Prepared Remarks

for

Secy. Ray LaHood
U.S. Department of Transportation

DOT-Commerce
Supply Chain Infrastructure Conference

May 11, 2009
Washington, D.C.

 

The DOT is delighted to co-sponsor this important and timely conference with the Department of Commerce, and we look forward to collaborating with Secretary Locke and his excellent staff.

I want to thank all of you here today for your dedication and expertise in the field of transportation and supply chain logistics.

To those of you who participate in helping to move over 50 million tons of freight a day throughout the United States and beyond – your contribution to our economy cannot be overstated.

From the construction of the Erie Canal to the freight railways that criss-cross the nation, our ability to move goods efficiently and effectively has accounted for much of our success over the last 200 years.

I can assure you that the Obama Administration is committed to building on that legacy. We’ll see to it that our national transportation infrastructure remains strong and healthy, and gets the resources it deserves to keep us globally competitive.

To accomplish that goal, we’re setting a new course for transportation policy in the United States.

For too long, we have operated and funded our transportation systems in a piecemeal fashion – with highways, freight railroads, seaports, and aviation operating in parallel, yet never fully synchronized.

That’s going to change.

We need policies that treat these transportation assets holistically  --  as a highly sophisticated network that ensures commerce can flow freely.

That’s how the people and businesses that need to move goods look at it.

For all this to happen, we need the right technologies, funding mechanisms, and the cooperation of congress, industry, and state and local officials.

As a first step, we’re working closely with all stakeholders to make this concept a reality.

For example, last month I received a report from the Marine Transportation System National Advisory Council, addressing key issues about freight data, infrastructure, and related concerns.

We’re going to study those recommendations very carefully, and act on them accordingly.

The bottom line is, we must find solutions to the congested and inefficient movement of freight through major metropolitan regions. 

We can do better – and we will do better.

As we develop national freight transportation systems, we should think in terms of corridors, multi-state coalitions, and regional transportation priorities, as a way to establish effective multi-modal networks.

This makes sense economically and environmentally.

So in the coming months, we’ll work closely with Congress to craft a new surface transportation bill that gives us the opportunity to think beyond our current view of freight and passenger movement.

As part of this effort, we need to ensure that Congress provides sufficient resources to improve freight system performance, freight mobility, energy efficiency, and environmental stewardship.

Jim Oberstar, the chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee that’s writing this bill, is very interested in getting this done as quickly as possible.

We must also continue to encourage new and innovative financing methods that make use of public and private resources to generate the levels of investment we need to improve our national freight transportation systems.

But meanwhile, we’re not waiting for Congress to act.

Under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, we’re investing 48 billion dollars in targeted transportation infrastructure projects that rehabilitate highways, bridges, tunnels, seaports, airports, and transit systems.

The Recovery Act will not, by itself, revitalize our supply chain infrastructure. But it is an important – and historic – step forward.

If we do not begin to fix our roads, strengthen our bridges, re-pave our runways, and upgrade our seaports, then we’ll never get where we need to go.

At this point, we have made nearly all of the DOT’s Recovery Act funds available to the states and territories. More than 2,800 projects are under way – and there’s much more to come.

Later this summer, you’ll see thousands of men and women at work on these projects – helping our economy, and setting the stage for additional investments in critical infrastructure.

We’re preparing to announce the availability of an additional 1.5 billion dollars in recovery grants.

We’re expecting hundreds of proposals for new surface and maritime projects that will continue the rehabilitation process.

As you can tell, we’re serious about finding new ways to engage all the critical supply chain players in a concerted effort to find out what works, how to fund it, and then implement as soon as possible.

In closing, I want to emphasize that the DOT is your full partner in preparing our infrastructure to compete effectively in the 21st century.

Working together, we’ll protect and enhance the commercial freight transportation networks that are so vital to our economic health.

Thank you – and we look forward to collaborating in the future.