a> and operations. And a smart procurement reforms are adopted, we can also grow our Manufacturing Sector<\/a> as well. Whats more, when we improve the quality and accessibility of our Transportation Network<\/a>, the Economic Opportunity<\/a> of those investments extend to every corner of our economy. From businesses who can move quicker and more reliably, to workers who can reach new opportunities because of improved highway and transit access. Finally, mr. Chairman, let me close by noting that my heart is heavy thinking of george floyd and so many before him who have faced racial violence and death, way too often in this country. We have systemic racism, discrimination that we need to fix across our economy. We know, as we talk about a covid19 response that our black and Brown Brothers<\/a> and sisters face disparate impact from an economic perspective. I want to consider those messages as we consider what the right response is coming out of this committee. With that id be happy to answer any question. Thank you again. Thank you, president willis. And let me say other witnesses have alluded to what our country is going through at this point, not only with the covid19 but also the protests, the indignation and outrage from what weve seen by a few people. Against totally innocent people. So, i appreciate what youve said. Our sympathies go out to the arbery family, the Taylor Family<\/a> and the family of george floyd. I understand, sir, that your aflcio Building Sustained<\/a> damage during the protest on sunday. And we regret that there was some people who took that opportunity to destroy private property needlessly. But i do appreciate those who have mentioned that. And i can assure you that members of this committee are trying to get our arms around this question and find a way to voice our feelings in this regard. So thank you for that. Let me ask, is there anyone on the panel, including the four present and the one testifying, mr. Guilot, do any of you dont believe we need a real strong infrastructure bill sooner rather than later . Were unanimous on that. Senator cantwell and i are unanimous on that, too. Mr. Bozella, you mentioned shared commitment from industry and government. So, thank you for those of you from labor and industry who are willing to do your part on this commitment. Railcar loads are 22. 2 . And shipments down 17. 2 . For hire truck tonnage has dropped 12. 2 in april alone. So, yes, thank you for helping to share this commitment. If you want to describe some more of the commitment that you intend to offer, thats fine. But what suggestions do you have to the federal government, to the agencies that might be listening, but particularly to those of us who enact the legislation about what our share of the commitment might be . Who wants to go first . No one wishes ill take it. Good, then. So, i think, you know, several of us pointed out the legislation introduced by this committee by you, mr. Chairman and you Ranking Member<\/a> cantwell. Because as weve all discussed and as my colleague mr. Willis focused on as well, you know, were relying on front line workers to be out doing the jobs, to keep america moving. To serve americans throughout this process. And thats not ending anytime soon. And ensuring that they have full access to testing to ppe and other medicalrelated supplies is key. I think, you know, we owe that to them. And the railroads have worked very hard to ensure that their employees have what they need to be able to do the job safely. There were challenges in the supply chain early on, getting those materials. Weve worked through a lot of that, but as we continue testing thats going to be a challenge. So that piece of legislation is key. I think beyond that, you mentioned a big bold infrastructure bill. We think that Congress Pushes<\/a> forward on that, theres a real opportunity to put significant funding out into a much needed multimodal system. Wed like to see it not get bogged down on policy fights but lets focus on getting the money out there and getting projects done. Yes. That would create hundreds and hundreds of thousands of american jobs, as were trying to climb out of this recession that were in. And also, wed have wonderful assets at the end of the process to show for the taxpayers money. Mr. Bozella, you may want to follow up on that. But let me ask you also to comment on the supply chain which you mentioned several times in your testimony. You talked about how some automakers were able to forge new partnerships, retool, train people. You made ventilators and ppe. Is it fair to say that pivoting to doing Different Things<\/a> largely required a different supply chain . And is it fair to assume that you were not purchasing as many components from your suppliers while the ile this crisis isn process . Yes, mr. Chairman. Thanks for the question. And, youre right about the need for automakers and suppliers. The pivot and senator cantwell, of course, referenced the partnership between gen tech and General Motors<\/a> that produced ventilators. So there was an increased demand for medical devices and ppe that the Auto Industry<\/a> was able to respond to because of extensive supply chains. So, we were able to retool and reimagine the manufacturing process supply chain. I think youre exactly right, though, that the supply chain for the automotive sector is very stressed right now. The entire sector is. And as we start re or beginning our Manufacturing Processes<\/a> again, hopefully, well see a little bit of relief there but there are still liquidity challenges in the supply chain that need to be addressed. I will say, back to your previous question, it really is combhor important that we continue to work on alignment between various states and our trading partners in the region, mexico and canada, to make sure the regional supply chain is there, and ready to go as the industry restarts. Thats a very important aspect, the supply chain, is it not . Yes. Thank you. Now, were in the middle of a second vote. And i think what ill do is hand the gavel to Ranking Member<\/a> cantwell. And she will be asking her questions while shes got the gavel. And ill try to be back as soon as possible, and we wont have to stop the proceedings during this vote. Senator cantwell, youre recognized. Thank you, mr. Chairman. And i want to thank the witnesses for mentioning george floyd and the tragedy that has occurred in our nation. And i also want to add my condolences to his family. Most importantly i want to say that im committed to making sure that we get justice for george floyd and that we reform our system. And thats going to take a lot of work by all of us. Not sure much of that work is in our jurisdiction, but nonetheless, very much appreciate mentioning that fact today. And the Business Community<\/a>, the Business Community<\/a> can help us with this. So very much appreciate you mentioning him today. Youve also said some very interesting things, each of you, and i thank you for that. I like the words robust, multimodal infrastructure investment. Supply chains mean expert teais youre going to keep your Manufacturing Base<\/a> because you have the efficiency and the skilled workers to put it all together. So, got to keep that going. But i think ill start with you, mr. Willis. You were talking about the safety and security of the workforce when you put them back to work. Youre most obviously with the recent things we talked about because of aviation and what we tried to get the Covid Task Force<\/a> to do in aviation. What do we need to do in other private transportation sectors to make sure the work is safe . Well, thank you, senator cantwell. Mr. Jeffries mentioned it. The chairman mentioned it. Access to testing and ppe are obviously important but, quite frankly, what my members are telling me, every single day is that what they need to see in the workplace are real safety requirements under employers. You know, this you know, treatment, access to masks is fine. But there needs to be a requirement that it actually gets used and deployed in the right way. That cleaning, that disinfection procedures are occurring in the correct manner. That social dance istancing lik were doing here is done in the transportation workplace. Again, pursuant to cdc guidelines. Weve had to work way too hard with our employers on too many occasions. Weve asked this administration, both d. O. T. And the various modal agencies, osha, to step in and impose these requirements to protect workers, and we havent gotten there. So i think the legislation that you mentioned that senator blumenthal and others are doing, we think its the right course. And it needed to be included in any type of broader Covid Response<\/a> build that this senate would consider. Thank you, mr. Guilot, thank you for your testimony. And certainly, we know how important moving freight is. Do you have any comments on the safety and security of your workforce . And im curious, you mentioned an infrastructure investment, what were you referring to, you thought you had a good idea how to move forward on infrastructure and investment. With that question right there, the American Trucking<\/a> association has proposed an increase in the fuel sales tax, 5 cents for the next four years. It will go up to 20 cents. That will add up to hundreds of billions of new dollars to the treasury there to assist with additional funding for infrastructure. Getting back to the question concerning our work, safety of our workers, it has been extremely important for us, through this Health Pandemic<\/a> to get the property equipment to each and every one of their hands. We have an unique problem in the respect that most of our workers may not come to a place of our business, our terminal locations because Truck Drivers<\/a> transverse across the country. So immediately, when the pandemic first happened, you know, if you will, finding our Truck Drivers<\/a>, getting the proper equipment to them. It was extremely difficult to do that. We rallied. We were innovative as an industry. The American Trucking<\/a> association has helped with thousands of gallons of Hand Sanitizer<\/a>, in certain locations across the country for Truck Drivers<\/a>. Weve got a face protection mask thats been available across the nation so we are as an industry, most notably our Truck Drivers<\/a>. Ill say this, even a company as small as mine weve got dispatchers who taught our Truck Drivers<\/a> how to make Hand Sanitizer<\/a> from products at home. Ive purchased face masks from other employees, secondary businesses of mine, to help supply with our Truck Drivers<\/a>. So i think were innovative in that respect. Were partners with distilleries getting hand sanitation made from that. Our industry working together with partners is very important to us and employees and Truck Drivers<\/a> in particular in the front lines. As we certainly want to keep them there for the rest of the economy. Thank you. And again, thank them for that work because theres a lot of critical supply, specifically food, thats been delivered. So we so appreciate it. Senator fischer is next. Hello, am i unmuted . Yes. Okay. Thank you. Thank you, senator cantwell, i appreciate you and chairman wicker holding this hearing today. Mr. Jeffries, you briefly mentioned in your testimony, aar support from the Railroad Retirement<\/a> board request for funding to continue its i. T. Mod discernation work. Senator duckworth and i sent letters to the Appropriations Committee<\/a> for several years in support of continued funding for that work. Mr. Willis, can you describe what the impact of modernizing the Railroad Retirement<\/a> boards i. T. System would have on our railroaders . Certainly, senator. A great question. Ill take a crack and let mr. Willis fill in because i think this is one where we definitely see eye to eye on. Both rail labor and the railroads have jointly made those requests in support of increased i. T. Funding. And certainly, thank you for your support, senator, which is invaluable for getting those increased funds. Quite frankly, what we have right now in the rail retirement system, under the rail retirement board is something, going to the dmv in the 1960s in a lot of instances. So, this is really just allowing that agency the ability to, id say, take the giant leap forward providing an Online System<\/a> that doesnt require retirees and potential retirees to drive and travel to an Office Location<\/a> that may not be near where they live or work to do their paperwork manually. To spend time and energy going through that manual process. It really brings a base level of technology into the rail retirement process. And will create dramatic efficiencies for the agency. And of course, for retirees and potential retirees. Mr. Willis, did you have anything to add . Yeah, let me just first of all, thank you for your support, on those issues, as you note, this is something that we in the rail carriers, aar and others have been able to partner on. You know, the field offices are critical. And i think that has to be part of the answer as well. But making sure that our members can access their accounts and make changes and get information online. I mean, given that, its absolutely essential. And the Technology Improvement<\/a> money that youve championed and talked about is continuing to get out and make real improvements there. So, you know, this is a system that is funded by both workers and the industry. Its our collective money, it is worth, quite frankly, remarkably well. But some of the i. T. Challenges have gotten behind the board. And i think the money that congress is attempting to appropriate and authorize here is absolutely the right answer. So, again, thank you for your work on that. Well, thank you, sir. Mr. Is it guillot, i hate to wreck your name there. The retention for unloading and load was an issue even before the pandemic. Some reports indicate that some of the facilities worsened early on in this pandemic. What do you think may have caused an increase in drivers being detained at these shipper facilities early in the pandemic . And then additionally, has the industry gained any kind of insight on driver detention in the last couple of months . And do you have any recommendations for this committee on ways that we can address this issue Going Forward<\/a> . Thank you for your question. I think initially, when the pandemic first happened, we seen a surge in certain consumer products. Everybody knows a shortage of toilet paper on the grocery shelves, right . So, certain facilities i think received a surge in affected business. We did actually did have an expansion of detention. It was certainly a problem beforehand. We continue working with shippers and receivers to try and improve upon that. I think were seeing some recent headway. A little less a little over a year ago, Electronic Devices<\/a> kind of brought that topic to the forefront. Weve been working together to try and improve upon those issues. As far as what have we learned in the last couple of months . Again, i would like to implore upon the shipping public. Its shippers and receivers, working with Trucking Companies<\/a> to minimize or eliminate the delays. Certainly, if were delivering a load that may be consumertype goods, but yet our next load may be the medical supplies that a particular community may need. Well, even if its not a critical commodity unloading or load, thats from the next truck driver that were hauling. Every load is critical or unloaded. And as far as the detention and demerge in the automotive business. It has been the entire year. Im extremely concerned with the relationship with companies around the country, concerning those unjustly, it puts an additional burden on the supply chain and we want to continue working with the osha lines, and, quite frankly, have not had as much response from them as wed like to see. After they joined this covid19 pandemic. Thank you, sir. Thank you, senator cantwell. In the name of the chair, i call on senator hugo. Thank you very much. Generally, if the state or federal government is giving Liability Protection<\/a>s, theres a strong safety standard that Industry Needs<\/a> to meet to benefit from that kind of protection. Otherwise, it simply gives business a huge incentive to take unreasonable risks and pursue the problems. We are hearing calls from some industries that they want to be profited from paying damages to their employees and customers who get sick, due to the lack of covid protections. This question really goes all the panel. Specific and buying standards are appropriate if congress were to consider limiting liability. Senator, this is john bozella with auto innovators. Ill get started, i guess. First of all, at least from our perspective, the liability limitations that were talking about should be and need to be targeted and limited. And related to this set of issues. And the concerns we have with regard to covid19, they should not in no way be related to instances of gross negligence or companies that act in a reckless manner. Really what were trying to focus on is getting the right balance between avoiding numerous lawsuits and restarting the economy in a safe manner. With regard to safety, our Member Companies<\/a> have robust and very, very indepth safety protocols that are built on cdc guidance as a baseline that are put in place in consultation with state and local authorities. And that are in place on the ground, responsive to local issues. And so, thats what were doing right now. Frankly, weve been doing it since january, because were getting perspective as we restart in economies around the world. And so, we are working from a very robust and strong set of standards fromm ethe getgo. Anyone else jump in on that . Go ahead. This is Randy Guillot<\/a> with the American Trucking<\/a> association. Our industry the American Trucking<\/a> so, and our industry, the Trucking Industry<\/a>, is on the forefront of safety each and every day. Were very concerned with following the guidelines as issued by cdc, as well as osha. And want to comply with that each and every day at every one of our companies. The limited Liability Protection<\/a> that we are referring to is similar to what mr. Bozella made comment on. If there happens to be a bad actor, were not asking for protections for a bad actor. Were asking for limited protections for people acting in good faith, trying to follow all of these guidelines that are coming out. Thank you for your question. Thank you. Let me follow up on this question. You know, new analysis published in the medical journal lancet examined 192 studies and found that n95 masks and other respirator masks offered 96 protection. While surgical masks only provide 77 protection against the coronavirus. We know essential workers should have access to these masks, but supplies are extremely limited. Mr. Willis, what specific action should the administration take to provide those masks to workers and businesses across the america so they can return to work with confidence. Thank you, senator for that question. I think youre right. I mean, n95 mask, you know, given the nature of this virus, should be provided to transportation workers in many situations. Its obviously, an airborne disease. And those masks are specifically designed, you know, to confront that. You know, the problem, quite frankly, as many Health Care Workers<\/a> and other First Responders<\/a> arent able to secure those today, and, quite frankly, i think again, this is a failure of the administration to really get in front of this, to really see what was happening in china. And elsewhere. And martial the u. S. Industries in a better organized way to make these masks and other personal protective equipment that we knew were going to be needed. Using the defense protection act in a better manner, using the buying power of the federal government, recognizing that theres a lot of, you know, masks out there that are advertised to do things that, quite frankly, they dont do. And i think, again, the federal government has to be take the lead in that, as opposed to states or individual agencies. So, you know, getting that equipment out has got to be a priority. Especially as we try to reopen this economy and see more density on the transportation space, whether its on transit, Passenger Rail<\/a>. And, quite frankly, our Freight Network<\/a> as well. So, were commit ted to doing that. Thank you. Thank you very much. And let me just finally just summarize here, i dont think theres any doubt that if the president had used the defense protection act, wed be well down the line of having more protective equipment and having people be able to go back to work, knowing that they would be protected. Thank you, mr. Chairman. And thank you, senator udall. Senator blackburn will join us remotely. Thank you, mr. Chairman. And thank you to each of you for being with us for the hearing today. Mr. Guillot, i will come to you about the port. Were concerned about the trafficking issues there. I know the federal maritime commission, the supply Chain Task Force<\/a> has worked on this trying to address it. I wanted to see what you know about that issue. We know it is vitally important to the board. And, indeed, as part of the transportation infrastructure for the entire region. Thank you for your question, senator. My company in particular had participated in the memphis market. We no longer do today. But im very familiar with the shipping base and needs of that opportunity there, especially with the railroads in and out of memphis. We believe and have been promoting for many years now that as the osha lines got out of chassis procuring and ownership issues on market, that they should get out of the market completely. And let the Trucking Community<\/a> man the shipping services as necessary. We want free choice. The current alignment now dictates that ocean lines even though theyre not the only ship in control of assets in chassis, they still have the procurement of them, at the expense of Motor Carriers<\/a> and of the shipping public. So we are fighting long and hard to get that rectified. And we would much prefer for the lu truckers through tools that would be efficient and economical for all users. We thank you for that. You know, i think that many people dont realize memphis is the fifth largest inland port that we have. And theres a tremendous amount of activity that comes there. And the modal system is so vitally important to that area, because you have the fedex hub, you have the railroads that come through there. You have the port, the pipeline that goes from the oil refinery, over to the airport. Theres so many things that are infrastructure related that memphis depends on. And a source of frustration has been the chassis issues with the port. And were pleased that chairman wicker has put the focus on having that shimmer advisory committee. To think that is a very good thing to do. I want to ask each of you just a little bit about workforce. Because as we have gone through the covid shutdown and as we look at restart, and tennessee has been very successful in its restart. But with that said, we have 333,000 in our state that applied for unemployment. And i have had several and the Logistics Industry<\/a> mentioned that we needed to put more attention on workforce. And developing the workforce for the Logistics Industry<\/a>, as we come out of that. And looking for some Public Private<\/a> partnership. So, very briefly, from each of you, if you would have just a bit about your thoughts ontha t. About the development and Companies Working<\/a> with the Public Sector<\/a> to provide the education necessary. And mr. Guillot, well start with you, then mr. Bozella and then to mr. Jeffries. Thank you, senator blackburn. As you probably already know, the Trucking Industry<\/a> was almost 60,000 Truck Drivers<\/a> short before the covid19 pandemic ended into our environment here. With the estimate of being close to 1 million additional Truck Drivers<\/a> over the next decade, we are very much concerned with Workforce Development<\/a>. In partnering with the federal agencies, the d. O. T. , and fmcfa to get private partnerships to help train and finance new Truck Drivers<\/a> coming into the industry is extremely critical for us. H whereas today, we might have unemployment within our own industry and very much look forward to additional training. Because that stoppage, if you will, of that training is going to hurt us in the long run. Our truck driver workforce is six to seven years older. Were very concerned with Workforce Development<\/a> and working with federal agencies need that flow force Going Forward<\/a>. Thank you. Mr. Bozella. Yes. Ill be brief, as you well know, the Auto Industries<\/a> in your state are committed to workforce partnering. And i want to say by far, one of the most important things is ensuring the health and safety of our workers as we restart. We have to do both of those, were committed to Workforce Development<\/a>, especially partners with our states. Thank you. Thank you very much, senator blackburn. Senator baldwin joins us remotely now. Thank you, mr. Chairman. And appreciate all of our witnesses today. Mr. Chairman, while this committee is focused on the infrastructure that continues to provide Critical Services<\/a> during the covid19 pandemic, id like to make sure that were protecting all of americas front line workers. My legislation, the covid19 every Worker Protection<\/a> act, requires osha to issue an Emergency Temporary Standard<\/a> that covering all workers and requires all workplaces to implement Infectious Disease<\/a> exposure trcontrol plans to kee our workers safe. Mr. Willis, you noted that legislation in your opening remarks of your testimony. And i wonder if you can describe why it is necessary to have enforceable mandatory Emergency Temporary Standard<\/a>s during this pandemic, to protect the workers that you represent. And if you have any anecdotal information to provide about why the failure to have such mandatory enforceable standards is a problem. Well, senator, thank you. Thank you for your leadership on this issue. The fact that this legislation is even need said a disgrace. Weve been calling on osha from day one, to do this very early on, even before covid19 hit, quite frankly. But the aflcio was forced to bring litigation last week against osha to force them to do their job here. Our experience, im from the transportation side, is that if we dont have mandatory infections. If we dont have enforcement, and if we dont hold employers accountably, its just not going to get done in the right way. Ive heard too many stories on it early on. Where masks and sanitizing equipment was not getting out there. And we believed the only way to consistently protect our members is to have these standards out there. The other component of your legislation is to make sure workers have whistleblower protections. That theyre able to come forward and rereport problems that they see in their workplace. This committee should understand how critical those protections are for wore workkers across th board. But weve been scaled advocates of that whether rail or aviation. And when workers have the duty to support in many situations a security violation without fear of being retaliated with. So it is a critical issue. Its a critical information, when you get that implemented, along with the modal specific updates that senator cantwell, senator blumenthal and senator markey have been talking about as well. So, thank you. Thank you. Id like to note for my colleagues that last month the Senate Judiciary<\/a> Committee Held<\/a> a hearing entitled examining liability during the covid19 pandemic. And chairman graham asked all six of those witnesses at that hearing, which included Business Owners<\/a> from texas and North Carolina<\/a> and the National Employment<\/a> law profit. The question he posted to them is, quote, do you believe the country would be better off if the best Business Practices<\/a> are in terms of stopping the spread of the vieshrus and protecting workplace. Unquote. And i will note that all six witnesses agreed that clear, forceable safety were necessary to provide a road map to keep our customers safe as our country works to safely reopen. So, i want to encourage eve one of my colleagues on this committee to join me in cosponsoring this legislation, covid19 every Worker Protection<\/a> act. I might add that i worked very hard in putting this together with my colleague senator duckworth. Working on several iterations of it. But i would also encourage other witnesses here today, to take a look at that legislation and work with us to protect our critical workforce. Thank you, mr. Chairman. Thank you, senator baldwin. Senator thune. Thank you, mr. Chairman for holding this important hearing today. Covid1919 has impacted the role and how workers continue to deliver p deliver supplies where needed the most. These front line workers supply Health Care Workers<\/a> with ppe and to keep the stores stocked. And members of this committee are interested in hearing as we embark toward a path of reopening and economic recovery. Mr. Guillot, you mentioned in your testimony despite the recent pandemicrelated decline and demand, the Trucking Industry<\/a> will need to hire over 1 million drivers in the neck decade. Csa issued learner permits and thirdparty testing which the aka is asking the agency to remain current. Can you elaborate when it comes to driving and testing, while permanency of these waivers could still be helpful while still maintaining your safety . Thank you for the question, during the pandemic, as most industries, you know, we kept working and trucking. But yet our training and our testing facilities, for the most part, is shut down. With the recommendations of the cdc and the government saying, in close proximity. Were asking for exemptions concerning those topics and how we can continue training. To continue to get our workforce back with the pipeline of drivers coming in. We worked very well with d. O. T. And csa and we feel confidentiality with them Going Forward<\/a> to help with training matters going among rail road employees have been low, thanks to early steps taken by the industry to keep the workforce healthy. Has the industry provided challenge provided ppe to employees. Thank you senator. So certainly early in the process the supply chain was stretched provided those materials. The focus was getting the medical workers, et cetera, as it should have been. But we have worked out a lot of those supply chain challenges and feel we have a good system in place but that doesnt mean that, you know, thats going to continue to be the case moving forward which is why were supportive of ledge legislation from this committee to make sure front line workers continue to be a priority, infrastructure or health care, other folks essential to keeping the country moving. What steps is the rail road taking to continue to ensure employees have access to ppe and as necessary testing. Right now its all being run through the rail roads themselves. Dot did provide masks as well as it did to several different Transportation Industries<\/a> that are being pushed out to employees. So it is based on strong relationships that have developed between the rail roads and their suppliers, quite frankly, theyve been helpful, helping related companies and other stakeholders, even my organization, acquire ppe thats needed. But again, its a question of, you know, ensuring that pipeline continues to flow in a manner that everybody who needs protective equipment to safely do their job continue to have access to that. Thanks. The Auto Industry<\/a> has acted swiftly in response to the crisis by manufacturing vefrnts vefrnts and ventilators and ppe across the country, can you discuss anything in place to prevent member from making larger impact. Yes, thank you senator. The industry has made large number of ppe and medical devices and there might be a concern if in fact the Emergency Declaration<\/a> is withdrawn that the euas would no longer be in effect and wed have these products would not be usable under federal guidance. That would be a bit of a concern if were not clear on what the pathway of the pandemic is. So we want to make sure that,s say, for examples, a truck or rail car filled with ppe on its way to First Responders<\/a> who are auto workers, you no he you know, when the pandemic Emergency Declaration<\/a>s are with drown no longer usable that would be a concern but so far were in pretty good shape. We appreciate what youre all doing to help in what is a critical supply and demand that needs to be met. Thank you all for being here and well continue to follow up as this pandemic continues to effect the country. So thank you. Thank you. Senator rosen. Thank you chair and witnesses for being here today. I want to follow up on some supply chain issues weve been discussing. I represent the state of nevada and we have a servicebased economy that relies heavily on trucking, air and mail to deliver out of state goods to deliver to our cities and towns. The Global Pandemic<\/a> shed light on the transportation supply chains, the nations Transportation Network<\/a>s help ensure critical supplies like food and medicine get where they need even in a crisis so we have to be sure these networks are resilient, that meenz of course, ensuring the safety and well being of drivers and cargo workers, increasing the reliability and efficiency of logistical networks and infrastructure and fully appreciating each component in the supply chain is essential ensuring goods reach their final destination. Our supply chain is an inter dependent eco system. No one part is more important than the other. But between recent unexpected demand surges due to pandemic, consumer stock piling of particular items, and supply shortages due to factory closures, theres been immense pressure on our nations supply Chain Networks<\/a> trying to met customer demand. So mr. Gee to and jeffreys, these questions are for you, do you see creative innentives incentives to stakeholders to build resiliency in the overall supply chain to minimize disruption such as Global Pandemic<\/a> or fire, hurricane cane, flood, and what are some solutions you might recommend to congress to help build that resiliency, especially for states like mine who rely heavily on out of state supplies. Mr. Go heo to you first and then mr. Jeffries. Thank you senator rosen. I think first and foremost the suspension of the excise tax e until the end of 2021 will help our industry back. As much as 60 of our membership would be willing to spend more or significantly more compared to not having the suspension of the fet through that time frame. We think that is very critical for us. It not only helps the resilience of our equipment, newer, better, more environmentally friendly equipment on the road. But also helps manufacturers supply in our industry as well. I think that is first and foremost point id like to make concerning that question. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, senator for that question. You know, as i sit here and consider that, you use the word resilient, thats a word ive used a lot recently when describing the Rail Industry<\/a>s response. And the ability to be resilient as you discussed is based on investment. And years of investment in the Rail Industry<\/a> put it in place where it can respond quickly and just. But really, i think were looking at a position whereas we look toward the fight outurfutu our members have Crisis Response<\/a> plans, Pandemic Response<\/a> plans that allow them to flex and just their operations to meet those needs but as we continue to move forward and consider what might be over the horizon, i think embracing technology as we go forward to provide as visible supply chains as possible to create a flexible just in time supply chain across all nodes, of course thats based on investment as i said, also on embracing new technologies and demonstrating new ways to meet our mission and serve customers in communities in which we operate. Thank you. Thank you for that. Mr. Willis. I have a short time, i will ask about ppe. Weve lacked a National Strategy<\/a> to ensure we have the proper types, adequate amounts of ppe. Would you agree a National Strategy<\/a> is important to meet the goals here . Yeah, as discussed earlier, i absolutely agree with you, there has to be a National Strategy<\/a>, it has to be led by the federal government. There are significant needs that have been met. I will concede that but weve got a long way to go and as we bring more density to the Transportation System<\/a> especially whether it is public transit, rail, aviation for sure, were going to need more of that equipment at a National Coordinated<\/a> strategy absolutely has to be implemented. Thank you. Appreciate you all for being here. Stay safe and healthy. You too. Thank you, senator rosen. Senator capito. I want to thank all of you for being here and very interested in your testimony. Just anecdotally one thing we havent touched on certainly every state is experiencing is the down turn in state revenue shortages when it comes to fuel tax or dmv fees. And other things. And then the expendit yours that our state dots have had to take on in terms of making sure highway workers are safe and as you know thats a lot of times those are the biggest departments, biggest employers of a state besides the department of education. So for instance, west virginia, our revenue on our motor fuel has been down 37 . So one of my dlq 9m1n think about this as i ask my first question. And my last question is going to be, if i can get to it is, as you look over the next three months, i know its hard to predict but are you looking for up turns, down turns, assuming we can still remain in our opening mode. Thats going to be the last question i ask. And i also want to put a plug in for the highway bill. I understand the chairman has already spoken to that. That is something that came to my subcommittee at apw and will come it to this committee as well. But theres going to be an issue with this match from our state governments to be able to move forward with this. Mr. Bazella i wanted to to ask you, i talked to manufacturer of automobile and theyre fully open and sales have really pretty good but theyre concerned about the supply chain, different aspect than what senator rosen was talking about, and that is, they employ more than 500 people and yet theyve had this down turn and dont have the kacapitol to supy for manufacturers as they expand their manufacturing growth. Have you experienced that, or heard that in the industry, and what might you suggest . Very much so, senator. This is a big concern and i think its a potential real challenge for a successful and safe restart to the industry. You know, twothirds of automotive employment is in the supplier sector is small and medium sized businesses and theyre not sufficiently capitalized right now so a focus on liquidity for small and mediumsized suppliers is really critical here. To your last question if we happen to have a bit of a uptick and then a down turn and then were forced to slow or stop production again, this could be catastrophic so i think the focus on liquidity is going to be important for suppliers. Thank you. Mr. Jeffries do you have a response to the last question. Doesnt look like i have much more time. The question being . If you look over the three months, we think its really bad now but its going to get worse. Is it or not. Right. What is your projections. So what i hope is the trough of real traffic was about 25 year over year decrease based on our weekly reports we started seeing that number improve slightly, nothing theres not going to be a dramatic spike. Example, given the number of autos and auto parts we move were at 90 traffic decrease in auto parts and at about 60 . So weve seen that number come up. Thats coming up in other areas as china opens up and we have containers coming through the ports and modeal should continue to start to increase. I think theyre definitely not going to call them green shoots but i think we are cautiously optimistic about that gradual increase. I have a quick question with the epas release of the final rule of the implementation of the 401 clean water act where certain states have been over shooting their authorities as i believe. Thats certainly impacted pipelines. Can you give from your perspective how the epa final role will help your members. Thank you, senator. Yeah we support the final rule and are p policed ed td to and are pleased to see it finalized. From our standpoint weve had a lot of discussion about infrastructure. The investments our members are making are many times a billion dollar plus investments. So for us whats critically important is a timely and predictable process. I think one of the things were seeing with this particular permit that youre referencing was some agencies were delaying the permit longer than they would be allowed to under the statute. What the statute calls for. Some agencies were being expansive in terms of how they would apply that particular permit and not really focus on the relatively narrow issues its supposed to be around. We welcome the rulemaking, and environmental permitting. Were confident we can construct pipelines in an environmentally safe manner but were looking for that predictability. Want to talk about the future. Go ahead. The future, certainly. You know. Demand for Transportation Services<\/a> largely persisted in our industry. There has of course been some softening in the Energy Markets<\/a> i think you seen that in your home state. Yes, i have. Perhaps a little bit longer than three months out. Were hopeful the economy can ramp up to where it was and our job is to move energy to people who need it and so as the economy grows that demand for energy will come back and youll see us respond. Thank you. I think my times up. Thank you center capito. Those who have signed up before the gavel are sinema, i believe is at the remote facility, are you there. Senator scott, are you there. Right here. Good senator scott, youre recognized. Thank you, mr. Chairman, for holding this meeting. I want to thank all of you for what you do and thank our industries for what theyre doing, especially during this time of crisis. My father was a truck driver, its a toughueykykdt job. He was gone a lot. At that time didnt pay much. Now its gotten a lot better pay. So for mr. What do you think the changes will be for people like my dad, the over the road truck driver goi ing forward, how has their life changed and is there anything we ought to be doing to be able to improve how they do their jobs and what type of life they have. Thank you for your question, and thank you for all serving our industry for such a long time there. Like so many of us. Our families have been involved in trucking throughout our lifetimes. And your father, we thank him for driving a truck. As far as our industry Going Forward<\/a>, infrastructure is critical for us, to be able to invest more in infrastructure, our congestion on the highways is certainly critical to the lives of the Truck Drivers<\/a> on the road. We found with the pandemic in surveys that weve taken a lot of our bottle necks across the country might have been brought down through peak hours to as little as 10 to 15 miles an hour on average, is averaging almost at speed right now. I think it reenforces the demand and need for investment in infrastructure Going Forward<\/a> and that would help Truck Drivers<\/a> such as your father as far as the quality of life on the road. Congestion is certainly a big task of ours. And certainly the protection of our Drivers Health<\/a> and wellbeing on the road, with this pandemic and learning from these experiences the here and what can we do in the future to get equipment out to them as quick as possible as we are now. But assure they got a good supply chain Going Forward<\/a> with that type of issue. Thanks. I think all of us would agree that we need to make the most of the infrastructure, its difficult, this year were going to have close to 4 trillion deficit and 20 trillion in debt. Hard to continue to invest in the infrastructure. Have to figure out to get the budget under control and invest like when i was governor. In addition to infrastructure is there anything else that congress could be doing to make the life of over the road Truck Drivers<\/a> better. As we cross into state lines the inconsistency of the requirements for those fast implements. We rush across fast its as the pandemic hit early on. Theres a big difference when you close all rest areas. We work with the state holders and state affiliates to try to help these things out. Certainly i think we need alarm what w50e6 weve done in last couple months and apply it to Going Forward<\/a> in the future. Thank you. Thank you, mr. Chairman. Thank you, very, very much. Now ive got senator tester, is we us remotely, jon, are you there . Okay. Well, let me it may be that senator blumenthal will be back in a moment. Im told senator duckworth is waiting. Im here. Youre recognized. Thank you mr. Chairman. I have long held belief building our infrastructure is much more sustainable mechanism in building our economy transportation investments will play a key role in rebuilding our economy relief for state and local governments, responsible for 75 of our infrastructure investments. I look forward to working with this community to develop meaningful legislation to invest in Public Transportation<\/a> and state networks while improving safety across all modes. First the senate must consider the house passed heroes act to reenforce state and local partners and build a bridge from crisis relief to economic recovery. Mr. Willis, it is good to see you again, even remotely, accessible but remote. First question is for you and ability of covid19 testing for our essential workforce. I remember President Trump<\/a> speaking at cdc headquarters march 7th and telling cameras, and i quote, anyone who wants a test can get a test. Thats our president speaking. As we all know that was false. Three months later it is still difficult for americans in many areas of the country to receive covid19 testing. Experts told congress we should be conducting 900 t,000 tests a day to reopen the country safely but current capability is only onethird of that. Only vaccine is developed, essential workers should have access to covid tests like our First Responders<\/a> and most vulnerable neighbors. Mr. Willis, i appreciate you mentioning covid19 every Worker Protection<\/a> act that senator baldwin also mentioned. I will do want to share your frustration with oshas current pace on actions to protect workers. We can all applaud department of transportation announcement last week to send out to 15,000 of the workforce and we had discussion today about trying to get the ppe. Im curious what essential workers are tell you about the availability of testing and the cost to them as well as discussion of ppe. Discuss first the testing, how much is it costing people, can they get it when they need it, is it too fence skexpensive. And whats going on with ppe. Thank you, senator. Look, Public Health<\/a> officials and our members tell us that a key to getting this economy back up and running and Transportation System<\/a>s to full capacity is adequate testing that is not a cost to mourn individual workers we have a find a way for the government to aggressively come in and help fund it. You know, again, for transportation workers today, many of them, we are going to work, and we are being exposed. This isnt about just opening up the economy. We need to know if our members are safe to go into the workplaces every day and to protect themselves from their colleagues, passengers and to protect their families. You know, transportation agencies need to coordinate at the state and local level to find these tests and to get a steady supply chain. I talked about some of the issues that i think this president should be more in front of early in this crisis both on the testing and personal protective equipment. And i think this congress through these hearings but more importantly through legislation has to really hold their feet to the fire to lead both on testing and ppe. So thank you for the question but more importantly for your leadership here, its critical. Thank you. Mr. Chairman, every industry represented here today at one time or another has been to my office, yours as well, to share concerns about the states regulations, yet the president s new testing plan for covid19 doubles down on his previous assertion it should be the responsibility of states and municipalities not the federal government to coordinate testing supplies and tracing efforts. Im thankful for mayor and governors standing up in the ab sevens of federal leadership. Mr. Jeffries, is it easier or more complex to coordinate with each states municipali itmunic its certainly easy when we operate with one federal guideline. Thank you. Mr. Gilead your members continuously crisscross jurisdictions are they able to jvm 8d does. Its i think its an ongoing challenge. Were in support of more testing. Were in support of more just the health needs of the workers and crossing state lines makes it problematic to to be consistent in our service and health of the employees. Thank you. I think its clear the president s 50state approach is not efficient or effective in our Transportation Industry<\/a> opposed to what we should be having which is a unified federal effort. Im out of time. Thank you, mr. Chairman. Thank you, senator duckworth. Senator lee. Thank you very much, mr. Chairman. Thanks to all of you for joining us. Mr. Uler id like to start with you. During the global covid pandemic, we know that the oil and gas industry has been hit hard and we also know that during that time your companies, americas Natural Gas Companies<\/a> have been on the front lines working hard to try to ensure that americans can have energy provided to their homes and so that our economy can continue to operate. We also know that there is something of a shortage of pipelines in our country. Particularly in some parts of the country including the northeastern United States<\/a> and places like puerto rico. We could solve this problem, of course, by allowing ships to carry lng, along the u. S. Coast. The problem is of course the jones act. The jones act, which is about to celebrate its 100th birthday. I say thats 100 birthdays too many for the jones act creates a significant problem here in particular. The jones act of course is this law that restricts shipping between u. S. Ports to only those vessels that are u. S. Built and u. S. Flagged and u. S. Crewed. Now that might sound fine enough at the outset and maybe in some instances there are some people who would be okay with it. I personally dont see any need for it anywhere. I think its a bad law but no matter what i think its ridiculous to make the jones act apply even in those areas, even in those marketplaces where there is no jones act compliant vessel that is capable of carrying something. Say, for example, lng. As a result of this, predictably u. S. Markets have had to turn to other sources where they would otherwise be able to turn to a u. S. Supplier, in many instances theyve had to import natural gas from Foreign Countries<\/a>. Not just any for even countries but in many instances its had to be countries that are our geopolitical adversaries, like russia and venezuela, rather than purchasing lng from american suppliers. So my question for you is, in an unprecedented economic time, one in which americans are facing job losses and other significant economic and personal challenges, wouldnt it make sense for us to take steps to ensure that oil and Gas Companies<\/a> can meet u. S. Demand before potentially forcing the u. S. Into the arms of geopolitical verse aries adversaries like russia and venezuela. Thank you for that question. Fi i agree with what youre saying. I think all of us in this room spent a great deal of our careers in Public Policy<\/a> thinking about the United States<\/a> dependency on Foreign Countries<\/a> and in a very short period of time weve been able to turn that around. Were now the world leader in energy production. You mentioned the northeast. Something that comes to my mind is we have one of the most prolific natural gas supply base ibs in pennsylvania, a short drive from those northeastern states and its a supply basin thats creating jobs, its domestic production, very rigorious regulations surrounding that production, and then transportation. But sometimes it is difficult to get new Pipeline Capacity<\/a> built in order for those reaches of the country that dont have that supply to take advantage of it and then theyre forced to turn to foreign suppliers or even fuel source thats are not as carbon friendly as natural gas is. If that circumstance, in light of what you described, wouldnt a temporary waiver of the jones act at least allow Natural Gas Companies<\/a> to be able to better access American Market<\/a> thats are otherwise difficult or in some cases impossible to access due to the jones act or in some cases because of other infrastructure challenges. Senator, on this particular issue, the jones act, as an association we have not looked at that and taken a position on it. We certainly have heard about it and heard the concerns that youve articulated today so what id like to do is talk to our members and get back to your office. That would be wonderful and if youd like me to visit more with you or with any of your members id be honored and pleased to do that. I think your organization in particular is one that really ought to focus on this and could be a voice of clarity here. Particularly if were talking about this narrow area. Why on earth would we want to be strengthening the hands of oppressive regimes in russia and in venezuela . When we dont even have access to a single Jones Actcompliant<\/a> vessel that could take care of these markets. We got an abundance of natural gas available in this very country. This is exactly the kind of crony capitalism we should be on the look out for. Maybe a hundred years ago, friday, when they passed this. Reporter llfate illfated, ilconceived legislation written by the devil himself, maybe they had good ideas, dont know what they were. I do believe those who were defending it to this day, especially in these extreme circumstances like what were describing here, are being disingenuous and i think its time the American People<\/a> understand its not just the american businesses being harmed, its every day consumers, every day american citizens, whose safety and National Security<\/a> is jeopardized by our shameless commitment to a crony capitalist legal regime. Thank you very much. I have to comment here, as someone who strongly supports the jones act, we worry about foreign dependence whether shipping or wherever else we start to close down miritime and flaing convenience to further dominate in this place, we dont supply good mariner job, when we need sea capacity in times of National Emergency<\/a> those foreign crews i promise will not be there. This hearing is about protecting promoting front line workers, theres no better way to do it than protecting, quite frankly expanding the Chandler Jones<\/a> t act the jones act, and on this 100th anniversary on friday will celebrate as a land mark celebration that many on this committee support. Thank you. How on earth could you justify, whether you think jones act is good idea, which it is not, how on earth can you justify the application of this law, forcing americans to buy natural gas from venezuela and russia when theres not a single jones act compliant vessel in the United States<\/a> capable of carrying this commodity we so badly need. How can you justify that. Senator lee, were going to ask the witness to take that for the record and your eight minutes has expired. Senator blumenthal. Thank you, mr. Chairman. Before i begin my question, i just want to note that the burden of this pandemic has fallen with extraordinary weight on our surface Transportation System<\/a>. We see it in northeast. The plummeting of Passenger Rail<\/a> usage on lines like amtrak, on Commuter Rail<\/a> like metro north, and strikingly on the motor coach transportation companies. Im thinking of a company known as datco in new britain. Thesentits are struggle these entities are struggling as they confront unprecedented financial and logistical hardships. On monday amtrak resume service on the northeast corridor. The only profit most profitable route for amtrak and one of the busiest, our national Passenger Rail<\/a> road, faces a 95 decline in ridership and ticket revenue and recently announced plans to cut its workforce by about onefifth in the next fiscal year. This kind of plummeting usage is a threat to our National Security<\/a> and likewise Commuter Rail<\/a> services, metro north, for example, has seen a decline in revenue in ridership rand now grappling with the same logistical difficulties in the tristate area of new jersey, new york and connecticut. And most of the 3,000 company thats make up the United States<\/a> motor coach industry remain shuttered. Its nearly 100,000 employees are unemployed. And almost entire fleet of 36,000 busses. Thats 100,000 employees. 36,000 busses. All idle. And as i mentioned, theyre familyowned small multigeneration businesses that face a uncertain future. So i hope in one of the next hearings, mr. Chairman, we hold on surface transportation and devote attention to the issues faced by these industries. Earlier today i introduced the essential transportation employee safety act of 2020. I want to thank my team member cantwell and marquee for their support. This would protect personal protective equipment and cleaning disingenuous infection sanitation requirement for owners and operators of equipment or facilities use the by certainly transportation and employers used in this Public Health<\/a> crisis and want to thank the senators for their efforts on covid19 every Worker Protection<\/a> act of 2020. Im proud to support that legislation as well. We need to protect all of our workers, everyone who continues to be on the job during this pandemic from exposure to covid19, regardless of the industry and frankly the absence of direction of osha only heightens the urge e urgency f this legislation. Let me ask, mr. Willis, if i may. I couldnt agree more strong federal mandates are necessary to provide front line workers protections to keep them safe. Can you please expand on how the current pandemic affects your members and some of the onthejob challenge thats they face. What is it like for them to go to work facing the shortages of this equipment and the other challenges that they have . Well, thank you, senator. You know, i would say that our members , i dont like to use this word, but you know, theyre scared. Theyre scared to expose themselves. They want to know that more is being done to protect them and their families and theyre scared about their jobs. About the economic instability that weve already seen in these sectors of our economy and really, i think, challenging times ahead, that this congress has to respond to in a aggressive way. You mentioned the motor coach side. Its not been discussed yet today. And its an important one. We represent drivers at many of those companies. Not only on the inner city but on commuter bus, on tour bus, in a number of cities. Theyve been essentially shut down. They are in need of specific assistance and something i think this committee needs to seriously consider. So we need to provide some safety assurances, some economic assurances to our members because as i said theyve got some real anxiety as they go to work every day. Thank you. Thank you very much to all of you for being here. And thanks for your leadership, mr. Willis. Thank you. Thank you, senator blumenthal. Let me ask this, mr. Bazella, on may 12th, representative waddld and i sent a letter to the Automotive Industry<\/a> asking how its using innovation in respond to the pandemic. Senator throone and peters have been championing Autonomous Vehicle<\/a> legislation and ive tried to be supportive of that. The national highway traffic Safety Administration<\/a> has highlights some of the ways new innovations are being use in response to this covid crisis, including the use of automated driving systems to transport covid19 tests and ridehailing vehicles, to transport essential goods like medical supplies, mail, and groceries. How do you see the covid19 pandemic effecting the Automotive Industry<\/a> focus on Innovative Technologies<\/a> in the future. Senator, mr. Chairman, theres a tremendous amount of innovation going on as a result of covid19. Behind me is a table filled with ventilators and materials that Auto Industry<\/a> responded with to the crisis. Looking forward we see the types of innovation youre talking about, highly automotivive vehicles to do contactless were seeing that in california and other locations where they are already pilots under way for highly Automated Vehicle<\/a> pilots under way. I think the committee can focus on creating a federal framework to allow for widespread testing and deployment of these vehicles as long as they can be determined to be safer than the vehicles they replace. I think thats a really important effort for the committee and for the congress to take on because it does set up this innovative future that i think the pandemic speaks to right now. Anybody else want to jump in there . Yeah, let me just add, you know, weve been involved in. Avdiscussion in front of this committee and i think that, you know, it is something to talk about. We should not, though, get in front of the real safety challenges that i think this Technology Still<\/a> confronts, and, you know, if were going to move forward with pilots, with early deployment of avs and highly Autonomous Vehicle<\/a>s, nis a has got to do a better job both as this technology is tested on our roads and again early deployment, you know, really making sure, getting in there that, again, these are safe technologies and quite frankly theres also a worker, a job component here that i think we need to think a little bit more about before we get too far along. And mr. Willis, has that been problematic in california in places where pilots are already wellunder way and ongoing . You know, i think the ntsb has spoken of this on the crash that occurred in arizona. We would echo that there was, you know, really a lack of regulatory over sight by nitsa and quite frankly in that situation i think the company is doing better but we have to see more robust, you know, real regulation here from nitsa before were comfortable with looking at these avpilots and testing schemes. Okay. Anybody on the panel wants to elaborate on the record on that issue please do so. Mr. Bazella i have two vehicle thats have onstar. I dont know the various brand names but subscriptionbased communication systems. Someone told me yesterday in getting ready for this hearing that actually those systems amount to wifihot spots. I mean, conceivably if the remotest place of the country i could take my books out to the car and have wifi there. Am i correct there . And is this a point that is even worth make sng would you comment. Yes, mr. Chairman, its a great point and what were seeing during the pandemic is the use of these subscription Telematic Services<\/a> and their embedded wifi to actually provide wifi hot spots, so, as students can continue to learn remotely. The telematics represents, these systems represent an enormous opportunity for more innovation here in the United States<\/a> and frankly leadership. And i think that in addition to wifi hot spots, what youre seeing is automated emergency services, the vehicle can automatically notify First Responders<\/a> in the case of a crash, even if the driver is unable to do so him or herself. These are lifesaving, groundbreaking technologies were seeing brought to market and theres tens and millions of vehicles on the road with these technologies today. Tens of millions. To what extent are new vehicles coming off the Assembly Line<\/a> equip with this. What percentage of americanmade automobiles in 2020 equip with the systems . Yeah, more and more every day. I will get back to your staff with specific percentage of new vehicles. Put that on the record if you dont mind. I will do that its a fairly high percentage. How costefifective is it . It provides a Great Service<\/a> for reasonable subscription, lifesaving services, automatic connection to First Responders<\/a>, conveniences, navigation systems. I think this is really what people want when we talk about intelligent Transportation System<\/a>s, info tanment and telematics and safety. Thank you very much. If you would hold for a moment. I dont think we have any other members in line so i want to thank our witnesses. Very interesting hearing. Very interesting subject matter. Very interesting presentation. And yes, im new about the exhibit in the back of the room i knew about the exhibit in the back of the room and i should have mentioned it beforehand. So those who are still in the room, many Staff Members<\/a> are still here. Welcomed to and encouraged to stop by the table on the way out and see that exhibit. And thank you for that. The hearing record will remain open for two weeks. During that time senators are asked to submit any question for the record. Upon receipt the witnesses are requested to submit their written answers to the committee as soon as possible. But no later than wednesday, july 1st. 2020. So thank you to the witnesses for appearing today and this hearing is now adjourned. Tonight beginning at 8 00 eastern on American History<\/a> tv, a look at the great depression, found in 1933 during the depression, the Tennessee Valley<\/a>s authoritys mission was to address environmental, energy, and Economic Development<\/a> issues in a region suffer from soil erosion, floods, poverty and unemployment. A National Program<\/a> in the Tennessee Valley<\/a> is a 1936 film created by tba to promote their efforts and show the construction of norris damn in tennessee and wheeler dam in alabama both still operational and on the National Register<\/a> of historic places. Watch American History<\/a> tv tonight and over the weekend on cspan3. Centers for Disease Control<\/a> and prevention director dr. Robert redfield testifies before a house a pro bowler iati a house a prop ratio subcommittee. Several mayors from around the country recently discuss what their city needs in order to reopen during the coronavirus pandemic. They spoke in front of the house select subcommittee","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"archive.org","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","width":"800","height":"600","url":"\/\/ia803205.us.archive.org\/25\/items\/CSPAN3_20200603_183200_Hearing_on_COVID-19_Impact_on_Transportation__Critical_Infrastructure\/CSPAN3_20200603_183200_Hearing_on_COVID-19_Impact_on_Transportation__Critical_Infrastructure.thumbs\/CSPAN3_20200603_183200_Hearing_on_COVID-19_Impact_on_Transportation__Critical_Infrastructure_000001.jpg"}},"autauthor":{"@type":"Organization"},"author":{"sameAs":"archive.org","name":"archive.org"}}],"coverageEndTime":"20240716T12:35:10+00:00"}