Page 18 - The South China Business Journal

D.C. TODAY
nfrastructure Week is here, and with it comes the streamlining and modernizing the permitting
I“unof昀椀cial” start by Congress to write the next process, removing bureaucratic roadblocks
surface transportation and infrastructure law. that have stunted the building of infrastructure
necessary to meet the needs of our modern society
With so much attention by lawmakers—and the and compete globally.
public—on budget reconciliation, it’s easy to forget
that Congress is already hard at work on a new The successful, fast-track completion of emergency
surface transportation and infrastructure law. This projects like the I-95 rebuild in Philadelphia and
law will follow the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge shows that
Act (IIJA)—the largest federal investment in American we can streamline processes and work more
infrastructure in half a century—and already States ef昀椀ciently. By cutting red tape, we can unlock faster
and other transportation stakeholders are anxiously construction, lower costs, and fund more projects
tracking the fate of potentially hundreds of billions that enhance the quality of life for more American
of dollars for our nation’s roads, bridges, railways, workers and families.
transit systems, and ports as well as the future of the
laws that govern the movement of our cars, trucks, Safety and Reliability for the Long Haul
railroads, and buses.
Americans need dependable infrastructure that
Each day, millions of American families and ensures safety and ef昀椀ciency for communities,
businesses rely on our nation’s infrastructure for their businesses, and the economy. That means
mobility needs and to get goods to market. Years investing in roads, bridges, ports, and transit
of underinvestment in our nation’s infrastructure systems that are reliable against weather-related
led to deferred maintenance and delays in projects and man-made disruptions. As technology evolves,
critical to our nation’s competitiveness and economic it offers new ways to shore up our infrastructure
growth. Thankfully, as outlined with technology solutions
in the American Society of Civil that strengthen our system,
Engineers’ “Report Card for Americans need modern, e昀케cient, reduce future risks, and are
America’s Infrastructure,” there and secure infrastructure and built with longevity in mind.
has been recent improvement, transportation systems to strengthen
underscoring the importance of
continued progress. our global competitiveness and spur a Restore Stable Funding
manufacturing renaissance to Transportation
Here are several priorities Projects
lawmakers must address in the
next infrastructure bill to keep America’s economic Stable funding from Washington, D.C., provides
growth and competitiveness on the right track. states with the con昀椀dence to plan infrastructure
investments over the long term. Historically,
Bolster America's Economic Growth the federal government’s contribution to these
and Competitiveness Through Targeted investments was generated by revenues from the
gas tax—but the gas tax was last raised in 1993
Investments despite rising construction costs and growing
infrastructure needs. Increasingly, Congress is
America’s roads, bridges, railways, transit systems, buying debt to make up the difference.
and ports are essential to our economy, moving
people and freight ef昀椀ciently around the country. This is why we are calling on Congress to restore
New infrastructure investments must advance the the "user fee" as the cornerstone of surface
totality of this transportation network to boost transportation funding. Congress must modernize
economic growth and strengthen our quality of life. the user fee to re昀氀ect the realities of rising
construction costs, the improving fuel ef昀椀ciency
THE ROAD AHEAD: To do so, Congress should maintain funding levels of gasoline-powered vehicles, and the growing
that build on the investments of the previous
share of electric vehicles traveling on our roads,
reauthorization. We’ve seen federal investments
successfully help 昀椀x freight traf昀椀c bottlenecks, which will ensure all users contribute meaningfully
to maintaining and improving our nation’s roads,
WHAT CONGRESS MUST improve road safety and ease congestion, and bridges, and transit systems.
give states and regions the ability to rebuild and
reimagine their communities. Lawmakers must
continue that momentum to deliver these bene昀椀ts to The Road Ahead
PRIORITIZE IN NEXT more communities across the nation. The next infrastructure bill has the potential
to be more than just a policy decision—it can
Cut Red Tape for Faster Progress be a de昀椀ning moment for America’s future.
INFRASTRUCTURE BILL A substantial hurdle to building and improving Following these recommendations will ensure
modern, ef昀椀cient, and secure infrastructure and
infrastructure is the broken federal permitting transportation systems that strengthen America’s
process, which often adds years of delays and
By John Drake, Vice President, Transportation, Infrastructure, and Supply Chain unnecessary costs. Lawmakers must prioritize global competitiveness, enhance national security,
Policy, U.S. Chamber of Commerce and spur a manufacturing renaissance.

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