CAGTC

A CAGTC survey found that two-thirds of its member respondents have received funding through the legislation, which it deemed impressive. What’s more, it added that this served as an indication that while there are challenges in the process, 100% of CAGTC member respondents said they will continue to apply for federal funding through competitive grants.

A recently-held House Transportation & Infrastructure (T&I) Committee hearing focused on implementation and oversight of the bipartisan $1.2 billion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, with a sharp focus on “ensuring it is implemented as Congress intended.”

Leadership for the Washington, D.C.-based Coalition for America’s Gateways and Trade Corridors (CAGTC) praised the recent passing of the $1.2 trillion infrastructure authorization that the House of Representatives signed off on late last week, following the Senate doing the same over the summer, which now awaits President Biden’s signature before becoming official.

CAGTC Executive Director Elaine Nessle explained that, for years, there has been an ongoing conversation about insufficient levels of infrastructure funding across the entire transportation spectrum, specifically as it relates to freight-related infrastructure.

At a time when it the current federal transportation authorization—the FAST (Fixing America’s Surface Transportation) Act—is set to expire, at the end of September, the United States Department of Transportation (DOT) this week issued a National Freight Strategic Plan (NFSP).

INFRA grant funding requests were in high demand compared to available funds, with DOT evaluating 173 eligible applications from 47 states, U.S. territories, and the District of Columbia. Roughly $7.4 billion in grant funds were requested, which DOT said is more than eight times of the funding that is available.

CAGTC has developed 15 “Follow That Freight” brochures, which began in 2005, with each one featuring a unique consumer product, which CAGTC said explains the significance of freight and goods movement infrastructure, adding it was created as an educational resource for elected officials and the general public to demonstrate how goods move through the supply chain to reach store shelves on a global basis.

While the pace of progress for transportation infrastrructure legislation, specifically the pending need for a new long-term surfce transportation authorization, remains largely under the radar in many circles.

Legislation introduced earlier this month by Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.) takes a hard look at giving non-highway freight-based transportation infrastructure initiatives a more prominent seat at the table.

While much of today’s mainstream news, as it relates to the supply chain, is focused on topical trade-related things like tariffs and the future of NAFTA, one constant that remains intact, although it does not receive the commensurate amount of attention, is the state of our nation’s infrastructure.

A report recently issued by the Problem Solvers Caucus platform focuses on bipartisan policy solutions with an eye on augmenting United States’ infrastructure. Entitled, “Rebuilding America’s Infrastructure,” the report comes at a time when the current status of U.S. infrastructure planning, from both an operational and financial perspective, is somewhat stuck in neutral.

Even though the Trump administration talked a pretty good game about implementing a national infrastructure plan to the tune of $1 trillion dollars, signs of actual action on this front have not inched forward, at least not yet. But that does not mean the wheels are not turning on the inexorable topic of transportation infrastructure funding, something that has been ongoing for literally years.

The future success of domestic manufacturing requires strong transportation infrastructure. That was the main thesis of a white paper recently issued by the Washington, D.C.-based Coalition for America’s Gateways and Trade Corridors (CAGTC).

Freight interests are applauding a long-awaited report by an influential House committee panel that calls for a major push to modernize freight infrastructure in this country, even though it fell short on calling for specific ways to pay for it.

On the eve of President Barack Obama’s FY 2014 budget release, freight interests in the Nation’s Capital on Tuesday were telling policy leaders that it’s never too early to be thinking about the next multi-year highway bill—and, more importantly, how to pay for it.