Lautenberg's FREIGHT Act of 2010 (S. 3629)
The Focusing Resources, Economic Investment, and Guidance to Help Transportation (FREIGHT) Act of 2010 was introduced by Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) on July 22, 2010 and is cosponsored by Senators Patricia Murray (D-WA) and Maria Cantwell (D-WA). The bill aims to improve the efficiency, operation, and security of the national transportation system to move freight by leveraging investments and promoting partnerships that advance interstate and foreign commerce. Most notably from an energy-efficiency perspective, the bill would set a goal to reduce national freight transportation-related carbon dioxide emissions by 40 percent by 2030, and would create a competitive grant program through the Department of Transportation (DOT) to provide financial assistance for capital investments that improve the efficiency of the national transportation system to move freight. The bill was referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
Title I - Freight Transportation Policy and Strategic Development
Section 101 would declare that it is US policy to improve the efficiency, operation, and security of the national transportation system to move freight by leveraging investments and promoting partnerships that advance interstate and foreign commerce, promote economic competitiveness and job creation, improve the safe and efficient mobility of goods, and protect the public health and the environment. Section 101 would also list the objectives of this bill, two of which would be to promote and advance energy conservation and the environmental sustainability of freight movements, and to encourage the adoption of operational policies that would improve the efficiency of freight-related transportation movements and infrastructure (such as intelligent transportation systems).
It would also set a goal to reduce national freight transportation-related carbon dioxide emissions by 40 percent by 2030, reduce freight transportation-related air, water and noise pollution and impacts annually (no specific target), and reduce freight transportation-related fatalities 10 percent by 2015 . DOT would be directed to develop baselines for these goals within 2 years of enactment. The goals could be amended by DOT after enactment.
Section 102 would establish an Office of Freight Planning and Development in the Department of Transportation (DOT) that would be responsible for coordinating investment of Federal funding in order to improve the efficiency of the national freight transportation system, among other responsibilities. The new office would be responsible for creating, within 2 years of enactment, a long-term National Freight Transportation Strategic Plan to achieve the policy, objectives and goals of this bill. The Plan would include a list of priority freight corridors and gateways to be improved.
Recipients of Federal non-competitively awarded transportation funds and competitively awarded freight-related grant funds would be required to submit a comprehensive annual report on the use of the funds in freight projects to ensure consistency with the policy, objectives, and goals of this bill. DOT would be required to submit biennial progress reports on the implementation of the Plan every 2 years. The progress reports would include policy and legislative recommendations DOT believes to be necessary to fully implement the Plan. $3 million would be authorized to be appropriated to DOT to implement this subsection.
Section 103 would require DOT, within 1 year of enactment, to improve existing or develop new tools to support an outcome-oriented, performance-based approach to evaluate proposed freight-related and other projects. These tools would include evaluations of external effects on congestion, pollution, the environment, and public health, among others. DOT would also be required to collect data to support evaluation methods including estimates of the effect of proposed investments on congestion, pollution, public health and other factors.
Tile II - Freight Transportation Investment
Section 201 would require DOT to establish a competitive grant program to provide financial assistance for capital investments that improve the efficiency of the national transportation system to move freight. Among qualified projects would be those on intelligent transportation systems primarily for freight benefit that would reduce congestion or improve safety. Projects would be selected based on the extent to which they would support the objectives of the Plan; incorporate new and innovative technologies like freight-related intelligent transportation systems; improve energy efficiency or reduce greenhouse gas emissions; help maintain or protect the environment, including reducing air and water pollution; reduce congestion; and enhance national or regional economic growth. Also to be taken into account would be whether Federal support and participation would be necessary to readily and efficiently realize the project. Grants would not exceed 80 percent of the net capital cost of the project, and projects which request the Federal government to meet lower shares of their net capital costs would be prioritized.
No specific amount of money would be authorized for these grants.
