Transportation
TRANSPORTATION
Few issues are as vital to our Nation as the free flow of goods and services. For that reason, I have been at the forefront of ensuring that the U.S. has one of the world’s safest, most efficient, and most modern transportation systems. I remain committed to making sure that the locks, dams, and other associated infrastructure components that maintain Kentucky’s waterways, roads, and railways are adequately funded and properly maintained. In doing so, I believe that we can provide jobs, business investment, and long-term prosperity for the First District.
Both businesses and consumers utilize Kentucky’s transportation system. From the farmers who rely on the Hickman-Fulton harbor to get their goods to larger ports, to the coal producers who rely on the railroads to move their shipments to power plants, to vacationers who visit the marinas on Lake Cumberland, I understand that a well-functioning transportation system is an integral component of economic development. For that reason, I have supported initiatives like the I-69 corridor that seek to bring more commerce to the area, and worked with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to provide funding for the many dams and locks they maintain in the First District.
To ensure safe, dependable, cost-effective, and environmentally sustainable navigation on our nation’s inland waterway system, I have introduced the Waterways Are Vital for the Economy, Energy, Efficiency, and Environment Act of 2013 (WAVE4 Act), H.R. 1149. The WAVE4 Act requires, among other things, the use of objective criteria for the prioritization of essential construction and major rehabilitation projects and protects against cost overruns.
Additionally, it revises the current cost sharing structure for inland waterways projects, reforms the USACE’s internal project delivery process, and calls for additional contributions from the waterways industry to pay for these vital infrastructure investments. Many of these reforms were included in the House passed Water Resources Reform and Development Act (WRRDA), and I will continue working closely with my colleagues in both the House and the Senate to ensure these vital provisions remain in the final legislation.
I also introduced the Transportation and Regional Infrastructure Project Bonds Act of 2013 (H.R. 2534) or TRIP bonds, which represent an efficient and effective means of creating jobs and keeping our economy moving. TRIP Bonds are tax credit bonds dedicated to transportation projects. The legislation will allow State Infrastructure Banks to issue $50 billion in bonds over a six year period with the principal cost of the bonds being covered by a trust fund composed of Customs User Fees.
Traditionally, funding for many transportation programs has been accomplished through Congressional Directed Spending, or “earmarks.” However, with the House implementing a ban on earmark requests, I continue to look for new and innovative ways to secure funding for these programs.
Freedom to Fish
Congressman Whitfield led the effort in the House of Representatives to place a two-year moratorium on a USACE policy that would permanently ban fishing and boating access in the tailwater areas near the dams along the Cumberland River system in Kentucky and Tennessee. The legislation known as the “Freedom to Fish Act” was signed into law on June 3, 2013 would prevent the USACE from establishing a permanently restricted area and constructing any permanent barriers to prohibit public access downstream of the dams. Congressman Whitfield is continuing to work with his colleagues in the House and Senate to develop a long-term solution to ensure continued access to these waters.
Useful Links:
U.S. Department of Transportation.
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Kentucky Transportation Cabinet.
More on Transportation
WASHINGTON, D.C. –U.S. Rep. Ed Whitfield (KY-01), Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Energy and Power, is pleased to announce the passage in the House of Representatives of H.R. 5078, the Waters of the United States Regulatory Overreach Protection Act by a vote of 262 to 152. This important legislation will uphold the federal-state partnership to regulate the Nation’s waters by preserving existing rights and responsibilities with respect to “waters of the United States” under the Clean Water Act (CWA). H.R. 5078 must now be considered by the United States Senate.
WASHINGTON, D.C. –U.S. Rep. Ed Whitfield (KY-01), Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Energy and Power, voted in support of H.R. 5021, the Highway Funding and Transportation Act of 2014, that passed the U.S. House of Representatives yesterday by a vote of 367 to 55. The bill, supported by more than 60 national trade organizations including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, American Public Transportation Association, U.S.
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Rep. Ed Whitfield (KY-01), Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Energy and Power, addressed the Waterways Council, Inc. yesterday evening at a reception held in honor of the Water Reform and Development Act (WRRDA) that was signed into law on June 10.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Representative Ed Whitfield (KY-01), Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Energy and Power, met with Rebecca Carroll, Henderson County Treasurer, and Lisa Norris, with Generations Mental Health in McKenzie, Tennessee, who traveled to Washington, D.C.
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Rep. Ed Whitfield (KY-01), Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Energy and Power, addressed more than forty Kentuckians on Capitol Hill today. Whitfield discussed a number of transportation issues including the Federal Highway Trust Fund. In addition, he received praise from the group for his support of the recently passed Water Resources Reform and Development Act (WRRDA), which facilitates more than thirteen million jobs in America.