AAPA commends infrastructure investments

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  • American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA) hails Congress’ commitment to developing US port infrastructure

The American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA) has praised steps taken by President Barack Obama, the House Transport and Infrastructure Committee (T & I), and by House Ways and Means chairman Dave Camp towards increased investment in US transportation and the nation’s ports.

Speaking in Minnesota last Wednesday, President Obama announced Transportation Infrastructure Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grants of up to US$600 million for the current financial year.

He continued to outline the proposal of a four-year $302 billion transportation reauthorisation bill which will include permanent authorisation of the TIGER grant programme.

Grant funding will be more than doubled, with $5 billion to be invested during the four-year period.

Furthermore, up to $10 billion would be invested into a multimodal freight grant programme for rail, highway and port projects to ensure efficient movement of goods across the country and abroad.

$4 billion will be privately invested in transport infrastructure, including through the existing Transportation Investment Financing and Innovation (TIFIA) programme.

On the same day of the announcement, House Ways and Means Chairman Dave Camp proposed, as part of a tax reform package, $126.5 billion to the Highway Trust Fund (HTF) “to fully fund highway and infrastructure investment through the HTF for eight years.”

The HTF finances surface transportation programmes within the Department of Transportation has been suffering from shortfalls over recent years, with outlays surpassing excise tax revenue by billions of dollars.

On Wednesday and Thursday of the week previous, the House T & I Committee held two events aimed at gaining support for a surface transportation reauthorisation bill.

The first event consisted of a roundtable led by Chairman Bill Shuster, high ranking member, Nick Rahall, and stakeholders on the reauthorisation.

On Thursday, the T & I Committee’s subcommittee on highways held a hearing titled “Improving the Nation’s Highway Freight Network.”

Chairman Tom Petri specifically noted the importance of “first and last mile connections” between highways and other modes of transport, such as ports.

AAPA President Kurt Nagle stated, “We’re extremely pleased to see the heightened bipartisan recognition that the efficient movement of goods, including trade through seaports and connecting infrastructure, must be a priority at the federal level to enhance US competitiveness in the global marketplace.

“This trade generates more than 13 million jobs, accounts for over a quarter of our GDP and brings in over $200 billion in tax revenues annually.”

“We’re extremely pleased to see the heightened bipartisan recognition that the efficient movement of goods, including trade through seaports and connecting infrastructure, must be a priority at the federal level to enhance US competitiveness in the global marketplace. “

“This trade generates more than 13 million jobs, accounts for over a quarter of our GDP and brings in over $200 billion in tax revenues annually.”
 

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