NASCO WebinarLeslie Blakey, President

Coalition for America’s Gateways and Trade Corridors

What is CAGTC?• Coalition for America’s Gateways and Trade

Corridors: Founded in 2001 as a national advocacy organization for freight infrastructure

• Mission:  Raise public recognition and Congressional awareness of the nation’s freight needs and to promote sufficient funding in federal legislation for our multimodal goods movement system

• Composition: 60+ member organizations that are geographically and politically diverse from the public & private sectors

Freight Fact Sheets

Follow that Freight Brochure Series

Digital & hard copies available

CAGTC Principles

• Make national freight transportation policy multimodal and designate a national, multimodal freight network;

• Authorize dedicated, sustainable funding for multimodal freight PNRS or a similar competitive freight infrastructure grant program;

• Ensure robust public investment in all modes;• Promote and expedite the development and delivery of

projects that improve and facilitate the efficient movement of goods; and

• Commit to exploring sustainable sources of revenue across all modes – a minimum annual investment of $2 billion in additional funding is needed.

Freight Can’t Wait

Freight Can’t Wait

Freight Can’t Wait

At the request of Congressional staff, CAGTC developed a paper to highlight the infrastructure needs of U.S. road border crossings in view of increasing trade volumes with our neighbors to the north and south.

The NAFTANEXT SummitNAFTANEXT: Energizing Sustainable Trade Corridors Across North America

Where: Chicago, IL

When: April 22 – 25, 2014

What: Tri-national forum for public and private sectors to develop a long-term

vision for freight transportation, encompassing mobility, energy, and the environment.

www.NAFTANEXT.com

Coming Soon…

• Expand Follow that Freight brochure series

• Expand Freight Can’t Wait booklet• Develop infographic on the effects of

congestion on private businesses and commerce

• Organize next NAFTANEXT

Freight Dynamics• Rebounding economy & consumer

demand• Introduction of megaships & changes in

ocean service• Reshoring & nearshoring• Low-cost energy & byproducts• Energy movement impacts on rail capacity• Panama Canal• Manpower shortage & regulatory issues

• Two-year bill, funded at $52/ yr• Developed first-ever National Freight

Policy and other freight provisions• Expired 9/30/14, extended through

7/31/15

Present Landscape

Freight Proposals• Administration’s GROW AMERICA Act

– Six year bill, valued at $478 billion. $18 billion for freight over six years, divided evenly between a formula and a discretionary program.

– Dedicated funding source: Short-term repatriation tax & long-term corporate tax restructuring

Freight ProposalsHouse T&I Committee’s Six-Month Special Panel on 21st Century Freight Transportation

– Establish a multimodal freight policy

and network;– Robust investment in all modes;– Authorize funding for multimodal

freight PNRS; and– Call on Administration to identify and

recommend sustainable multimodal revenue.

Freight Proposals

Rep. Alan Lowenthal (D-CA)Economy in Motion: The National Multimodal

and Sustainable Freight Infrastructure Act

• Forms Freight Trust Fund• Establishes 1% waybill fee on goods movement

costs - estimated to raise about $8 billion/ yr• Develops Freight Formula – 50% • Creates Competitive Grant Program – 50%

Freight Proposals

Rep. Janice Hahn (D-CA)The National Freight Network

Trust Fund Act of 2015

• Forms Freight Trust Fund• Directs 5% of currently-

collected import duties – estimated to deposit about $1.9 billion/yr

• Creates Competitive Grant Program tied to the Primary Freight Network

Administration Initiatives• DOC Advisory Committee on Supply Chain

Competitiveness– Recommendations call for increased funding

distributed through a freight-specific competitive grant program; requested minimum investment of $2 billion/yr.

• DOT National Freight Advisory Committee– Recommendations call for increased funding

distributed through a freight-specific competitive grant program. Minimum annual investment not designated.

Speculation

• Money: HTF will run dry in August. Funding possibilities: gas tax increase, General Fund transfer, tax reform, various repatriation methods.

• Pressure: 2016 elections, rotating leadership, stakeholders.

• What’s Next? – EPW – scheduled markup for June 24– T&I – waiting for guaranteed funding– Commerce – writing strong freight title– Ways & Means – planning revenue hearing

1120 20th Street NW

Suite 500 N

Washington, DC 20036

(202) 828-9100

lblakey@blakey-agnew.com