Bill Introduced to Improve, Tax Freight Transportation

Rep. Adam Smith (WA) has introduced a bill (H.R. 2707) that would create a federal program that would make grants to states to improve highway, railroads and their intersections to improve freight transportation. The program would be supported by a tax of 1 percent of the value of freight rail and commercial ground transportation.

Bill Watch—111th Congress

Amended Dec. 21, 2010.

H.R. 1—American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009
Obama Signs Stimulus Bill
Transportation Secretary Discusses Economic Stimulus Package
House Passes Stimulus Bill
Drinking Water Not Getting as Much of Stimulus Package as Advocates Hoped
Congress to Consider Recovery Bill
Drinking Water Investment Could Create 400,000 Jobs
Drinking Water News

H.R. 537 - Sustainable Water Infrastructure Investment Act of 2009

H.R. 651—Northeast Corridor Rail Tunnel Safety Act
Amtrak May Benefit from Tunnel Bill

H.R. 1145--National Water Research and Development Initiative Act of 2009
House Passes National Water Research and Development Initiative Act
National Water Research & Development Initiative Reported Out of House Committee

H.R. 1262—Water Quality Investment Act of 2009
House Passes Water Quality Investment Act of 2009

H.R. 1682--Bridge Life Extension Act of 2009
Bridge Bill Could Require States to Address Corrosion

H.R. 1770—Dam Rehabilitation and Repair Act of 2009
Congress Considers Dam Safety Bills

H.R. 2104--Safety, Efficiency, and Accountability in Transportation Projects Through Public Inspection Act of 2009
Bill Would Require Surface Transportation Inspections by Public Employees

H.R. 2164—Federal Streetcar Revitalization Act of 2009
Bill Introduced to Bring Back the Streetcar

H.R. 2232
Bill Would Create National Tunnel Inspection Program

H.R. 2521—National Infrastructure Development Bank Act of 2009
Another National Infrastructure Bank Bill Proposed

H.R. 2707—National Freight Mobility Infrastructure Act
Bill Introduced to Improve, Tax Freight Transportation

H.R. 2847 – Jobs for Main Street Act
House Passes Jobs for Main Street Act

H.R. 2997 - Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act
Farm Bill Includes Environmental Funding
Water Roundup

H.R. 3183 - Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act
Water Legislation — recycling, research, efficiency
Water Roundup

H.R. 3202—Water Protection and Reinvestment Act of 2009
Water Infrastructure Funding Bill Introduced

H.R. 3747 - Water Efficiency, Conservation and Adaptation Act of 2009
Clean Energy and Drinking Water Bills Working Way through Congress

H.R. 3598 - Energy and Water Research Integration Act
Water Legislation — recycling, research, efficiency
Water Roundup



H.R. 3727 - Drinking Water Adaptation, Technology, Education, and Research (WATER) Act
Environmental, Energy Bills Introduced in Congress

H.R. 4202 – Green Infrastructure for Clean Water Act
Blog coverage of H.R. 4202 from OpenCongress
Green Infrastructure Bill Introduced

H.R. 5679 – End the Stimulus Advertisement Act
What’s Up in Congress

H.R 5892 - Water Resources Development Act of 2010
Congressional Activity
H.R.5892 - Water Resources Development Act of 2010

H.R. 5897 - Economic Revitalization and Innovation Act of 2010
Congressional Activity

H.R. 5899 - A Roadmap for America’s Energy Future
Congressional Activity

H.R. 5922 - Small-Scale Hydropower Enhancement Act of 2010
Congressional Activity

H.R. 6182 – additional SRF funding for smart growth states
National News

H.R. 6190 - Airport and Airway Extension Act of 2010, Part III
National News

H.R. 6519 – Railroad Hours of Service Act of 2010
111th Congress Wrapping Up

S. 732—Dam Rehabilitation and Repair Act of 2009
Congress Considers Dam Safety Bills

S. 841 – Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act of 2010
111th Congress Wrapping Up

S. 1318—Axe the Stimulus Plaques Act
Bill Would Axe Stimulus Plaques

S. 1498—Surface Transportation Extension Act of 2009
Senate to Debate Extension of Transportation Programs

S. 1711 - Water Efficiency and Conservation Investment Act of 2009
Environmental, Energy Bills Introduced in Congress

S. 1712 - Water Efficiency, Conservation and Adaptation Act of 2009
Clean Energy and Drinking Water Bills Working Way through Congress

S. 1713 - Water Efficiency via Carbon Harvesting and Restoration (WECHAR) Act of 2009
Environmental, Energy Bills Introduced in Congress

S. 1733 – Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act
Clean Energy and Drinking Water Bills Working Way through Congress

S. 3262 – Sustainable Water Infrastructure Investment Act of 2010
America has Huge Need for Water Infrastructure Improvements

S. 3553 – Permanent Prevention of Asian Carp Act of 2010
What’s Up in Congress

S. 3561 – Green Infrastructure for Clean Water Act of 2010
What’s Up in Congress

S. 3736
Congressional Activity

Government Accountability Office Issues Report on Surface Transportation Programs

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has issued a report (GAO-08-400) on the state of federal surface transportation programs. The report dealt with both the effectiveness of programs and the sustainability of present funding schemes.

GAO found that, as federal involvement in highways has grown since the 1950s, the government has produced a hodge-podge of programs with vague goals and uncertain federal roles that are sometimes contradictory (the agency put it somewhat more gently than that). The result is programs that don’t effectively address current issues like congestion and heavy freight traffic. They recommend that Congress undertake creating more clear definitions of the role of federal transportation agencies, desired results of programs, and outcomes expected from recipients of federal aid.
GAO also addressed projected shortfalls in federal transportation trust funds. Deficits in some of these funds may begin as early as next year for the major federal highway fund. (Last fall, the Congressional Budget Office issued a report on this shortfall.)

Transportation Secretary Discusses Economic Stimulus Package

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood today met with leaders of state departments of transportation from across the country in preparation for final passage of the economic recovery bill.

“The upshot of these meetings is that we have thousands of worthwhile transportation projects that are ready to go. They’ve cleared all the hurdles and just need the funding,” said Secretary LaHood. “The U.S. Department of Transportation is ready to get the money out the door. We now need the Congress to pass a final bill.”

The meeting came one day after the U.S. Senate approved the Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The House passed its version on January 28. The bills now go to a conference committee to resolve differences.

Secretary LaHood said the bills passed provide approximately $46 billion for transportation infrastructure, including up to $30 billion for highways, $12 billion for transit, $3.1 billion for passenger rail and $3 billion for airports. In addition, the Senate bill also includes $5.5 billion for a supplemental discretionary grant program. Eligible projects include highways and bridges, public transit, passenger and freight rail transportation and port infrastructure.

Secretary LaHood told participants that accountability would be one of his highest priorities and that his Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) team would be closely monitoring all aspects of the recovery funding. The Secretary’s TIGER team is composed of officials from across the Department’s operating administrations and offices.

Related articles and posts:
Congress to Consider Recovery Bill
Economic Stimulus Package Would Increase Transportation Funding
House Passes Stimulus Bill
Ray H. LaHood Appointed Secretary of Transportation

Barge Traffic Threatened on Missouri & Mississippi Rivers

Levels on the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers continue to drop.  One of the consequences of low river levels is the dangers it poses to navigation, especially to barge traffic.  Low levels have exposed rocks and sand bars on both rivers.

Barges on these rivers transport a lot of goods, especially commodities.  This is a significant part of the economy of states along these rivers, especially those on the lower Mississippi River.  For instance, in Missouri the Missouri Economic Research and Information Center estimated that nearly $3 billion in Missouri commodities, mostly agricultural products, are shipped on water.  Water freight generates an estimated $388 million annually in gross state product (GSP) in Missouri.

To some degree, flow in these rivers is controlled by dams operated by the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers.  Officials and businesses along the Mississippi River have asked the Corp to release more water.  The Corp agreed, and on December 15 began releasing water Carlyle Lake (a little more than 50 miles east of St. Louis) on the Kaskaskia River, which flows into the Mississippi River a few a few miles downstream of Ste. Genevieve, Missouri.

The Corp has tried to tame these rivers for more than a century, managing them for navigation, flood control, and other purposes.  It may not get any easier.  Many are predicting that climate change will result in more droughts and flooding along with more frequent extreme high and low levels of water in the rivers.

A couple of days ago, IW was quick to draw knives on a proposal to pump water from the Missouri River to the Colorado River through a pipeline that would run from Leavenworth, Kansas, to Denver, Colorado.  Recently Interior Secretary Ken Salazar admitted that this was not a practicable plan and that western states need to seek solutions elsewhere.

Related articles and posts

Climate Change Pits Sioux Against Barges for Scarce Water (Bjerga, A., Bloomberg, Dec. 17, 2012)

Drought expands, concerns mount about wheat and rivers (Gillam, C., Reuters, Dec. 6, 2012)

Four stories to keep an eye on in 2013 (Miller, M., Southeast Missourian, Dec. 18, 2012)

In Two Weeks, the Mississippi River Could Shut Down (Goldenberg, S., The Atlantic, Dec. 14, 2012)

Officials meet to tackle drought-ravaged Mississippi River, shipping concerns (Currier, J., St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Dec. 17, 2012)

Pump water from Leavenworth to Denver? Highly unlikely, U.S. concludes (Helling, D., Kansas City Star, Dec. 13, 2012)

Will the Missouri River be the Next Colorado River? (Infrastructure Watch, Dec. 14, 2012)

Nominations for Federal Environmental and Infrastructure Posts Announced

President Barack Obama recently announced his nominees for several posts at agencies with responsibilities for infrastructure or the environment.

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGYScott Blake Harris for General Counsel. Harris is Managing Partner of Harris, Wiltshire & Grannis LLP, a Washington, D.C. law firm with nationally known telecommunications, litigation, and appellate practices. From 1994 to 1996, Mr. Harris served as the first chief of the International Bureau at the Federal Communications Commission. Before joining the Commission, he was Chief Counsel for Export Administration at the U.S. Department of Commerce. Prior to government service, Mr. Harris was a partner at the law firm of Williams & Connolly. Mr. Harris is a magna cum laude graduate of both Brown University and Harvard Law School.

Kristina M. Johnson Under Secretary of Energy. Johnson is currently the provost and senior vice president for academic affairs of Johns Hopkins University. Previously, Johnson served as the Dean of Duke University's Pratt School of Engineering from 1999-2007 where she helped to set up interdisciplinary efforts in photonics, bioengineering and biologically inspired materials, and energy and the environment. Before that she was on the faculty of the University of Colorado, Boulder from 1985-1999 where she led an NSF Engineering Research Center and involved engineers, mathematicians, physicists, chemists and psychologists in working to make computers faster and better connected. Johnson is an electrical engineer with more than 129 US and foreign patents or patents pending. These inventions include pioneering work on liquid crystal on silicon (LCOS) microdisplays and their integration into demonstration and commercial systems such as heads-up automotive displays (HUD); pattern recognition systems for cancer prescreening, object tracking and document processing; HDTV and 3D projection displays; and 3D holographic memories. She has co-founded several companies and is the author of 142 peer reviewed publications. Johnson has received several awards including the John Fritz Medal, widely considered the highest award in the engineering profession. She earned degrees from Stanford University including a Ph.D. in 1984 and both a bachelor's and a master's degree in electrical engineering in 1981.


DEPARTMENT OF INTERIORMichael L. Connor for Director, Bureau of Reclamation. Connor has more than 15 years of experience in the public sector including serving as the Counsel to the U.S. Senate and Natural Resources Committee since May 2001. As Counsel, he has negotiated and managed legislation related to water reclamation, Indian lands and energy issues. Connor also directed the Water & Power Subcommittee which has legislative oversight of the Bureau of Reclamation and the US Geological Survey. From 1993 to 2001, Connor served at the Department of the Interior as deputy director and then director of the Secretary's Indian Water Rights Office. Connor received his J.D. from the University of Colorado School of Law, and is admitted to the bars of Colorado and New Mexico. He has a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from New Mexico State University.

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATIONJoseph C. Szabo for Administrator, Federal Railroad Administration. Szabo is currently the Illinois State Legislative Director for the United Transportation Union. As State Director Joe has provided vision and direction to rail safety and regulatory issues and worked with business and civic leaders in the advancement of freight and passenger rail service. Joe also serves on the Federal Railroad Administration's Rail Safety Advisory Committee participating in the development of federal regulations on rail safety. Prior to this Joe served as the Mayor of the Village of Riverdale where he managed over 100 employees and budget of $9 Million serving 15,000 residents. Joe was elected Mayor after serving ten years as a Village Trustee

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCYMichelle J. DePass for Assistant Administrator for International Affairs. DePass is currently a program officer at the Ford Foundation where she manages the foundation's initiative on Environmental Justice and Healthy Communities. Her work concentrates on the environmental and social justice intersections in the United States and supporting transnational linkages that support environmental justice policies and practices. She taught federal environmental law and policy at the City University of New York, developed and administered a bi-state workforce development training program for disadvantaged youth on superfund waste sites, and served as executive director of the New York City Environmental Justice Alliance. In this position, she assisted communities and community organizations in their negotiations with government agencies, implemented advocacy campaigns and co-organized the Northeast Environmental Justice Network. Subsequently, she served as Assistant to the City Manager of San Jose, California, advising on environmental policy matters, and served as an Environmental Compliance Manager for the City of San Jose. After completing a term with the Center for Constitutional Rights in New York as a William Kunstler Racial Justice Fellow, Michelle joined the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection where she was Senior Policy Advisor to the Commissioner. In this position, she developed a framework for an Environmental Justice Order that required the use of public health data to identify communities for priority compliance, enforcement, remediation, siting and permitting action. She received a B.A. in Political Science from Tufts University, a law degree from Fordham University School of Law, and a Master of Public Administration degree from Baruch College School of Public Affairs.

Cynthia J. Giles for Assistant Administrator for Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. Giles is Vice President and Director of Conservation Law Foundation's Rhode Island Advocacy Center, where she has focused on state and regional advocacy to combat climate change. From 2001 to 2005, Cynthia served as head of the Bureau of Resource Protection at the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection. Giles worked for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in a variety of capacities from 1991 to 1997. From 1995-1997, she was Enforcement Director for Region 3 and developed a "results-targeted" approach to enforcement, which she has since published in a paper written for OECA. Her responsibilities included overseeing enforcement of federal laws regulating toxics and protecting air, drinking water and surface water. She also chaired a regional ozone compliance initiative, developing strategies for reducing smog-causing emissions from stationary sources. Prior to joining EPA, Giles was an Assistant United States Attorney, where she prosecuted violations of federal environmental laws. She holds a BA from Cornell University, as well as a JD from the University of California at Berkeley and an MPA from the Harvard University Kennedy School of Government. She is admitted to the bar in the State of Rhode Island, U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island and State of Pennsylvania.

Gina McCarthy for Assistant Administrator for Air and Radiation. McCarthy is currently the Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). McCarthy came to the Connecticut DEP from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, where she worked on environmental issues at the state and local level for 25 years in a variety of high-ranking positions. Just prior to joining the Connecticut DEP, she served as the Deputy Secretary of Operations for the Massachusetts Office of Commonwealth Development, a "Super Secretariat" that coordinates policies and programs of that state's environmental, transportation, energy and housing agencies. In 1990, Governor Dukakis appointed McCarthy as Chair of the Council to oversee the review of a proposed hazardous waste incinerator in the Boston area.

You can read the original news releases here and here.