Podcasts about Highway Trust Fund

The president has ordered enforcement of the English-proficiency regulation. But how it's enforced on the ground is going to be up to CVSA. Also, sometimes, past tickets can take you off the road in the present. The guys from CDL Legal discuss that and what to do when you get a scary letter. Then, Congress is discussing the state of the Highway Trust Fund, and OOIDA is letting lawmakers know what truckers need in that – and what they don't. 0:00 – English proficiency – the ball's in CVSA's court 10:11 – When tickets come back for round 2 … 39:32 – What truckers need in a Highway Trust Fund fix

U.S. Senators have reintroduced a bill that would impose a new tax on electric vehicle owners to fund the Highway Trust Fund aka HTF. This legislation aims to equalize contributions to road maintenance between gas and electric vehicle drivers.Shoutout to our sponsors for more information find their links below:- Fort Collins Kia: Visit focokia.com for full details. Disclaimer: *Delivery covers up to $1,000.Find us on all of these places:YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/outofspecpodcastApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/out-of-spec-podcast/id1576636119Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0tKIQfKL9oaHc1DLOTWvbdAmazon: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/473692b9-05b9-41f9-9b38-9f86fbdabee7/OUT-OF-SPEC-PODCASTFor further inquiries please email podcast@outofspecstudios.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There are new questions about the future of U.S. transportation funding after the election. Experts are eyeing a shift in priorities, with local transit measures seeing success in unexpected places and tensions rising over partisan divides. While federal investments in infrastructure have sparked broad support, the future of transportation policy — at both the federal and local levels — remains uncertain, influenced by everything from climate goals to regional politics. Senior Staff Writers Jared Brey (Governing*) and Skip Descant (Government Technology*) join the podcast for a special post-election episode of Your Mileage May Vary to discuss the prospects for transit during a time of political transition. SHOW NOTES Here are the top-five takeaways from this episode: Partisan Dynamics in Transit Policy: Transportation infrastructure shows mixed partisanship: Transit funding often aligns with urban, Democrat-led areas, while Republicans favor car-oriented infrastructure in rural and suburban districts. Local-level ballot measures, such as Nashville's recent success funding multimodal transit, illustrate this divide. Shift Toward Basics and Multimodal Solutions: Cities like Nashville and Seattle are prioritizing foundational infrastructure — such as sidewalks, busways and safer intersections — over costly, flashy projects like light rail. This approach aims to create transit systems that meet immediate needs and build public trust. Federal Investment and Uncertainty: The Biden administration's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law spurred transportation investments popular across party lines. However, the incoming Trump administration raises questions about priorities, particularly in electric vehicle policies and emissions standards. Challenges in Transit Expansion: Efforts to expand transit into suburbs face repeated setbacks, as seen in Atlanta's MARTA system and San Francisco's ride-share tax failure. These examples highlight public resistance to funding transit despite growing urban-suburban connectivity needs. Future Issues to Watch: Key upcoming debates include reauthorization of the Highway Trust Fund in 2026, the ongoing decline of public transit ridership and funding, and the widening policy gaps between states pursuing climate-focused transportation initiatives and those resisting federal influence.   Related Link to stories referenced in the episode: What the 2024 Election Could Mean for Transportation Policy Calif. Strengthens Emissions, Clean Transportation Standards   Our editors used ChatGPT 4.0 to summarize the episode in bullet form to help create the show notes. The main image for this story was created using DALL-E 3.   *Governing and Government Technology are divisions of e.Republic LLC.

On this week's episode of the Strong Towns Podcast, Chuck is joined by Beth Osborne, the director of Transportation for America, to discuss the Highway Trust Fund. They cover its history, how it affects federal and state transportation policies, and its potential future. Before joining Transportation for America, Osborne served as a deputy assistant secretary and acting assistant secretary in the U.S. Department of Transportation. She also worked in multiple congressional offices, served as the policy director for Smart Growth America, and served as the legislative director for environmental policy at the Southern Governors' Association. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Beth Osborne (Twitter/X). Chuck Marohn (Twitter/X).

How should we pay for our highways? For decades, the answer has been the fuel tax. And for a long time, that worked fine. But as the Highway Trust Fund dwindles, it seems more likely that we will have to find a new way to pay. But what will that be? Dr. Asha Weinstein Agrawal discusses the results of a survey on the topic. 0:00 – Newscast  10:22 – Survey: Americans good with fuel tax – if the money is spent right

Transport Topics is the news leader in trucking and freight transportation. Today's daily briefing includes news about how fleets are coping with evolving cybersecurity threats to their businesses, Senate legislation that would guarantee electric vehicles would support the Highway Trust Fund, and the North American Class 8 market kicking off the opening of order boards for next year.

Jim Aliosi of MIT talks about a recent paper he published looking at solutions for the U.S. Highway Trust Fund, which already was underfunded and now faces a loss of revenue from electric cars that don't pay taxes into the fund even though they use the highways that are maintained by spending from it. Follow the Drilling Deep Podcast Other FreightWaves Shows Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jim Aliosi of MIT talks about a recent paper he published looking at solutions for the U.S. Highway Trust Fund, which already was underfunded and now faces a loss of revenue from electric cars that don't pay taxes into the fund even though they use the highways that are maintained by spending from it. Follow the Drilling Deep Podcast Other FreightWaves Shows Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sen. Mitt Romney discussed some of the biggest issues in our Nation's Capital with Heidi Hatch on Wednesday, Jan. 25. They discussed classified documents now found in former President Trump's home, President Biden, and former Vice President Mike Pence. They addressed the debt ceiling, how to roll back spending and the Senator's top priorities.DEBT CEILING NEGOTIATIONS“Well, there is an expression that has been used around Washington for a long time, and that is never take a hostage, you are not prepared to shoot. And the reality is we should not take the debt ceiling as a hostage because we are certainly not willing to shoot it," Romney said.Sen. Mitt Romney, a Republican Utah Senator, said the debt ceiling must be raised but said it should not be done without conditions.“It would be unacceptable for us to say, we are going to stop all payments, not just interest on the debt, but social security payments, Medicare, Medicaid payments, veterans' benefits, we are going to stop all of that. That is simply unacceptable. Nevertheless, raising the debt ceiling has, in the past, been used as an opportunity for us to find ways to reduce spending, and that is something we badly need to do.”President Joe Biden has said he will not negotiate, but Romney believes House Republicans have an opportunity to negotiate and find ways to cut spending.“The White House needs to negotiate to say, okay, we need to work together to restrain spending and see if we can't get closer to a balanced budget.”Romney wants to get back to the old way of doing business where there is a process to approving spending that does not come at the last minute when there is no time to negotiate.He said, “It's been more than 10 years since we've actually had a normal appropriations process that allows us to have those kinds of votes.”“As we look at the coming year budget, we need to have a process which allows us to look at each aspect of federal spending, one by one, have amendment votes for either reducing or expanding spending at a particular area.”I asked Senator Romney if he has any specific ideas on how to reign in spending.He pointed to the Trust Act- Bipartisan, bicameral legislation he hopes will rescue endangered federal trust funds that could run out some time in the next 11 years.TRUST ACTSenator Romney said most people focus on the budget passed each year. The most recent passed in December. The $1.7 trillion dollar omnibus.The Trust Act would focus on the other two thirds of the budget that does not get a vote.“That's the non-discretionary, the mandatory, the entitlement. And that is an area where the deficit has been large and has been adding to our debt.”His Trust Act “is designed to create rescue committees to save Social security, Medicare and Medicaid, and the Highway Trust Fund from becoming bankrupt, which they're scheduled to do over the next few years.”CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS TRUMP, BIDEN, PENCESome of the classified Documents connected to President Biden are connected to his time as a Senator. When asked if there could be other Senators with Classified documents in their homes- Romney said, “it is very unlikely that you will find any senators current or past that have classified documents in their possession. Uh, in part because we do not have access to them. It is the executive branch where this problem is.”He went on to say that he does not believe the documents found so far were kept in for sinister reasons.“I do not think any one of the people that you're talking about … took them with ill intent or with a design to hurt national security. But I do believe that sloppiness looks bad.” That sloppiness he added, “whether it is on the current president, past president, or past vice president. It is just wrong. And it puts our nation, uh, in an embarrassing light.”PRIORITIES#1 Save Social security, Medicare, Medicaid, save our military, and get to a balanced budget.#2 Immigration “It really affects our state in a major way.”#3 Military “With Hill Air Force Base, with the Dugway Proving Grounds, it's important for us to have, the support needed to keep our military the strongest in the world such that no one would think of threatening us.”See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On this week's Talking Michigan Transportation podcast, a conversation with Susan Howard, director of policy and government relations for the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO). Picking up on last week's conversation with Richard Czuba, a veteran Michigan pollster and founder of the Glengariff Group, Howard talks about results from a recent Glengariff poll that asked Michigan voters for their perceptions of road conditions and repairs and how those results fit with what she's seen at the national level. Howard says contrary to common belief, lawmakers have largely not paid a price for raising taxes or fees that fund transportation infrastructure when voters understand where the money is going and can see the results. Howard also addresses the health of the Highway Trust Fund and why the “donor-state” concept is no longer an issue in Michigan and other states (save, perhaps for Texas, where she says officials would make a different argument).  The federal government has used the General Fund to compensate for the diminished Highway Trust Fund for several years now, while the federal gas tax has not been raised since 1993. AASHTO officials have cited the cost of other items in 1993 versus now and how transportation infrastructure has suffered because of the lack of action.  Is the Highway Trust Fund model broken? Howard discuses the history of the fund going back to its origins in 1956 and some discussion about whether transportation should be funded like other federally supported discretionary programs. “The conventional wisdom and accepted course for the future is moving away from the gas tax as the method for funding transportation and to a mileage-based fee,” Howard says, which recalls previous podcast conversations about funding roads like public utilities.

Hello Interactors,This has been a wild week in our neighborhood. It was a car enthusiasts dream. Too bad our family’s biggest car enthusiast, my son, was busy working his summer job. It was guys like him that got America hooked on cars. And now our planet is cooked. Is it a lost cause? As interactors, you’re special individuals self-selected to be a part of an evolutionary journey. You’re also members of an attentive community so I welcome your participation.Please leave your comments below or email me directly.Now let’s go…GET A HORSEFlying down the freeway I see a woman climb out of the sunroof of her car. She’s alone. A semi-truck pulls alongside as she leaps from the car onto the bed of the trailer. Pulling alongside the car in front of her, I see the driver put on a black blindfold. He crosses his arms across his chest like he’s preparing for a collision. Just then, the truck in front of him slams on their brakes. His car comes to a screeching halt as does the woman’s empty car behind him. The man lifts his blindfold, stares into a camera mounted on his dashboard, and gruffly states, “I guess it works.”This isn’t a stunt I watched on Tik Tok, but a Hyundai Genesis ad from 2015. It starts with a voiceover from the sacrificial stuntman in the lead car, “The challenge is to show the driver assist features in an exciting way. But you guys, it seems, are a little hard to excite. Maybe the only way is to put our own lives on the line. Proof, through jeopardy.”Our neighborhood was blocked off this week to film a Genesis car commercial. Nothing this dramatic, they just drove their luxury cars around the block. They descended a hill that features an unobstructed distant view of the Seattle skyline beyond a glistening blue Lake Washington. Fancy cars in a fancy suburb. A suburb whose name features prominently on the Costco toilet paper most of you wipe your fanny biscuits with – Kirkland. Maybe we’re not so fancy after all, but our neighborhood does have nice views.We didn’t see stunt doubles hurling themselves from the sunroofs of luxury cars that day. In fact, we barely saw a single human being. The windows were tinted black, and the streets were empty, except for the police and production assistants. I stepped on the sidewalk to walk down the street and got yelled at by a Kirkland cop. “SIR! PLEASE BACK OFF THE SIDEWALK!” They, like the drivers, were being instructed by the commercial’s director on a walkie-talkie from inside a customized SUV. It had a massive camera boom stretching from the roof over the front end – like a carrot dangling in front of a mule.The truth is, it’s not just car commercials that wish there were no pedestrians on the street. Anytime any of us get behind the wheel of a car we wish the streets were free of people. And bikes. And, yes, other cars and busses too. It’s no wonder most every car commercial features a single driver on a smooth open road…void of people and cars. What bliss. No worries, no conflicts, no delays, just me on my street going between my house and my Costco to hoard my toilet paper.But believe it or not, people needed to be convinced automobiles were useful – let alone desirable. It wasn’t a car commercial that convinced them of this. It was their neighborhood car enthusiasts. People needed to be convinced of the promise of new machines. Innovation doesn’t just sell itself. Sociologists who study social movements say innovations that shape society are framed by “ideological activists who exploit political opportunities to mobilize resources.” They participate in what sociologists call ‘meaning-work’ which demonstrates their ideology as being meaningful, valid, and appropriate.New industries become broadly legitimized only after these industry activists are successful in converting radical concepts into something useful. Elements of a larger belief system must be framed in the context of daily life. So, automobile clubs organized events that demonstrated the benefits of the automobile. This idea was taken from bicycle clubs of the 1800s who used bicycle races to demonstrate the utility, reliability, and health benefits of cycling. Most automobile clubs were born out of bicycle clubs. Both were elite modes of transport using the latest industrial technology. The first automobiles were simply motorized quadricycles. Those motors were especially useful for getting up a hill.Biking up hills is hard. Biking for long distances requires endurance. And what happens if your bike breaks down? Reliability of both bikes and horse carriages was a big deal. These challenges of everyday life were just what automobile industry activists (i.e. automobile clubs) needed to demonstrate the benefits of an automobile. So, they organized demonstration events that included hill climbs and races pitting one car maker against another to see which was the fastest and most reliable.The first was on Thanksgiving of 1895 financed by the Times-Herald. Eleven cars were invited, five showed up and only two managed to finish the event. The winner was awarded $10,000 ($350,000 today) and it went to the Duryea Brothers –America’s first automaker. Their gasoline car topped out at 8MPH in below freezing temperatures…in the snow. Reminding people of the challenges of taking a horse and buggy through the snow, the Times-Herald reported that the car made it “through deep snow and along ruts that would have tried horses to the utmost.”But these events weren’t universally convincing. In 1896, an event organized by the Rhode Island State Fair Association featured an electric car. The Riker Electric won the race and $5,000 but the crowd was underwhelmed. They began chanting, “GET A HORSE. GET A HORSE. GET A HORSE.” That refrain became a popular expression used to make fun of automobile drivers. For years people would yell as they passed, “GET A HORSE!”By July of 1905, the publication Horseless Age, declared the beginning of the American dominant car culture. After a national reliability event by the American Automobile Association (AAA), The Glidden Tour, they reported that it “proved the automobile is now almost foolproof. It has proved that American cars are durable and efficient...it has strengthened our belief in the permanence of the motor car.’’A year later, in 1906, Munsey Magazine also declared the end of making fun of the automobile by writing, the “uncertain period of the automobile is now past. It is no longer a theme for jokers and rarely do we hear the derisive expression ‘Get a horse.’” And three years later, in 1909, Charles Duryea atoned that the “novelty of the automobile has largely worn off.” Soon Ford started pulling out of demonstration events and became the first mass produced reliable car in the world. The belief system of those early innovation activists had taken hold. Their meaning-work was done. They had demonstrated and convinced the public that their once radical inventions were more useful, usable, and desirable than horses, buggies…and bikes.THE GENIE GETS OUT OF THE BOTTLEWith the public convinced and nationwide reliability events tapering off, automobile activists turned their attention to roads. The Good Roads Movement had been around since the 1880s and was started by a bicycle club, the League of American Wheelman. But in 1910 that organizations efforts were overshadowed by the Automobile Association of America (AAA). By the 1920s, automobiles were competing for space with streetcars that were ubiquitous in cities big and small across the country. Streetcar systems were so vast you could almost traverse the country by streetcar city to city. But for the first time, funds and space for public rail infrastructure had competition. Should tax dollars be spent on developing and maintaining rail for trains and streetcars or roads for bikes and automobiles?Meanwhile, large motor coaches were also being produced. One of the first manufacturers and operators in America was John D. Hertz of Hertz rental car fame. He had been operating busses in Chicago since 1916, and in 1923 started the Yellow Coach Manufacturing Company, a subsidiary of another popular name, the Yellow Cab Company. He went on to start other companies with visions of bringing busses and busing to all of America.In 1925 General Motors (GM) bought a controlling stake in Yellow Coach and changed the name to Yellow Truck and Coach Manufacturing Company.  Then, in 1926 Yellow Coach purchased the struggling New York Railways Corporation with the idea of converting it to a bus company. By 1930, the depression put added pressure on the competition for infrastructure funds. Financially struggling streetcars companies were often forced by local governments to lease street access and pay for rail maintenance and services (like snow removal). Companies were also sometimes forced to cap fare prices to protect lower income residents from getting priced out of public transportation by private firms. By the 1930s most streetcars were worn down and their companies bankrupt. It made them easy prey for companies like General Motors to buy them out.And so they did. GM started a subsidiary called United Cities Motor Transport (UCMT) with the sole purpose of buying out streetcar companies and converting them to bus lines in small cities. They succeeded in Saginaw, Michigan, and Springfield, Ohio and then tried Portland, Oregon. But the American Transit Association, a public transit advocacy group, stepped in and the UCMT was forced to dissolve in 1935. But it didn’t stop General Motors. That same year they converted a streetcar in New Jersey to a ‘trackless trolly’ – a bus attached to an electric wire that could detach to pick up passengers in lower populated areas. An idea that is alive to this day.The conversion from tracks to wheels was catching on. In 1936, two brothers in Minnesota who had been modestly busing school children and miners since 1920, either decided or were ‘encouraged’ to expand. They announced a reorganization of their company, National City Lines, "for the purpose of taking over the controlling interest in certain operating companies engaged in city bus transportation and overland bus transportation."  That same year, 1936, this tiny outfit bought 13 streetcar companies in three states in the Midwest. They pushed westward and south to three more states in 1937. They also formed a subsidiary in Oakland, California called Pacific City Lines (PCL) with the intention of converting streetcar operations on the west coast to bus lines. In 1938 they approached GM’s Yellow Coach company to help finance further expansion. By 1939 they had secured funding from not only GM, but  Firestone Tire, Standard Oil of California, Phillips Petroleum, and Mack Trucks. By the end of 1939, just three years after owning and operating a couple rural busses in Minnesota, National City Lines took control of 29 local streetcar and public transportation companies in 27 cities across 10 states. By 1947 that grew to 46 systems, 45 cities, and 16 states.That also marked the end of the buying spree. In 1947 they were indicted on these two counts of conspiracy by the Federal District Court of Southern California: 'Conspiring to acquire control of a number of transit companies, forming a transportation monopoly' and 'Conspiring to monopolize sales of buses and supplies to companies owned by National City Lines.' In 1948 the case was appealed by the U.S. Supreme Court and they ordered the case be moved to the Midwest in the Federal District Court in Northern Illinois.A year later, in 1949, General Motors, Standard Oil of California, Firestone and others were convicted of conspiring to monopolize the sale of buses and related products to local transit companies controlled by National City Lines and other companies. But they were acquitted on charges of conspiracy to monopolize the ownership of streetcar and other public transportation companies. GM was fined a paltry $5000 ($62,000 today) dollars for their involvement. Their treasurer, also the director of Pacific City Lines was fined $1. That almost seems like a wink and nod more than a punishment. That one man single-handedly dismantled a $100 million electric public transportation system up and down the west coast of the United States.In Los Angeles alone, 280 million passengers a year were using the electric streetcar system. They were forced into buses or cars – if they could afford them. By 1953, just four years after the great General Motors Streetcar Conspiracy people were already complaining of traffic in LA. Within a decade, nearly four million cars were crawling around the Los Angeles Metropolitan area. The era of automobile dependency in the United States was in full swing. And there’s no getting that genie back in the bottle.SAFETY FOR WHOM?The CEO of GM, Alfred P. Sloan, wasn’t just pooling money with his cronies to buy out electric streetcar companies. Back in 1932, the same time he was conspiring to monopolize, he also created the ‘National Highway Users Conference’. He filled it with automobile, oil, and highway construction executives as a non-profit lobbying group intent on bringing an end to the government funding of mass transportation. This resulted in the creation of the U.S. Highway Trust Fund which was then used to fund the creation of the U.S. Interstate Highway System. Between 1952 and 1970 the U.S. government spent nearly two billion dollars on highways. Rail systems got just one quarter of a million.1970 also marked the year the ‘National Highway Users Conference’, ‘Automotive Safety Foundation’, and the ‘Auto Industries Highway Safety Committee’ were merged to form the ‘Highway Users Federation’. In 1995 the name was changed to the 'American Highway Users Alliance’ which to this day is “dedicated to more successful and aggressive issue advocacy on behalf of the highway community.” They went on to lead a “successful national lobbying, media and grassroots advocacy campaign to enact legislation officially designating and funding the National Highway System.” A year later, in 1996, Al Gore, the Nobel prize winner for climate change advocacy, keynoted their 40th anniversary conference. An inconvenient truth.This organization was also the member of the Global Climate Coalition from 1989 to 2001. This was the largest climate policy group in the world. It was an international coalition that opposed actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and challenged the science behind climate change. They also played a significant role in the United States denying ratification of the 1992 Kyoto Protocol.In 2004 a former U.S. Federal Highway Administration staffer, Greg Cohen, became the CEO of the organization. He was behind the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users, better known as SAFETE-LU. This George W. Bush administration bill included funding for the purchase of land in Illinois for freeway expansion. Bush worked directly with the Speaker of the House, Dennis Hastert, on the bill. It turned out Hastert owned the very land slated for freeway expansion. The celebration of the passing of the bill was held at the headquarters of the road construction equipment maker, Caterpillar.Four months later Hastert enjoyed a 500% profit in the sale of his land and his net worth went from $300,000 to over $6 million. Hastert went on to be convicted on felony charges, but not for swindling taxpayers’ dollars. He was sent to prison for serial sexual molestation of young boys. He is the highest-ranking U.S. elected official to serve a prison sentence. Will Trump dethrone him? Just last April, the former Highway Alliance CEO, Greg Cohen, received an award by the ‘Road Gang’ (as those in the organization like to call themselves) for his “significant, exemplary contributions to the highway industry.”In 2009 the ‘Road Gang’ opposed the American Clean Energy and Security Act. This was the first U.S. bill passed by a branch of the U.S. Federal Government intent on curbing heat-trapping gases responsible for the climate crisis. The ‘Road Gang’ said the “bill will dramatically raise the price of highway fuel through a hidden tax” and that it may “raise the price of gasoline by 77 cents over the next decade.” Worse yet, they worried “none of the revenue raised will be spent on highways.”These caustic climate curmudgeons, car conspirators, tire tycoons, and oil and gas goons are the modern-day automobile enthusiast club. In sociological terms they are ideological activists who exploit financial and political opportunities to mobilize resources. For over a century their ideologically vacuous, homogenous, and one-sided promise of automobility is alive and well but it is also killing us – even as it perpetually promises to save us.Yet we still need demonstrations to convince us. Now safety and reliability are demonstrated by professional stunt drivers filmed on a smooth open road. Desirable luxury automobiles are filmed in a bucolic low-density suburban neighborhood void of cars and people. Ironically, our Kirkland neighborhood was planned and designed in the 1800s – complete with alleys designed to hide buggies, bikes, and carbon belching Buicks. Streets were public spaces where kids could play, and neighbors talked to one another. As car enthusiasts took over so did city planners and city councils hellbent on accommodating there promises. Now these enthusiasts are our elected officials, city planners, and civil engineers. In their mind, most of them anyway, the only meaningful, valid, and appropriate use of the street is for cars. A place where to be safe you need Hollywood production assistants on every corner and a cop in the intersection yelling, “SIR! PLEASE BACK OFF THE SIDEWALK!” It makes me want to yell back, “GET A HORSE!” This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit interplace.io

Listen to an audio recording of the editorial penned by ACEC Board Chair, Art Barrett: "Gas Tax Holiday Won't Ring up Relief at the Pump." Access the editorial on ACEC's Medium page.  Earlier this month, President Joe Biden called for a gas tax holiday. There's no doubt consumers need relief. Gas prices have hit a national average of nearly $5.00 per gallon but suspending the gas tax is not a serious approach to lowering prices. It's a bad idea that would make America's infrastructure problems worse without helping America's working families or bringing meaningful relief at the pump. Experience and data show that suspending the gas tax, also called a user fee, would have little impact on the cost of gasoline. According to budget modeling conducted earlier this year by Penn Wharton, suspending the federal gas tax for ten months from March to December 2022 would save less than $50 per person — between $16 and $47 to be exact. President Biden is proposing a three-month suspension at just a fraction of those already meager savings. Just a handful of states have taken it upon themselves to pass their own state user fee suspensions, and still there is little bipartisan support in Congress for a federal gas tax holiday. The reason is simple — the state holidays failed to produce the desired effect while their coffers for roadway improvements suffered. There's bipartisan agreement that a gas tax holiday is not the right approach. Chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Peter DeFazio (D-OR) noted, “This policy would at best achieve only minuscule relief while blowing a $10 billion dollar hole in the Highway Trust Fund.” Republican Senator Roger Wicker from Miss., said, “A gas tax holiday would do next to nothing to relieve the pain Americans are feeling at the pump.” This is one of the few issues today that can bring together Mitch McConnell and Nancy Pelosi. The minimal savings from a gas tax holiday will be temporary and even undercut new infrastructure investment in communities across the country. Infrastructure investment that is critical to restoring economic growth. User fee revenues at the pump have a direct line of effect on the solvency of the Highway Trust Fund which is dedicated money to improve roads and mass transit. By suspending the gas tax, lawmakers would be further undermining progress on infrastructure improvements, which are already being hampered by inflation in the cost of construction materials and labor. There are several initiatives the Administration could take but suspending the federal gas tax is not one of them. We need solutions like increasing refining capacity and efficiency along with new sources of oil from North America. Those actions will provide long-term relief and act as the bridge we need to transition to renewable sources of energy. With rising prices at the pump, elected officials are desperate for ways to show that they are responding to consumers stretched thin by inflation. They are hoping Americans buy into simple soundbites rather than holding elected officials accountable. But Americans deserve better. Now is the time for action to truly help families keep more of their hard-earned money, not more gimmicks.

"By suspending the 18-cent gas tax, federal gas tax, for the next 90 days, we can bring down the price of gas and give families just a little bit of relief," Biden said in a speech from the White House. But such a step is a long shot in Congress. Here's what you need to know about the President's proposal and why it's likely to stay just that. A gas tax holiday is exactly what it sounds like. The typical taxes that are applied to purchases of gasoline and diesel are lifted for a period of time, offering a measure of relief to consumers. These tax holidays can come from the federal government, state governments or both. Revenue raised from the federal gas tax helps finance the Highway Trust Fund, which is already short on funding. The federal gas tax hasn't been increased since 1993, when gas was selling for just over $1 a gallon. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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"By suspending the 18-cent gas tax, federal gas tax, for the next 90 days, we can bring down the price of gas and give families just a little bit of relief," Biden said in a speech from the White House. But such a step is a long shot in Congress. Here's what you need to know about the President's proposal and why it's likely to stay just that. A gas tax holiday is exactly what it sounds like. The typical taxes that are applied to purchases of gasoline and diesel are lifted for a period of time, offering a measure of relief to consumers. These tax holidays can come from the federal government, state governments or both. Revenue raised from the federal gas tax helps finance the Highway Trust Fund, which is already short on funding. The federal gas tax hasn't been increased since 1993, when gas was selling for just over $1 a gallon. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The infrastructure law provides the most significant investment in passenger rail in U.S. history, but substantial hurdles - including a powerful cartel - stand firmly in the way of a real national network. In this episode, learn the ways the infrastructure law paves the way for a better future for passenger rail along with the significant obstacles that it failed to address. Please Support Congressional Dish – Quick Links Contribute monthly or a lump sum via PayPal Support Congressional Dish via Patreon (donations per episode) Send Zelle payments to: Donation@congressionaldish.com Send Venmo payments to: @Jennifer-Briney Send Cash App payments to: $CongressionalDish or Donation@congressionaldish.com Use your bank's online bill pay function to mail contributions to: 5753 Hwy 85 North, Number 4576, Crestview, FL 32536. Please make checks payable to Congressional Dish Thank you for supporting truly independent media! Background Sources Recommended Congressional Dish YouTube Video What is the World Trade System? Contributors to Supply Chain Issues Matthew Jinoo Buck. February 4, 2022. “How America's Supply Chains Got Railroaded.” The American Prospect. “Cartel.” Merriam-Webster.com. 2022. “Energy Group Joins Shippers Alleging Price Fixing in Rail Transport.” January 6, 2020. The Houston Chronicle. Testimony of Dennis R. Pierce. Passenger and Freight Rail: The Current Status of the Rail Network and the Track Ahead. October 21, 2020. 116th Cong. U.S. Internal Revenue Service. December 31, 2019. “IRS issues standard mileage rates for 2020.” Dangers of Monster Trains and Rail Profiteering Aaron Gordon. Mar 22, 2021. “‘It's Going to End Up Like Boeing': How Freight Rail Is Courting Catastrophe.” Vice. U.S. National Transportation Safety Board. Dec 29, 2020. “Accident Report: Collision of Union Pacific Railroad Train MGRCY04 with a Stationary Train, Granite Canyon, Wyoming, October 4, 2018” [NTSB/RAR-20/05 / PB2020-101016.] Marybeth Luczak. Nov 30, 2020. “Transport Canada Updates Rail Employee Fatigue Rules.” Railway Age. U.S. Government Accountability Office. May 30, 2019. “Rail Safety: Freight Trains Are Getting Longer, and Additional Information Is Needed to Assess Their Impact” [GAO-19-443.] Christina M. Rudin-Brown, Sarah Harris, and Ari Rosberg. May 2019. “How shift scheduling practices contribute to fatigue amongst freight rail operating employees: Findings from Canadian accident investigations.” Accident Analysis and Prevention. Jessica Murphy. Jan 19, 2018. “Lac-Megantic: The runaway train that destroyed a town.” BBC. Eric M. Johnson. Dec 6, 2017. “Growing length of U.S. freight trains in federal crosshairs after crashes: GAO.” Reuters. Cumberland Times-News. Aug 12, 2017. “Last of Hyndman's evacuated residents return home.” The Tribune Democrat. Jeffrey Alderton. Aug 5, 2017. “Propane fire out at Hyndman train crash site, residents await news of when they can return.” The Tribune Democrat. Jeffrey Alderton. Aug 3, 2017. “Train derailment destroys Bedford County home, forces evacuation.” The Tribune Democrat. New Jersey Department of Health. Revised June 2011. “Hazardous Substance Fact Sheet: Sodium Chlorate.” Stephen Joiner. Feb 11, 2010 “Is Bigger Better? 'Monster' Trains vs Freight Trains.” Popular Mechanics. Lobbying and Corruption “CSX Corp: Recipients.” 2020. Open Secrets. CSX Corporation Lobbying Report. 2020. Senate.gov. “Union Pacific Corp: Summary.” 2020. Open Secrets. “Union Pacific Corp: Members Invested.” 2018. Open Secrets. Union Pacific Corporation Lobbying Report. 2020. Senate.gov. What you really pay for TV Gavin Bridge. Oct 27, 2020. “The True Cost to Consumers of Pay TV's Top Channels.” Variety. Laws H.R.3684 - Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act Sponsor: Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-OR) Status: Became Public Law No. 117-58 Law Outline DIVISION A: SURFACE TRANSPORTATION TITLE I - FEDERAL-AID HIGHWAYS Subtitle A - Authorizations and Programs Sec. 11101: Authorization of appropriations Authorizes appropriations for Federal-Aid for highways at between $52 billion and $56 billion per year through fiscal year 2026 (over $273 billion total). Authorizes $300 million for "charging and fueling infrastructure grants" for 2022, which increases by $100 million per year (maxing out at $700 million in 2026) Authorizes between $25 million and $30 million per year for "community resilience and evacuation route grants" on top of equal amounts for "at risk coastal infrastructure grants" Authorizes a total of $6.53 billion (from two funds) for the bridge investment program Sec. 11102: Obligation ceiling Caps the annual total funding from all laws (with many exceptions) that can be spent on Federal highway programs. Total through 2026: $300.3 billion Sec. 11109: Surface transportation block grant program: Allows money from the surface transportation block grant program to be used for "planning and construction" of projects that "facilitate intermodel connections between emerging transportation technologies", specifically naming the hyperloop Sec. 11508: Requirements for Transportation Projects Carried Out Through Public Private Partnerships For projects that cost $100 million or more, before entering into a contract with a private company, the government partner has to conduct a "value for money analysis" of the partnership. Three years after a project is opened to traffic, the government partner has to review the compliance of the private company and either certify their compliance or report to the Secretary of Transportation the details of the violation. The certifications or violation notifications must be publicly available "in a form that does not disclose any proprietary or confidential business information." DIVISION B - SURFACE TRANSPORTATION INVESTMENT ACT OF 2021 TITLE I - MULTIMODAL AND FREIGHT TRANSPORTATION Subtitle A - Multimodal Freight Policy Sec. 21101: Office of Multimodal Freight Infrastructure and Policy Restructures/eliminates offices at the Department of Transportation to create an Office of Multimodal Freight Infrastructure and Policy The person in charge will be appointed by the President and has to be confirmed by the Senate Authorizes "such sums as are necessary" Subtitle B - Multimodal Investment Sec. 21201: National infrastructure project assistance Authorizes $2 billion per year until 2026 ($10 billion total) on projects that cost at least $100 million that include highways, bridges, freight rail, passenger rail, and public transportation projects. The Federal government will pay a maximum of 80% of the project costs. Sec. 21202: Local and regional project assistance Authorizes $1.5 billion per year until 2026 ($7.5 billion) (which will expire after 3 years) for grants for local transportation projects in amounts between $1 million and $25 million for projects that include highway, bridge, public transportation, passenger and freight rail, port infrastructure, surface transportation at airports, and more. Sec. 21203: National culvert removal, replacement, and restoration grant program Authorizes $800 million per year through 2026 ($4 billion) for grants for projects that replace, remove, or repair culverts (water channels) that improve or restore passages for fish. Subtitle C - Railroad Rehabilitation and Improvement Financing Reforms TITLE II - RAIL Subtitle A - Authorization of Appropriations Sec. 22101: Grants to Amtrak Authorizes appropriations for Amtrak in the Northeast Corridor at between $1.1 billion and $1.57 billion per year through 2026 ($6.57 billion total). Authorizes appropriations for Amtrak in the National Network at between $2.2 billion and $3 billion per year through 2026 ($12.65 billion total). Sec. 22103: Consolidated rail infrastructure and safety improvements grants Authorizes $1 billion per year through 2026 ($5 billion total) for rail infrastructure safety improvement grants Sec. 22104: Railroad crossing elimination program Authorizes $500 million per year through 2016 ($2.5 billion total) for the elimination of railroad crossings Sec. 22106: Federal-State partnership for intercity passenger rail grants Authorizes $1.5 billion per year through 2026 ($7.5 billion total) for grants to states to expand intercity passenger rail grants Subtitle B - Amtrak Reforms Sec. 22201: Amtrak findings, mission, and goals Changes the goal of cooperation between Amtrak, governments, & other rail carriers from "to achieve a performance level sufficient to justify expending public money" to "in order to meet the intercity passenger rail needs of the United States" and expands the service areas beyond "urban" locations. Changes the goals of Amtrak to include... "Improving its contracts with rail carriers over whose tracks Amtrak operates." "Offering competitive fares" "Increasing revenue from the transportation of mail and express" "Encourages" Amtrak to make agreement with private companies that will generate additional revenue Sec. 22203: Station agents Requires that at least one Amtrak ticket agent works at each station, unless there is a commuter rail agent who has the authority to sell Amtrak tickets Sec. 22208: Passenger Experience Enhancement Removes the requirement that Amtrak's food and beverage service financially break even in order to be offered on its trains Creates a working group to make recommendations about how to improve the onboard food and beverage service The report must be complete within one year of the working group's formation After the report is complete, Amtrak must create a plan to implementing the working group's recommendations and/or tell Congress in writing why they will not implement the recommendations The plan can not include Amtrak employee layoffs Sec . 22209: Amtrak smoking policy Requires Amtrak to prohibit smoking - including electronic cigarettes - on all Amtrak trains Sec. 22210: Protecting Amtrak routes through rural communities Prohibits Amtrak from cutting or reducing service to a rail route if they receive adequate Federal funding for that route Sec. 22213: Creating Quality Jobs Amtrak will not be allowed to privatize the jobs previously performed by laid off union workers. Sec. 22214: Amtrak Daily Long Distance Study Authorizes $15 million for an Amtrak study on bringing back long distance rail routes that were discontinued. Subtitle C - Intercity Passenger Rail Policy Sec. 22304: Restoration and Enhancement Grants Extends the amount of time the government will pay the operating costs of Amtrak or "any rail carrier" partnered with Amtrak or a government agency that provides passenger rail service from 3 years to 6 years, and pays higher percentages of the the costs. Sec. 22305: Railroad crossing elimination program Creates a program to eliminate highway-rail crossings where vehicles are frequently stopped by trains Authorizes the construction on tunnels and bridges Requires the government agency in charge of the project to "obtain the necessary approvals from any impacted rail carriers or real property owners before proceeding with the construction of a project" Each grant will be for at least $1 million each The Federal government will pay no more than 80% of the project's cost Sec. 22306: Interstate rail compacts Authorizes up to 10 grants per year valued at a maximum of $1 million each to plan and promote new Amtrak routes The grant recipient will have to match the grant by at least 50% of the eligible expenses Sec. 22308: Corridor identification and development program The Secretary of Transportation will create a program for public entities to plan for expanded intercity passenger rail corridors (which are routes that are less than 750 miles), operated by Amtrak or private companies. When developing plans for corridors, the Secretary has to "consult" with "host railroads for the proposed corridor" Subtitle D - Rail Safety Sec. 22404: Blocked Crossing Portal The Administration of the Federal Railroad Administration would establish a "3 year blocked crossing portal" which would collect information about blocked crossing by trains from the public and first responders and provide every person submitting the complaint the contact information of the "relevant railroad" and would "encourage" them to complain to them too. Information collected would NOT be allowed to be used for any regulatory or enforcement purposes Reports to Congress will be created using the information collected Sec. 22406: Emergency Lighting The Secretary of Transportation will have to issue a rule requiring that all carriers that transport human passengers have an emergency lighting system that turns on when there is a power failure. Sec. 22408: Completion of Hours of Service and Fatigue Studies Requires the Administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration to start pilot programs that were supposed to be conducted no later than 2010, which will test railroad employee scheduling rules designed to reduce employee fatigue. They will test... Assigning employees to shifts with 10 hours advance notice For employees subject to being on-call, having some shifts when those employees are not subject to being on-call. If the pilot programs have not begun by around March of 2023, a report will have to be submitted to Congress explaining the challenges, including "efforts to recruit participant railroads" Sec. 22409: Positive Train Control Study The Comptroller General will conduct a study to determine the annual operation and maintenance costs for positive train control. Sec. 22418: Civil Penalty Enforcement Authority Requires the Secretary of Transportation to provide notice and an opportunity for a hearing to "persons" who violate regulations requiring railroads to report information about railroad crossings. Eliminates the minimum $500 fine for violating the regulations Allows the Attorney General to take the railroad to court to collect the penalty but prohibits the amount of the civil penalty from being reviewed by the courts. Sec. 22423: High-Speed Train Noise Emissions Allows, but does not require, the Secretary of Transportation to create regulations governing the noise levels of trains that exceed 160 mph. Sec. 22425: Requirements for railroad freight cars placed into service in the United States Effective 3 years after the regulations are complete (maximum 5 years after this becomes law), freight cars will be prohibited from operating within the United States if it has sensitive technology originating from or if more than 15% of it is manufactured in... "A country of concern" (which is defined as a country identified by the Commerce Department "as a nonmarket economy country"). Countries on the nonmarket economy list include... Armenia Azerbaijan Belarus China Georgia Kyrgyz Republic Moldova Tajikistan Turkmenistan Uzbekistan Vietnam A country identified by the United States Trade Representative on its priority watch list, which in 2020 included... China Indonesia India Algeria Saudi Arabia Russia Ukraine Argentina Chile Venezuela State owned enterprises The Secretary of Transportation can assess fines between $100,000 and $250,000 per freight car. A company that has been found in violation 3 times can be kicked out of the United States transportation system until they are in compliance and have paid all their fines in full. These rules will apply regardless of what was agreed to in the USMCA trade agreement. Sec. 22427: Controlled substances testing for mechanical employees 180 days after this becomes law, all railroad mechanics will be subject to drug testing, which can be conducted at random. Bills H.R.1748 - Safe Freight Act of 2019 Sponsor: Rep. Don Young (R-AK) Status: Referred to Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials 03/14/2019 Hearings Leveraging IIJA: Plans for Expanding Intercity Passenger Rail House Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure, Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials December 9, 2021 During the hearing, witnesses discussed plans for expanding intercity passenger rail in their states, regions, and networks, and how the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which was recently signed into law, will support these efforts. Witnesses: Stephen Gardner, President, Amtrak David Kim, Secretary, California State Transportation Agency Kevin Corbett, President and CEO of New Jersey Transit, Co-Chair, Northeast Corridor Commission, On behalf of Northeast Corridor Commission Julie White, Deputy Secretary for Multimodal Transportation, North Carolina Department of Transportation, Commission Chair, Southeast Corridor Commission, On behalf of the North Carolina Department of Transportation and the Southeast Corridor Commission Ms. Donna DeMartino, Managing Director, Los Angeles – San Diego – San Luis Obispo Rail Corridor Agency Knox Ross, Mississippi Commission and Chair of the Southern Rail Commission Clips 8:52 - 9:12 Rep. Rick Crawford: Finally, any potential expansion of the Amtrak system must include the full input of the freight railroads on capacity and track sharing issues. The ongoing supply chain crisis only further emphasizes the value of freight railroads and efficiently moving goods across the nation. The important work the freight railroads cannot be obstructed. 16:49 - 17:10 Rep. Peter DeFazio The law is pretty clear: preference over freight transportation except in an emergency. Intercity and commuter rail passenger transportation provided for Amtrak has preference over freight transportation and using a rail line junction crossing unless the board orders otherwise under this subsection. Well, obviously that has not been observed. 22:05 - 22:24 Stephen Gardner: With the $66 billion provided to the Federal Railroad Administration and Amtrak we and our partners can finally have the chance to renew, improve or replace antiquated assets like the century old bridges and tunnels in the Northeast, inaccessible stations around the nation, and our vintage trains. 23:44 - 24:11 Stephen Gardner: Additionally, we'll continue to work collaboratively with our partners where they see value in working with other parties to deliver parts of their service and with new railroad entities that aim to develop or deliver their own service. We simply ask that key railroad laws like the Railway Labor Act and railway retirement apply to new entrants, that the federal government gets equity and accountability for investments it makes in private systems, and that any new services create connections with Amtrak's national network 1:25:00 - 1:25:37 Stephen Gardner: We've been working very closely with a variety of host railroads on opportunities to expand, notably Burlington Northern Santa Fe and our work to expand the Heartland Flyer service between Texas and Oklahoma and potentially extend that North to Wichita, Newton, in Colorado along the front range also with BNSF, to look at opportunities there. With Canadian Pacific we've been having really good conversations about launching a new service between the Twin Cities, Milwaukee and Chicago. Similarly, I think there's opportunities for that Baton Rouge to New Orleans service that Mr. Ross mentioned. 1:54:24 - 1:55:10 Rep. Chuy Garcia: You've each had different experiences with freight railroads as the host railroad for your respective services. What can Congress do to help you as you discuss expanding and improving passenger rail service with your freight railroad? You'll have about 15 seconds each. Knox Ross: Congressman, thank you. I think it's enforcing the will of Congress and the law that set up Amtrak in the beginning is, as the Chairman talked about, in the beginning, that people have a preference over freight. Now we understand that we all have to work together to do that. But we think there are many ways that Amtrak and other other hosts can work together with the fright to get this done, but the law has to be enforced. 1:55:14 - 1:55:30 Julie White: I would say that the money in the IIJA is going to be really important as we work, for example, on the S Line it is an FRA grant that enables us to acquire that line from CSX and enables us to grow freight rail on it at the same time as passenger. 1:58:05 - 1:58:23 Rep. Tim Burchett: Also understand that Amtrak is planning to either expand or build new rail corridors in 26 states across the country over the next 15 years and I was wondering: what makes you think Amtrak will turn a profit in any of those communities? 1:58:43 - 1:59:29 Stephen Gardner: But I would be clear here that our expectation is that these corridors do require support from states and the federal government, that they produce real value and support a lot of important transportation needs. But we measure those not necessarily by the profit of the farebox, so to speak, even though Amtrak has the highest farebox recovery of any system in the United States by far in terms of rail systems, we believe that Amtrak mission is to create mobility, mobility that creates value. We do that with as little public funding as we can, but the current services do require support investment and I think that's fair. All transportation modes require investment. 2:00:12 - 2:00:24 Rep. Tim Burchett: Since you mentioned that you needed more funding down the line, don't you think it'd be better to make your current service corridors more profit -- or just profitable before you build new ones in other parts of the country? When Unlimited Potential Meets Limited Resources: The Benefits and Challenges of High-Speed Rail and Emerging Rail Technologies House Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure, Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials May 6, 2021 This hearing featured twelve witnesses from a range of perspectives, exploring the opportunities and limitations associated with high-speed rail and emerging technologies, including regulatory oversight, technology readiness, project costs, and available federal resources. Witnesses: John Porcari, Former Deputy Secretary of the US Department of Transportation Rachel Smith, President and CEO of the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce Phillip Washington, CEO of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority Danielle Eckert, International Representative for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Carbett "Trey" Duhon III, Judge in Waller County, TX Andy Kunz, President and CEO of the US High Speed Rail Association Carlos Aguilar, President and CEO of Texas Central High Speed Rail William Flynn, CEO of Amtrak Josh Giegel, CEO and Co-Founder of Virgin Hyperloop Andres de Leon, CEO of Hyperloop Transportation Technologies Michal Reininger, CEO of Brightline Trains Wayne Rogers, Chairman and CEO of Northeast Maglev Clips 8:37 - 8:48 Rep. Rick Crawford: Rail is also considered one of the most fuel efficient ways to move freight. On average freight rail can move one ton of freight over 470 miles on one gallon of fuel. 18:05 - 18:46 Rep. Peter DeFazio: You know we have put aggregate with the essentially post World War Two, mostly the Eisenhower program, $2 trillion -- trillion -- into highways, invested by the federal government, a lot of money. But post World War Two $777 billion into aviation, airports, runways, air traffic control etc. And, and we have put about $90 billion total into rail. 22:45 - 23:25 John Porcari: As I evaluated ways to increase capacity in the Baltimore-New York City corridor, these were my choices: I could add air capacity between BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport and New York with 90% federal funding for runway and taxiway improvements, I could add highway capacity on I-95 to New York with 80% federal funding, or add passenger rail capacity with zero federal funding for that 215 mile segment. A passenger rail trip makes far more sense than driving or flying, yet passenger rail capacity was the least likely alternative to be selected. So if you wonder why we have the unbalanced transportation system we have today, follow the money. 23:26 - 23:54 John Porcari: It's an extraordinary statement of state priorities that the California High Speed Rail Authority's 2020 Business Plan anticipates 85% of its funding from state sources and only 15% federal funding for this project of national and regional significance. This is a remarkable state financial commitment and a clear declaration of the state's project priorities. Yet there's no ongoing sustained federal financial partner for this multi year program of projects. 23:54 - 24:28 John Porcari: To match the people carrying capacity of phase one of the high speed rail system, California would need to invest $122 to $199 billion towards building almost 4200 highway lane miles, the equivalent of a new six lane highway and the construction of 91 new airport gates and two new runways. The San Francisco-Los Angeles air loop is already the ninth busiest in the world, and the busiest air route in America. Doesn't it make sense to prioritize this finite and expensive airport capacity for trans continental and international flights? 24:28 - 24:40 John Porcari: For California the 120 to 209 billion of required highway and airport capacity as an alternative to high speed rail is double the 69 to 99 billion cost estimate for phase one of the high speed rail system. 25:05 - 25:18 John Porcari: Providing real transportation choices at the local and state level requires the establishment of a Passenger Rail Trust Fund on par with our Highway Trust Fund and Airport and Airway Trust Fund. 48:00 - 48:23 Trey Duhon: Texas Central promised this project was privately financed, and everything they've done today, including the EIS was based on that. So we say let it live or die in the free market and invest our tax dollars in more equitable transportation solutions. We should not have to pay for another train to nowhere while having our communities destroyed by the very tax dollars that we work hard to contribute. 49:48 - 50:42 Andy Kunz: High Speed Rail can unlock numerous ridership opportunities. Essential workers like teachers, police and firemen in the high price Silicon Valley could find affordable housing options with a short train ride to Merced or Fresno in California's Central Valley. Residents of Eugene, Oregon could access jobs in Portland's tech sector or booming recreational industry with a 35 minute commute. A Houston salesperson could prepare for an important client meeting in Dallas with dedicated Wi Fi and ample workspace while gliding past the notorious congestion on I-45. A college student in Atlanta could make it home for Thanksgiving in Charlotte while picking up grandma along the way in Greenville, South Carolina. International tourists visiting Disney World in Orlando could extend their vacation with a day trip to the Gulf beaches of the Greater Tampa Bay area. 51:41 - 54:58 Andy Kunz: High Speed Rail has an unmatched track record of safety. Japan, with the world's first high speed rail network, has carried millions of people over 50 years without a single fatality, in comparison as many as 40,000 Americans are killed every year in auto accidents on our highways. 52:22 - 52:45 Andy Kunz: China has invested over a trillion dollars in high speed rail, allowing them to build a world class 22,000 mile network in 14 years. Not taking a pause, China plans to construct another 21,000 miles of track over the next nine years. Modern infrastructure like this fuels China's explosive economic growth, making it challenging for us to compete with them in the 21st century. 52:46 - 53:10 Andy Kunz: On the other side of the globe, the United Kingdom is currently doubling their rail network with $120 billion investment. France has invested over $160 billion in constructing their system. Spain's 2000 mile High Speed Rail Network is the largest in Europe, costing more than 175 billion. These are considerable investments by nations that are similar in size to Texas. 1:08:00 - 1:09:00 Rep. Peter DeFazio: Are you aware of any high speed rail project in the world that isn't government subsidized? I know, Virgin in, you know, in Great Britain says, well, we make money. Yeah, you make money. You don't have to maintain the rail, the government does that, all you do is put a train set on it and run it. John Porcari: Yeah, that's a really important point, Mr. Chairman, virtually every one that I'm aware of in the world has had a very big public investment in the infrastructure itself, the operation by a private operator can be very profitable. I would point out that that is no different, conceptually from our airways system, for example, where federal taxpayer investments make possible the operations of our airlines, which in turn are profitable and no different than our very profitable trucking industry in the US, which is enabled by the public infrastructure investment of the highway system itself. 1:09:46 - 1:10:37 Philip Washington: The potential is very, very good to make that connection with the private railroad. And actually that is the plan. And we are working with that, that private railroad right now to do that. And that connection with the help of some twin bore tunnel will allow train speeds to be at anywhere from 180 to 200 miles an hour, getting from that high desert corridor to Los Angeles. And so it's a it's a huge, huge effort. It links up with high speed rail from the north as well, with the link up coming into Union Station as well. So I think the potential to link up both of these are very, very great. And we're working with both entities. 1:11:31 - 1:12:13 Philip Washington: Well one of our ideas very quickly is right now we have as you know, Mr. Chairman, assembly plants, assembly plants all over the country what we are proposing is a soup to nuts, all included manufacturing outfit in this country that manufactures trains from the ground up, forging steel, all of those things. So we have proposed an industrial park with suppliers on site as well to actually build again from the ground up, rail car passenger rail car vehicles and locomotives. It is the return of manufacturing to this country as we see it. 1:21:16 - 1:21:50 John Porcari: We have 111 year old tunnel in New York, we have a B&P tunnel in Baltimore, that Civil War era. Those are not the biggest obstacles. It is more a question of will. What we want to do as a country in infrastructure, we do, and we've never made rail, really the priority that that I think it needs to be. And we've never provided meaningful choices for the states to select rail and build a multi year rail program because we don't have the funding part of it. 1:21:55 - 1:22:19 John Porcari: Our passenger rail system in the US is moving from a survival mode to a growth mode. And I think that's a very healthy thing for the country. Whether you're talking about our cross country service, one of the coastal corridors or the Midwest service, all of that is really important. In just the same way we built the interstates, city pairs aggregating into a national system, we can really do that with the passenger rail system if we have the will. 1:27:13 - 1:27:41 Rep. Michelle Steel: My constituents are already taxed enough, with California state and local taxes and skyrocketing gas prices making it unaffordable to live. I just came back from Texas, their gas price was $2 something and we are paying over $4 in California. We must preserve our local economy by lowering taxes not raising them. And we must not continue throwing tax dollars into a high speed money pit. 1:30:53 - 1:31:11 Trey Duhon: The folks in Waller county the folks that I know, a family of four is not going to pay $1,000 To ride a train between Houston and Dallas, when they can get there on a $50 tank of gas an hour and a half later. It's just not going to happen. So it's not a mass transit solution, at least not for this corridor. 1:48:56 - 1:49:25 Andy Kunz: The other big thing that hasn't been mentioned is the the cost of people's time and waste sitting stuck in traffic or stuck in airports. It's estimated to be several 100 billion dollars a year. And then as a business person, time is money. So if all your people are taking all day to get anywhere your entire company is less competitive, especially against nations that actually have these efficient systems, and then they can out compete us 2:03:52 - 2:04:13 Seth Moulton: And I would just add, you know, we build high speed rail, no one's gonna force you to take it. You have that freedom of choice that Americans don't have today and yet travelers all around the world have. I don't understand why travelers in China should have so much more freedom than we do today. In America, high speed railway would rapidly rectify that 3:01:09 - 3:01:27 Josh Giegel: In 2014 I co-founded this company in a garage when Hyperloop was just an idea on a whiteboard. By late 2016 We began construction of our first full system test set, dev loop, north of Las Vegas. To date we've completed over 500 tests of our system. 3:01:38 - 3:01:48 Josh Giegel: Today we have approximately 300 employees and are the leading Hyperloop company in the world and the only company, the only company to have had passengers travel safely in a Hyperloop. 3:01:48 - 3:02:33 Josh Giegel: Hyperloop is a high speed surface transportation system. Travel occurs within a low pressure enclosure equivalent to 200,000 feet above sea level, in a vehicle pressurized to normal atmospheric conditions, much like a commercial aircraft. This, along with our proprietary magnetic levitation engine, allows us to reach and maintain airline speeds with significantly less energy than other modes of transportation. Not only is Hyperloop fast, it's a high capacity mass transit system capable of comfortably moving people and goods at 670 miles per hour with 50,000 passengers per hour per direction, on demand and direct to your destination, meaning no stops along the way. 3:02:54 - 3:02:58 Josh Giegel: We achieve all this on a fully electric system with no direct emissions. 3:11:34 - 3:11:53 Mike Reininger: Since our 2018 launch in Florida, we operate the only private high speed system in the US, showcasing the potential of American high speed passenger rail. We carried more than a million passengers in our first full year and learned a lot that is worth sharing from the investment of over $4 billion over the last 10 years. 3:12:45 - 3:12:57 Mike Reininger: We use existing road alignments and infrastructure corridors to leverage previous investments, reduce environmental impacts, lower costs, and speed execution as a basis for profitability. 3:13:00 - 3:13:28 Mike Reininger: In 2022, we will complete the extension into the Orlando International Airport, making our total route 235 miles, linking four of the largest cities in America's third largest state. 400 million annual trips occur between these cities today, 95% of them by car. By upgrading a freight railway first built in the 1890s and building along an Express Highway, we leveraged 130 years of previous investment to support our 21st century service. 3:13:31 - 3:13:51 Mike Reininger: Brightline West will connect Las Vegas to Los Angeles, where today 50 million annual trips and over 100 daily flights occur. Traveling on trains capable of speeds of 200 miles an hour using the I-15 corridor, but cutting the drive time in half, Brightline West's better option expects to serve 11 million annual riders. 3:14:56 - 3:15:08 Mike Reininger: Consider allowing private entities to become eligible parties for FRA grant programs by partnering with currently eligible applicants as a simple way to stretch direct government investment. 3:29:39 - 3:29:54 Rep. Rick Crawford: Amtrak announced plans to expand its routes including to several small cities where there doesn't appear to be enough demand or population to warrant those new lines. Can you guarantee that those new routes will be self sustaining and turn a profit or will they lose money? 3:38:42 - 3:38:55 Bill Flynn: 125 miles an hour on existing track infrastructure is high speed. The newest Acelas we ordered will have a top speed of 186 miles an hour. 3:36:46 - 3:37:05 Rep. Seth Moulton: What is the top speed of the Acela service? Bill Flynn: The Acela service in the southern network, Washington to New York, top speeds 135 miles an hour, and then in New York to Boston top speed of 150 miles an hour across different segments of the track. 4:11:57 - 4:12:30 Bill Flynn: When we think about NEPA and the other permitting processes that take place, and then ultimately into construction, on many major projects, we're talking a decade or more. So without the visibility and predictability and the certainty of funding, these projects are all affected, they ultimately become more high cost, and they take longer than they should. So if I were to recommend one policy action, creating a trust fund, or trust fund like structure, for intercity passenger rail would be key. Full Steam Ahead for Rail: Why Rail is More Relevant Than Ever for Economic and Environmental Progress House Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure, Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials March 10, 2021 The hearing explored the importance of rail to the U.S. economy and as a tool to mitigate climate change. Witnesses: Shannon Valentine, Secretary of Transportation, The Commonwealth of Virginia Caren Kraska, President/Chairman, Arkansas & Missouri Railroad Greg Regan, President, Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO Tom Williams, Group Vice President for Consumer Products, BNSF Railway Clips 18:17 - 18:50 Shannon Valentine: One of the worst rail bottlenecks, mentioned by Chairman DeFazio, along the east coast is at the Potomac River between Virginia and DC and it's called the long bridge which is owned by CSX. The bridge carries on passenger, commuter, and freight rail, nearly 80 trains a day and is at 98% capacity during peak periods. Due to these constraints, Virginia has been unable to expand passenger rail service, even though demand prior to the pandemic was reaching record highs. 18:50 - 19:42 Shannon Valentine: Virginia has been engaged in corridor planning studies, one of which was the I-95 corridor, which as you all know, is heavily congested. Even today as we emerge from this pandemic, traffic has returned to 90% of pre-pandemic levels. Through this study, we learned that adding just one lane in each direction for 50 miles would cost $12.5 billion. While the cost was staggering, the most sobering part of the analysis was that by the time that construction was complete, in 10 years, the corridor would be just as congested as it is today. That finding is what led Virginia to a mode that could provide the capacity at a third of the cost. 20:34 - 20:43 Shannon Valentine: According to APTA rail travel emits up to 83% fewer greenhouse gases than driving and up to 73% fewer than flying. 20:58 - 21:22 Shannon Valentine: Benefits can also be measured by increased access to jobs and improving the quality of life. The new service plan includes late night and weekend service because many essential jobs are not nine to five Monday through Friday. That is why we work to add trains leaving Washington in the late evening and on weekends, matching train schedules to the reality of our economy. 52:23 - 53:06* Rep. Peter DeFazio: I am concerned particularly when we have some railroads running trains as long as three miles. And they want to go to a single crew for a three mile long train. I asked the the former head of the FRA under Trump if the train broke down in Albany, Oregon and it's blocking every crossing through the city means no police, no fire, no ambulance, how long it's going to take the engineer to walk three miles from the front of the train to, say, the second car from the rear which is having a brake problem. And he said, Well, I don't know an hour. So you know there's some real concerns here that we have to pursue. 1:23:25 - 1:24:15 Shannon Valentine: When we first launched the intercity passenger rail, Virginia sponsored passenger rail, back in 2009, it really started with a pilot with $17 million for three years from Lynchburg, Virginia into DC into the new Northeast Corridor. And, and I had to make sure that we had 51,000 riders and we didn't know if we were going to be able to sustain it. And in that first year, we had 125,000 passengers. It always exceeded expectations for ridership and profitability. And today, that rail service which we now extend over to Roanoke, and we're working to get it to Blacksburg Christiansburg is really one of our most profitable rail services. In fact, probably in the country. It doesn't even need a subsidy because they're able to generate that kind of ridership. 2:10:21 - 2:12:11 Shannon Valentine: Our project, in my mind, is really the first step in creating a southeast high speed corridor, we have to build the bridge. In order to expand access, we need to be able to begin separating passenger and freight. And even before that is able to occur, building signings and creating the ability to move. We took a lot of lessons from a study called the DC to RDA again, it's the first part of that high speed southeast corridor. For us, it was recommended that we take an incremental approach rather than having a large 100 billion dollar project we're doing in increments. And so this is a $3.7 billion which is still going to help us over 10 years create hourly service between Richmond and DC. It was recommended that we use existing infrastructure and right of way so in our negotiations with CSX, we are acquiring 386 miles of right of way and 223 miles of track. We are also purchasing as part of this an S line. It's abandoned. It goes down into Ridgeway, North Carolina from Petersburg, Virginia, just south of Richmond. Because it's abandoned, we have a lot of opportunity for development for future phases or even higher speed rail. And we actually included part of Buckingham branch, it's an East West freight corridor that we would like to upgrade and protect for, for East West connection. All of these were incremental steps using existing right of way and tracks and achieving higher speeds where it was achievable. Examining the Surface Transportation Board's Role in Ensuring a Robust Passenger Rail System House Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure, Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials November 18, 2020 Witnesses: Ann D. Begeman, Chairman, Surface Transportation Board Martin J. Oberman, Vice Chairman, Surface Transportation Board Romayne C. Brown, Chair of the Board of Directors, Metra Stephen Gardner, Senior Executive Vice President, Amtrak Ian Jefferies, President and Chief Executive Officer, Association of American Railroads Randal O'Toole, Senior Fellow, Cato Institute Paul Skoutelas, President and Chief Executive Officer, American Public Transportation Association Clips 27:31 - 27:59 Daniel Lipinski: Unlike Amtrak, Metra and other commuter railroads do not have a statutory federal preference prioritizing commuter trains over freight trains. Additionally, commuter railroads generally do not have standing to bring cases before the STB. Therefore, commuter railroads have very limited leverage when it comes to trying to expand their service on freight rail lines and ensuring that freight railroads Do not delay commuter trains. 35:42 - 36:27 Rep. Peter DeFazio: In fact, Congress included provisions to fix Amtrak on time performance in 2008. That is when PRIA added a provisions directing the FRA and Amtrak to work to develop on time performance metric standards to be used as a basis for an STB investigation. Unfortunately, those benefits haven't been realized. It's been 12 years since PRIA was passed. If our eyes metric and standards for on time performance were published this last Monday 12 years later, for the second time, and after this long and unacceptable delay, I look forward to seeing an improvement on Amtrak's performance both in in my state and nationwide. 38:01 - 38:32 Rep. Peter DeFazio: Worldwide, I'm not aware of any railroads, passenger railroads, that make money, although Virgin claims they do in England because they don't have to maintain the tracks. Pretty easy to make money if all you have to do is put a train set on it, run it back and forth. That's not the major expense. So, you know, to say that we shouldn't be subsidizing commuter or we shouldn't be subsidizing Amtrak is, you know, is just saying you don't want to run trains. Because everywhere else in the world they're subsidized. 43:45 - 44:30 Ann Begeman: Most intercity passenger rail service is provided by Amtrak, which is statutorily excluded from many of the board's regulatory requirements applicable to freight carriers. However, with the enactment of the Passenger Rail Investment Improvement Act of 2008 (PRIA) which both Chairman Lipinski and Chairman De Fazio has have mentioned in their opening comments, as well as the Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act of 2015. FAST Act, the board assumed additional Amtrak oversight responsibilities, including the authority to conduct investigations under certain circumstances, and when appropriate, to award relief and identify reasonable measures to improve performance on passenger rail routes. 1:02:24 - 1:03:07 Stephen Gardner: Congress created Amtrak in 1970 to take on a job that today's freight railroads no longer wanted. In exchange for contracts assumption of these private railroads common carrier obligation for passengers and the associated operating losses for passenger service, the freights agreed to allow Amtrak to operate wherever and whenever it wanted over their lines, to provide Amtrak trains with dispatching preference over freight, and to empower what is now the STB to ensure Amtrak's access to the rail network. It's been nearly 50 years since the freight railroads and agreed eagerly to this bargain. And yet today, many of our hosts railroads fall short and fulfilling some of these key obligations 1:03:28 - 1:04:38 Stephen Gardner: Since our founding, Congress has had to clarify and amend the law to try and ensure host compliance. For example, by 1973, the freights had begun delaying Amtrak train so severely that Congress enshrined this promise of Amtrak preference into federal law, and in 2008, delays had gotten so bad that Congress created a new process to set Amtrak on time performance and provided the STB with the authority to investigate poor OTP. But for several reasons, these efforts haven't remedied the problems. For Amtrak and your constituents that has meant millions of delayed passengers and years of impediment as we try to add trains or start new routes to keep up with changing markets and demand. As the AAR are made clear and its litigation opposing the PRIA metrics and standards rule, many hosts see supporting our operation not as their obligation to the public, but as competition for the use of their infrastructure. But Amtrak wasn't created to relieve host railroads of their requirements to support passenger trains. It was created to help them reduce financial losses and ensure that passenger trains could still serve the country 1:04:38 - 1:05:15 Stephen Gardner: We need this committee's help to restore your original deal with the freights. For example you can provide us as you have in the moving forward Act, a way to enforce our existing rights of preference. You can make real Amtrak statutory ability to start new routes and add additional trains without arbitrary barriers. You can create an office of passenger rail within the STB and require them to use their investigative powers to pursue significant instances of for OTP. You can require more efficient STB processes to grant Amtrak access to hosts and fairly set any compensation and capital investment requirements. 1:06:19 - 1:07:57 Stephen Gardner: A rarely heralded fact is that the U.S. has the largest rail network in the world. And yet we use so little of it for intercity passenger rail service. A fundamental reason for this is our inability to gain quick, reasonable access to the network and receive reliable service that we are owed under law. This has effectively blocked our growth and left much of our nation underserved. City pairs like Los Angeles and Phoenix, or Atlanta to Nashville could clearly benefit from Amtrak service. Existing rail lines already connect them. Shouldn't Amtrak be serving these and many other similar corridors nationwide? 1:12:34 - 1:12:57 Randall O'Toole: Last year, the average American traveled more than 15,000 miles by automobile, more than 2000 Miles, road several 100 miles on buses, walked more than 100 Miles, rode 100 miles by urban rail, transit and bicycled 26 miles. Meanwhile, Amtrak carried the average American just 19 Miles. 1:13:35 - 1:13:55 Randall O'Toole: In 1970, the railroads' main problem was not money losing passenger trains, but over regulation by the federal and state governments. Regulation or not, passenger trains are unable to compete against airlines and automobiles. A 1958 Interstate Commerce Commission report concluded that there was no way to make passenger trains profitable. 1:14:52 - 1:15:20 Randall O'Toole: The 1970 collapse of Penn Central shook the industry. Congress should have responded by eliminating the over regulation that was stifling the railroads. Instead, it created Amtrak with the expectation that it would be a for profit corporation and that taking passenger trains off the railroads hands would save them from bankruptcy 50 years and more than $50 billion in operating subsidies later, we know that Amtrak isn't and never will be profitable. 1:15:40 - 1:16:10 Randall O'Toole: When Amtrak was created, average rail fares per passenger mile were two thirds of average airfares. Thanks to airline deregulation since then, inflation adjusted air fares have fallen by 60%. Even as Amtrak fares per passenger mile have doubled. Average Amtrak fares exceeded airfares by 1990 despite huge operating subsidies, or perhaps as has well predicted, because those subsidies encouraged inefficiencies. 1:16:50 - 1:17:15 Randall O'Toole: Today thanks to more efficient operations, rail routes that once saw only a handful of trains per day support 60, 70 or 80 or more freight trains a day. This sometimes leaves little room for Amtrak. Displacing a money making freight train with a money losing passenger train is especially unfair considering that so few people use a passenger trains, while so many rely on freight. 1:17:15 - 1:17:25 Randall O'Toole: Passenger trains are pretty, but they're an obsolete form of transportation. Efforts to give passenger trains preference over freight we'll harm more people than it will help. 2:42:40 - 2:43:50 Stephen Gardner: We think that the poor on time performance that many of our routes have is a significant impediment to ridership and revenue growth. It's quite apparent, many of our passengers, particularly on our long distance network, that serves Dunsmuir, for instance, you know their routes frequently experience significant delays, the number one cause of those delays are freight train interference. This is delays encountered, that Amtrak encounters when freight trains are run in front of us or otherwise dispatching decisions are made that prioritize the freight trains in front of Amtrak. And the reduction in reliability is clearly a problem for passengers with many hour delays. Often our whole long distance network is operating at 50% or less on time performance if you look at over the many past years. Even right now, through this period of COVID, where freight traffic has been down and we're only at 60% over the last 12 months on time performance for the entire long distance network. 2:52:44 - 2:53:23 Stephen Gardner: The difference between the US system and most of the international examples is that the infrastructure is publicly owned, publicly owned and developed in all of these nations, the nations that Mr. O'Toole mentioned, there is a rail infrastructure entity and they're developing it for both passenger and freight in some of those locations are optimized for passenger service primarily, that's for sure the case. China is a great example of a nation that's investing for both as a massive freight system and an incredible amount of investment for passenger rail. And again, they see high speed as a means of dealing with their very significant population and efficient way. Cover Art Design by Only Child Imaginations Music Presented in This Episode Intro & Exit: Tired of Being Lied To by David Ippolito (found on Music Alley by mevio)

Excise tax in the United States is an indirect tax on listed items. Excise taxes can be and are made by federal, state, and local governments and are not uniform throughout the United States. Some excise taxes are collected from the producer or retailer and not paid directly by the consumer, and as such often remain "hidden" in the price of a product or service, rather than being listed separately. Federal excise taxes and revenues. Federal excise taxes raised $98.3 billion in fiscal year 2015 or 3% of total federal tax revenue. Fuel. Excise taxes on fuel raised $37.4 billion in fiscal year 2015. These fuel taxes raised 90% of the Highway Trust Fund (18.4¢ for gasoline and 24.4¢ for diesel fuel per gallon). Airport & airway trust fund. Excise taxes dedicated to the Airport and Airway Trust Fund raised $14.3 billion in fiscal year 2015. 90% of the excise tax revenue comes from taxing passenger air fares and the remaining 10% comes from air cargo and aviation fuel taxes. Affordable Care Act excise taxes. Excise taxes for the Affordable Care Act raised $16.3 billion in fiscal year 2015. $11.3 billion was an excise tax placed directly on health insurers based on their market share. The ACA was going to impose a 40% "Cadillac tax" on expensive employer sponsored health insurance but that was postponed until 2018, and later further postponed and eventually repealed before its rollout on December 20, 2019. Annual excise taxes totaling $3 billion were levied on importers and manufacturers of prescription drugs. An excise tax of 2.32% on medical devices and a 10% excise tax on indoor tanning services are applied as well. The same budget bill that repealed the Cadillac tax also repealed the medical device tax for all sales occurring after December 31. Tobacco. Excise taxes on tobacco raised $14.5 billion in fiscal year 2015. The tax equals about $1 per 20-pack of cigarettes. Alcohol. Excise taxes on alcoholic beverages raised $9.6 billion in fiscal year 2015. Cannabis. In 2020, state and local governments earned over $3 billion in tax revenue from cannabis taxes. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/law-school/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/law-school/support

In this Episode of The GRID, host Chris Kuhlmann compares the Federal Government's economic solutions to the children's game, Whackamole.   SHOW NOTES Some Details Gas tax Federal Tax – 18.4 cents/gallon State Tax (Illinois) – 59.56 cents/gallon - 78 cents/gallon History of Gas Tax – June 6 Revenue Act of 1932 Current Federal Tax: 18.46 cents/gallon for regular unleaded Efficiency Standard for Gas Mileage has gone yo-yo over the years. 1 Barrel of oil yields 20 gallons US Travelers – miles driven per year 40 years ago 1.5 Trillion per year Today 3.2 Trillion miles per year Whackamole Effect – Unintended Consequences A solution for one issue causes a problem in another area. Tax dollars raised by fuel tax go to the Highway Trust Fund to build and maintain roads. Increasing fuel efficiency decreases tax revenue because less gas is needed, fewer taxes are paid. fewer taxes means fewer dollars for building and repairs. Fuel efficiency drives tax revenue down. The perfect storm. Decreasing our dependence on fossil fuels is detrimental to revenue for roads and bridges where travel has more than doubled in 40 years. Abortion up (dead citizens who don't pay taxes) - Social Security contribution down (fewer paying in because they are dead) Covid-19 Lockdowns – Mission: flatten the curve > quickly became eradicate the disease (mentality – no grater mission for our country (government's mentality)          Unintended Consequences?              -  45% Adults who lost income avoided medical treatment              -  1/3 who did not loose their jobs didn't get treatment              -  40% age 18-24 suicidal thoughts up from 3% prior              -  5% in Opioid deaths              -  60% higher depression A White Paper was written by the Center for the Study of the Administrative State of the Antonin Scalia Law School at George Mason University, titled the Unintended Health Consequences of the Lockdown. On page 3 the writer says, “Rather than invoking Newton's Third Law, "for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction," the principle for unintended consequences should be called the Law of Whackamole.”   CREDITS Host: Chris Kuhlmann Written by: Chris Kuhlmann Produced & Directed by: Shaun Griffin Music composed by JD Kuhlmann Art: Shaun Griffin Sound: Shaun Griffin Sponsor: Mercantile Mountain Be sure to visit www.mercantilemountain.com Visit us at www.kingdompatriot.us and check out our Vision Video

Today we talk to Dave Dein, a co-founder of The Next Generation In Trucking Association, which is a non-profit organization who's goal is to get more young people interesting in trucking and logistics careers. What they're doing is pretty cool, so you'll want to stick around for that. But first we've got more news than you can haul without a permit, including a dangerous social media game involving truckers, changes to the Drug & Alcohol Clearinghouse that could affect your livelihood, more on autonomous vehicles, a proposed electric vehicle tax, a new device that fleets could use to restrict driver's use of cell phones, and of course, a whole bunch about the impending vaccine mandate. Also, money for truck parking is back on the agenda, care packages for the troops are requested, warehouses are full, the problem at the seaports, more on the lease-operator legal issue, the history of the owner-operator, and legislating bathrooms for truckers. Yes, really. The Trucker Grub segment gets a retraction, and listener feedback features a whole mess of new Trucker Dump Slack members, gear recommendations, and me getting scolded. What's new? LOL This episode of Trucker Dump is sponsored by: Porter Freight Funding - So many services to offer, including Factoring, Dispatching, Freight Brokering, Fuel Cards, Insurance, and Compliance. Call 855–943-3518 to learn more. Volvo Trucks - Check out the new D13TC engine in the Volvo VNL series. Links mentioned in the introduction: Video of Todd getting his birthday gift from his awesome Trucker Dump Slack Group members. Links mentioned in the news segment: Atlanta P.D. issues new warning about disturbing semi truck stowaway social media ‘game' from CDLLife.com New Love's opens in Illinois from OverdriveOnline.com 123,481 Freightliner Cascadias recalled because steering linkage can separate from FreightWaves.com FMCSA tells states to ban drivers with drug, alcohol strikes from OverdriveOnline.com Fleet Operations Learn Increased Truck Driver Salaries About Retention, Not Working Overtime from TheTruckersReport.com The NoCell goal: Ending distracted driving by automatically shutting down the phone from FreightWaves.com Feds predict at least 200 automated vehicle crashes annually from FreightWaves.com Real-world autonomy: Navigating a traffic jam and a crash scene from FreightWaves.com Report: Electric vehicle tax could revive Highway Trust Fund from FreightWaves.com Trucking not exempt from Biden's vaccine and testing mandate, enforcement 'cutting us off at the knees' from OverdriveOnline.com Draft of vaccination rule released; trucking didn't get an exemption from FreightWaves.com TCA urges members to contact lawmakers over Biden vax mandate from Commercial Carriers Jounal What happened in Vegas: TCA gathers for first time post-pandemic from FreightWaves.com Biden announces major supply chain shakeup for ports, carriers and retailers from Commercial Carriers Jounal Why Don't U.S. Ports Operate 24/7? Ask the Unions from Competitive Enterprise Institute No more room at the logistics warehouse inn, Prologis says from FreightWaves.com Is the owner-operator model a legal minefield? Attorney weighs in from Commercial Carriers Jounal Illinois Rep Leads Push For $1 Billion In Additional Safe Truck Parking from TheTruckersReport.com Breaking Free: The history of the owner-operator in trucking from OverdriveOnline.com Canadian province looking to require bathroom access for truckers from OverdriveOnline.com OOIDA sponsoring 15th Truckers for Troops campaign from OverdriveOnline.com ATA's Spear gets specific on vaccine mandate: Trucking should have an exemption from FreightWaves.com Bill intro'd in Senate that would exempt truckers from vaccine mandates from OverdriveOnline.com Labor secretary says most truck drivers are exempt from Covid mandate, handing industry a win from CNBC.com Trucker Grub segment: Driver Dave writes in to withdraw his recommendation of the Ten Acre Truckstop in Ontario Canda. Links mentioned in the interview: The Next Generation in Trucking Association is a non-profit trade association who is engaging and training the next generation of trucking industry professionals by partnering with high schools, community/technical colleges and private schools to launch training programs around the United States. You can reach The Next Generation of Trucking Association at 502-483-1478 or email them at info@nextgentrucking.org. Links mentioned in the Listener Feedback segment: Jose Santiago (@Trokero84), Matt Ferguson (@matthewgferguson), Vicki (@Wunuvakind), Michael Gritton @michaelgritton, KT Johnson (@KT Cascadia), George Heine (@George Heine) all joined the Trucker Dump Slack group. Long-time listener Greg T writes send an email and an audio comment with recommendations for gloves and flashlights, and shares why he's not a Yeti fan. Check out the Hydro Flask products recommended by Greg T. (Amazon Affiliate Link) TD156: The First 6 Months Of Trucking - Part 1 from AboutTruckDriving.com Check out the MCCC 250 Lumens Small LED Rechargeable Car Emergency Flashlight for 12 Volt Car Cigarette Lighter Vechicle Charge, Portable Mini Torch Light with Car Charger and Outdoor Survival Tool for Camping $17.99 recommended by Michael Nunn. (Amazon Affiliate Link) Zach Smacher (@smackerman) takes me to task for my lack of mechanical know-how and tells a story about a hunt for paperwork. Show info: You can email your comments, suggestions, questions, or insults to TruckerDump@gmail.com Join the Trucker Dump Facebook Group Join the Trucker Dump Slack Group by emailing me at TruckerDump@gmail.com Got a second to Rate and/or Review the podcast on iTunes? Download the intro/outro songs for free! courtesy of Walking On Einstein

Will the Highway Trust Fund reauthorization deadline of Oct. 31 provide an impetus for an agreement on the larger social infrastructure proposal before Congress? House Speaker Nancy Pelosi agrees there is urgency for approving a surface transportation policy update, and that the best way to deal with it is to pass the bipartisan infrastructure framework. Congressional Democratic leaders appear ready to present a Build Back Better social infrastructure budget plan of about $1.75 trillion. Read more in this week's web feature, Capitol Agenda.

Will the Highway Trust Fund reauthorization deadline of Oct. 31 provide an impetus for an agreement on the larger social infrastructure proposal before Congress? House Speaker Nancy Pelosi agrees there is urgency for approving a surface transportation policy update, and that the best way to deal with it is to pass the bipartisan infrastructure framework. Congressional Democratic leaders appear ready to present a Build Back Better social infrastructure budget plan of about $1.75 trillion. Read more in this week's web feature, Capitol Agenda.

Asphalt, the heaviest part of crude used in road and home construction, could see a surge in demand as the $1 trillion infrastructure bill would provide record amounts of funding for highway improvements. But all that depends on the bill making it to the president's desk to be signed into law. That legislation also includes critical language that would provide five years of funding stability for the federal-aid highway program and other surface-transportation programs that are soon set to expire. Reauthorizing surface transportation programs was not easy, even before things got so polarized on the Hill. And in this go-around, the stakes are even higher as the Highway Trust Fund used to reimburse states for road projects is running out of money, so simply kicking the can down the road is not as viable an option. Jasmin Melvin spoke with Jay Hansen, executive vice president for advocacy at the National Asphalt Pavement Association, about the potential influx in federal dollars for highway projects and the impact of political infighting on the asphalt industry. Stick around after the interview for Jeff Mower with the Market Minute, a look at near-term oil market drivers.

Jen has been all over the internet lately telling the world that the Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework is a dumpster fire of a bill. In this episode, she backs that up by comparing the levels of investment for different kinds of infrastructure and examining the society changing effects the bill would have if it were to become law. Please Support Congressional Dish – Quick Links Contribute monthly or a lump sum via PayPal Support Congressional Dish via Patreon (donations per episode) Send Zelle payments to: Donation@congressionaldish.com Send Venmo payments to: @Jennifer-Briney Send Cash App payments to: $CongressionalDish or Donation@congressionaldish.com Use your bank's online bill pay function to mail contributions to: 5753 Hwy 85 North, Number 4576, Crestview, FL 32536. Please make checks payable to Congressional Dish Thank you for supporting truly independent media! Background Sources Recommended Congressional Dish Episodes CD218: Minerals Are the New Oil CD205: Nuclear Waste Storage Oil CD073: Amtrak Recommended Articles and Documents Benjamin J. Hulac and Joseph Morton. October 7, 2021. “With GOP sidelined, Manchin steps up to defend fossil fuels.” Roll Call. Connor Sheets, Robert J. Lopez, Rosanna Xia, and Adam Elmahrek. October 4, 2021. “Before O.C. oil spill, platform owner faced bankruptcy, history of regulatory problems.” The Los Angeles Times. Donald Shaw. October 4, 2021. “Criticizing Joe Manchin's Coal Conflicts is ‘Outrageous,' Says Heitkamp.” Sludge. Michael Gold. October 1, 2021. “Congestion Pricing Is Coming to New York. Everyone Has an Opinion.” The New York Times. Utilities Middle East Staff. September 13, 2021. “World's largest carbon capture and storage plant launched.” Utilities. Adele Peters. September 8, 2021. “The first commercial carbon removal plant just opened in Iceland.” Fast Company. Hiroko Tabuchi. August 16, 2021. “For Many, Hydrogen Is the Fuel of the Future. New Research Raises Doubts.” The New York Times. Robert W. Haworth and Mark Z. Jacobson. August 12, 2021. “How green is blue hydrogen?.” Energy Science & Engineering. Emily Cochrane. August 10, 2021. “Senate Passes $1 Trillion Infrastructure Bill, Handing Biden a Bipartisan Win.” The New York Times. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. June 3, 2021. “2020 Fatality Data Show Increased Traffic Fatalities During Pandemic.” U.S. Department of Transportation. Nation Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). May 19, 2021. “What We Know—and Do Not Know—About Achieving a National-Scale 100% Renewable Electric Grid .” Michael Barnard. May 3, 2021. “Small Modular Nuclear Reactors Are Mostly Bad Policy.” CleanTechnica. Hiroko Tabuchi. April 24, 2021. “Halting the Vast Release of Methane Is Critical for Climate, U.N. Says.” The New York Times. Grist Creative. April 15, 2021. “How direct air capture works (and why it's important)” Grist. American Society of Civil Engineers. 2021. “Bridges.” 2021 Report Card for America's Infrastructure. Open Secrets. “Sen. Joe Manchin - West Virginia - Top Industries Contributing 2015-2020.” Savannah Keaton. December 30, 2020. “Can Fuel Cell Vehicles Explode Like ‘Hydrogen Bombs on Wheels'?” Motor Biscuit. Dale K. DuPont. August 6, 2020. “First all-electric ferry in U.S. reaches milestone.” WorkBoat. Hannah Ritchie and Max Roser. 2020. “CO2 and Greenhouse Gas Emissions.” Our World in Data. Jeff Butler. January 27, 2019. “Norway leads an electric ferry revolution.” plugboats.com Our World in Data. Annual CO2 Emissions, 2019. Hydrogen Council. 2019. Frequently Asked Questions. Mark Z. Jacobson et al. September 6, 2017. “100% Clean and Renewable Wind, Water, and Sunlight All-Sector Energy Roadmaps for 139 Countries of the World.” Joule. Kendra Pierre-Louis. August 25, 2017. “Almost every country in the world can power itself with renewable energy.” Popular Science. Chuck Squatriglia. May 12, 2008. “Hydrogen Cars Won't Make a Difference for 40 Years.” Wired. Renewable Energy World. April 22, 2004. “Schwarzenegger Unveils ‘Hydrogen Highways' Plan.” United States Department of Energy. February 2002. A National Vision of America's Transition to a Hydrogen Economy -- to 2030 and Beyond. The Bill H.R. 3684: Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act August 10, 2021 Senate Vote Breakdown July 1, 2021 House Vote Breakdown Jen's Highlighted Version Bill Outline DIVISION A: SURFACE TRANSPORTATION TITLE I - FEDERAL-AID HIGHWAYS Subtitle A - Authorizations and Programs Sec. 11101: Authorization of Appropriations Authorizes appropriations for Federal-Aid for highways at between $52 billion and $56 billion per year through fiscal year 2026. Sec. 11117: Toll Roads, Bridges, Tunnels, and Ferries Authorizes the government to pay up to 85% of the costs of replacing or retrofitting a diesel fuel ferry vessel until the end of fiscal year 2025. Sec. 11118: Bridge Investment Program Authorizes between $600 million and $700 million per year through 2026 (from the Highway Trust Fund) for repairs to bridges If a Federal agency wants grant money to repair a Federally owned bridge, it "shall" consider selling off that asset to the State or local government. Sec. 11119: Safe Routes to School Creates a new program to improve the ability of children to walk and ride their bikes to school by funding projects including sidewalk improvements, speed reduction improvements, crosswalk improvements, bike parking, and traffic diversions away from schools. Up to 30% of the money can be used for public awareness campaigns, media relations, education, and staffing. No additional funding is provided. It will be funded with existing funds for "administrative expenses." Sec. 11121: Construction of Ferry Boats and Ferry Terminal Facilities Authorizes between $110 million and $118 million per year through 2026 (from the Highway Trust Fund) to construct ferry boats and ferry terminals. Subtitle D - Climate Change Sec. 11401: Grants for Charging and Fueling Infrastructure Creates a new grant program with $15 million maximum per grant for governments to build public charging infrastructure for vehicles fueled with electricity, hydrogen, propane, and "natural" gas. The construction of the projects can be contracted out to private companies. Sec. 11402: Reduction of Truck Emissions at Port Facilities Establishes a program to study and test projects that would reduce emissions. Sec. 11403: Carbon Reduction Program Allows, but does not require, the Transportation Secretary to use money for projects related to traffic monitoring, public transportation, trails for pedestrians and bicyclists, congestion management technologies, vehicle-to-infrastructure communications technologies, energy efficient street lighting, congestion pricing to shift transportation demand to non-peak hours, electronic toll collection, installing public chargers for electric, hydrogen, propane, and gas powered vehicles. Sec. 11404: Congestion Relief Program Creates a grant program, funded at a minimum of $10 million per grant, for projects aimed at reducing highway congestion. Eligible projects include congestion management systems, fees for entering cities, deployment of toll lanes, parking fees, and congestion pricing, operating commuter buses and vans, and carpool encouragement programs. Buses, transit, and paratransit vehicles "shall" be allowed to use toll lanes "at a discount rate or without charge." Sec. 11405: Promoting Resilient Operations for Transformative, Efficient, and Cost-saving Transportation (PROTECT) Program Establishes the "PROTECT program", which provides grants for projects to protect some current infrastructure from extreme weather events and climate related changes. Types of grants include grants for "at-risk coastal infrastructure" which specifies that only "non-rail infrastructure is eligible" (such as highways, roads, pedestrian walkways, bike lanes, etc.) Sec. 11406: Healthy Streets Program Establishes a grant program to install reflective pavement and to expand tree cover in order to mitigate urban heat islands, improve air quality, and reduce stormwater run-off and flood risks. Caps each grant at $15 million TITLE III: RESEARCH, TECHNOLOGY, AND EDUCATION Sec. 13001: Strategic Innovation for Revenue Collection Provides grants for pilot projects to test our acceptance of user-based fee collections and their effects on different income groups and people from urban and rural areas. They will test the use of private companies to collect the data and fees. Sec. 13002: National Motor Vehicle Per-mile User Fee Pilot Creates a pilot program to test a national motor vehicle per-mile user fee. DIVISION B - SURFACE TRANSPORTATION INVESTMENT ACT OF 2021 TITLE I - MULTIMODAL AND FREIGHT TRANSPORTATION Sec. 21201: National Infrastructure Project Assistance Authorizes $2 billion total per year until 2026 on projects that cost at least $100 million that include highway, bridge, freight rail, passenger rail, and public transportation projects. Authorizes $1.5 billion total per year until 2026 (which will expire after 3 years) for grants in amount between $1 million and $25 million for projects that include highway, bridge, public transportation, passenger and freight rail, port infrastructure, surface transportation at airports, and more. TITLE II - RAIL Subtitle A - Authorization of Appropriations Sec. 22101: Grants to Amtrak Authorizes appropriations for Amtrak in the Northeast Corridor at between $1.1 billion and $1.57 billion per year through 2026. Authorizes appropriations for Amtrak in the National Network at between $2.2 billion and $3 billion per year through 2026. Subtitle B - Amtrak Reforms Sec. 22201: Amtrak Findings, Mission, and Goals Changes the goal of cooperation between Amtrak, governments, & other rail carriers from "to achieve a performance level sufficient to justify expending public money" to "in order to meet the intercity passenger rail needs of the United States" and expands the service areas beyond "urban" locations. Changes the goals of Amtrak to include "improving its contracts with rail carriers over whose tracks Amtrak operates." Sec. 22208: Passenger Experience Enhancement Food and beverage service: Amtrak will establish a working group... Sec. 22212: Enhancing Cross Border Service Amtrak must submit a report... Sec. 22213: Creating Quality Jobs Amtrak will not be allowed to privatize the jobs previously performed by laid off union workers. Sec. 22214: Amtrak Daily Long Distance Study Amtrak would study bringing back long distance rail routes that were discontinued. Subtitle C - Intercity Passenger Rail Policy Sec. 22304: Restoration and Enhancement Grants Extends the amount of time the government will pay the operating costs of Amtrak or "any rail carrier" that provides passenger rail service from 3 years to 6 years, and pays higher percentages of the the costs. Sec. 22305: Railroad Crossing Elimination Program Creates a program to eliminate highway-rail crossings where vehicles are frequently stopped by trains. Authorizes the construction on tunnels and bridges. Sec. 22306: Interstate Rail Compacts Authorizes up to 10 grants per year valued at a maximum of $ million each to plan and promote new Amtrak routes Sec. 22308: Corridor Identification and Development Program The Secretary of Transportation will create a program for public entities to plan for expanded intercity passenger rail corridors, operated by Amtrak or private companies. When developing plans for corridors, the Secretary has to "consult" with "host railroads for the proposed corridor" Subtitle D - Rail Safety Sec. 22404: Blocked Crossing Portal The Administration of the Federal Railroad Administration would establish a "3 year blocked crossing portal" which would collect information about blocked crossing by trains from the public and first responders and provide every person submitting the complaint the contact information of the "relevant railroad" and would "encourage" them to complain to them too. Information collected would NOT be allowed to be used for any regulatory or enforcement purposes. Sec. 22406: Emergency Lighting The Secretary of Transportation will have to issue a rule requiring that all carriers that transport human passengers have an emergency lighting system that turns on when there is a power failure. Sec. 22409: Positive Train Control Study The Comptroller General will conduct a study to determine the annual operation and maintenance costs for positive train control. Sec. 22423: High-Speed Train Noise Emissions Allows, but does not require, the Secretary of Transportation to create regulations governing the noise levels of trains that exceed 160 mph. Sec. 22425: Requirements for Railroad Freight Cars Placed into Service in the United States Effective 3 years after the regulations are complete (maximum 5 years after this becomes law), freight cars will be prohibited from operating within the United States if more than 15% of it is manufactured in "a country of concern" or state-owned facilities. The Secretary of Transportation can assess fines between $100,000 and $250,000 per freight car. A company that has been found in violation 3 times can be kicked out of the United State's transportation system until they are in compliance and have paid all their fines in full. Sec. 22427: Controlled Substances Testing for Mechanical Employees 180 days after this becomes law, all railroad mechanics will be subject to drug testing, which can be conducted at random. DIVISION C - TRANSIT Sec. 30017: Authorizations Authorizes between $13.3 billion and $14.7 billion per year to be appropriated for transit grants. DIVISION D - ENERGY TITLE I - GRID INFRASTRUCTURE AND RESILIENCY Sec. 40101: Preventing Outages and Enhancing The Resilience of the Electric Grid Creates a $5 billion grant distribution program to electric grid operators, electricity storage operations, electricity generators, transmission owners and operators, distribution suppliers, fuels suppliers, and other entities chosen by the Secretary of Energy. The grants need to be used to reduce the risk that power lines will cause wildfires. States have to match 15%. The company receiving the grant has to match it by 100% (small utilities only have to match 1/3 of the grant.) Grant money be used for micro-grids and battery-storage in addition to obvious power line protection measures. Grant money can not be used to construct a new electricity generating facility, a large-scale battery facility that is not used to prevent "disruptive events", or cybersecurity. The companies are allowed to charge customers for parts of their projects that are not paid for with grant money (so they have to match the grant with their customer's money). Sec. 40112: Demonstration of Electric Vehicle Battery Second-Life Applications for Grid Services Creates a demonstration project to show utility companies that electric car batteries can be used to stabilize the grid and reduce peak loads of homes and businesses. The demonstration project must include a facility that "could particularly benefit" such as a multi-family housing building, a senior care facility, or community health center. TITLE II - SUPPLY CHAINS FOR CLEAN ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES Sec. 40201: Earth Mapping Resources Initiative The US Geological Survey will get $320 million and ten years to map "all of the recoverable critical minerals." Sec. 40204: USGS Energy and Minerals Research Facility Authorizes $167 million to construct a new facility for energy and minerals research. The facility can be on land leased to the government for 99 years by "an academic partner." Requires the USGS to retain ownership of the facility. Sec. 40205: Rare Earth Elements Demonstration Facility Authorizes $140 million to build a rare earth element extractions and separation facility and refinery. Does NOT require the government to retain ownership of the facility. TITLE III - FUELS AND TECHNOLOGY INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENTS Subtitle A - Carbon Capture, Utilization, Storage, and Transportation Infrastructure Sec. 40304: Carbon Dioxide Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Authorizes $600 million for 2022 and 2023 and $300 million for each year between 2024 and 2026 for grants and loan guarantees for projects for transporting captured carbon dioxide. Each project has to cost more than $100 million and the government can pay up to 80% of the costs. If the project is financed with a loan, the company will have 35 years to pay it back, with fees and interest. Loans can be issued via private banks with guarantees provided by the government. Sec. 40305: Carbon Storage Validation and Testing Creates a new program for funding new or expanded large-scale carbon sequestration projects. Authorizes $2.5 billion through 2026. Sec. 40308: Carbon Removal Creates a new program for grants or contracts for projects to that will form "4 regional direct air capture hubs" that will each be able to capture 1 million metric tons of carbon dioxide per year. Authorizes $3.5 billion per year through 2026. Subtitle B - Hydrogen Research and Development Sec. 40313: Clean Hydrogen Research and Development Program Changes a goal of an existing research and development plan for hydrogen fuels (created by the Energy Policy Act of 2005) from enhancing sources of renewable fuels and biofuels for hydrogen production to enhancing those sources and fossil fuels with carbon capture and nuclear energy. Expands the activities of this program to include using hydrogen for power generation, industrial processes including steelmaking, cement, chemical feestocks, and heat production. They intend to transition natural gas pipelines to hydrogen pipelines. They intend for hydrogen to be used for all kinds of vehicles, rail transport, aviation, and maritime transportation. Sec. 40314: Additional Clean Hydrogen Programs Creates a new program to create "4 regional clean hydrogen hubs" for production, processing, delivery, storage, and end-use of "clean hydrogen." At least one regional hub is required to demonstrate the production of "clean hydrogen from fossil fuels." At least one regional hub is required to demonstrate the production of "clean hydrogen from renewable energy." At least one regional hub is required to demonstrate the production of "clean hydrogen from nuclear energy." The four hubs will each demonstrate a different use: Electric power generation, industrial sector uses, residential and commercial heating, and transportation. Requires the development of a strategy "to facilitate widespread production, processing, storage, and use of clean hydrogen", which will include a focus on production using coal. The hydrogen hubs should "leverage natural gas to the maximum extent practicable." Creates a new program to commercialize the production of hydrogen by splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen. The overall goal is to identify barriers, pathways, and policy needs to "transition to a clean hydrogen economy." Authorizes $9.5 billion through 2026. Sec. 40315: Clean Hydrogen Production Qualifications Develops a standard for the term "clean hydrogen" which has a carbon intensity equal to or less than 2 kilograms of carbon dioxide-equivalent produced at the site of production per kilogram of hydrogen produced." Subtitle C - Nuclear Energy Infrastructure Sec. 40323: Civil Nuclear Credit Program Creates a program, authorized to be funded with $6 billion per year through 2026, that will provide credit from the government to nuclear reactors that are projected to shut down because they are economically failing. Subtitle D - Hydropower Sec. 40331: Hydroelectric Production Incentives Authorizes a one-time appropriation of $125 million for fiscal year 2022. Sec. 40332: Hydroelectric Efficiency Improvement Incentives Authorizes a one-time appropriation of $75 million for fiscal year 2022. Sec. 40333: Maintaining and Enhancing Hydroelectricity Incentives Authorizes a one-time appropriations of $553 million for repairs and improvements to dams constructed before 1920. The government will pay a maximum of 30% of the project costs, capped at $5 million each. Sec. 40334: Pumped Storage Hydropower Wind and Solar Integration and System Reliability Initiative Authorizes $2 million per year through 2026 to pay 50% or less of the costs of a demonstration project to test the ability of a pumped storage hydropower project to facilitate the long duration storage of at least 1,000 megawatts of intermittent renewable electricity. Subtitle E - Miscellaneous Sec. 40342: Clean Energy Demonstration Program on Current and Former Mine Land Creates a new program, authorized to be funded with $500 million through 2026, to demonstrate the technical and economic viability of putting clean energy projects on former mine land. There will be a maximum of 5 projects and 2 of them have to be solar. Defines a "clean energy project" to include "fossil-fueled electricity generation with carbon capture, utilization, and sequestration." TITLE X - AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS FOR ENERGY ACT OF 2020 Sec. 41001: Energy Storage Demonstration Projects Authorizes $505 million through2025 for energy storage demonstration projects. Sec. 41002: Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program Authorizes between $281 million and $824 million per year through 2027 for advanced nuclear reactor demonstration projects. Sec. 41004: Carbon Capture Demonstration and Pilot Programs Authorizes between $700 million and $1.3 billion through2025 for advanced nuclear reactor demonstration projects. Sec. 41007: Renewable Energy Projects Authorizes $84 million through 2025 for geothermal energy projects. Authorizes $100 million through 2025 for wind energy projects. There is a clarification that this is definitely NOT in addition to amounts wind gets from another fund. Authorizes $80 million through 2025 for solar energy projects. DIVISION E - DRINKING WATER AND WASTEWATER INFRASTRUCTURE DIVISION F - BROADBAND DIVISION G - OTHER AUTHORIZATIONS DIVISION H - REVENUE PROVISIONS DIVISION I - OTHER MATTERS DIVISION J - APPROPRIATIONS DIVISION K - MINORITY BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT Cover Art Design by Only Child Imaginations Music Presented in This Episode Intro & Exit: Tired of Being Lied To by David Ippolito (found on Music Alley by mevio)

The Senate on Saturday passed the temporary extension of the Highway Trust Fund, ensuring that 3,700 federal employees will not be furloughed. The extension, which passed by unanimous consent and was approved by the House on Friday night, now goes to President Joe Biden's desk for his signature.To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy

Peggy and Henry Petroski, Aleksandar S. Vesic distinguished professor emeritus of civil engineering, Duke University, talk about infrastructure and the Highway Trust Fund. He says the interstate highway system was established with legislation from the mid-1950s and part of that was a creation of a fund—which was going to be funded with a federal gasoline tax. They also discuss: The complication involved with passing new legislation. His research on the role of failure in successful design. If there are shifts with generations and leadership. duke.edu (08.17.21 - #733) IoT, Internet of Things, Peggy Smedley, artificial intelligence, machine learning, big data, digital transformation, cybersecurity, blockchain, 5G cloud, sustainability, future of work, podcast, Henry Petroski, Duke University

Peggy and Henry Petroski, Aleksandar S. Vesic distinguished professor emeritus of civil engineering, Duke University, talk about infrastructure and the Highway Trust Fund. He says the interstate highway system was established with legislation from the mid-1950s and part of that was a creation of a fund—which was going to be funded with a federal gasoline tax. They also discuss: The complication involved with passing new legislation. His research on the role of failure in successful design. If there are shifts with generations and leadership. duke.edu (08.17.21 - #733) IoT, Internet of Things, Peggy Smedley, artificial intelligence, machine learning, big data, digital transformation, cybersecurity, blockchain, 5G cloud, sustainability, future of work, podcast, Henry Petroski, Duke University

LLN (8/9/21) – California's AB5 and an attempt to duplicate it at the federal level have led to a lot of confusion among truckers about what is and isn't legal anymore. We'll offer some clarification on that and other issues. Also, brake violations – especially brakes that are out of adjustment – are among the most common inspection violations. That's why CVSA conducts its annual Brake Safety Week enforcement blitz, this year starting Aug. 22. And the Highway Trust Fund is running out of funds, and that spells trouble for professional truck drivers. We'll have a preview of that, plus other stories that make up the August/September issue of Land Line Magazine. 0:00 – Newscast. 10:00 – Brake Safety Week advice. 24:49 – Land Line Magazine preview. 39:22 – AB5, PRO Act update.

The Highway Trust Fund is about to expire... again. So how will it be funded this time? A lifeline? Higher taxes? New "Miles Driven" taxes? Or, will it rely on borrowing from the General Fund? The big question: Can we trust the Trust Fund? Let's buckle up and dive into the detail on this new addition of JOZ Bytes. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/joz-bytes/support

National Stone, Sand and Gravel Association President and CEO Michael W. Johnson was featured on today’s edition of the AWF Union Podcast. He discussed how an infrastructure plan will prioritize surface transportation and provide significant long-term investments, including a fix to the Highway Trust Fund, how their organization provides jobs and opportunities for people across the country and how the COVID-19 pandemic affected travel, specifically hurting the Department of Transportation’s revenue stream. Senior Vice President of Advocacy for the American Council of Engineering Companies Steve Hall also joined our show. He discussed the American Jobs Plan, what actions Congress may take for infrastructure improvements, how the engineering industry will contribute to the improvement of America’s infrastructure and the role the American Council of Engineering Companies plays in the Americans for Transportation Mobility Coalition.

Richard and Brett talk with Dan Gallagher about the impacts vehicle electrification could have not only the asphalt industry but also how it could be impacting the revenue of the Highway Trust Fund.

As the pandemic continues to ravage economies across the United States, Americans have been left with a decreased quality of public services. Policy Matters Ohio Senior Project Director Wendy Patton joined AWF Union Podcast and spoke to this today and how her organization designed a proposal to increase revenue in Ohio. The second featured guest on the show today is American Public Transportation Association President and CEO Paul Skoutelas. He spoke about long term infrastructure bills, extending the FAST Act and the health and safety commitments made by his organization.The International Union of Operating Engineers Legislative and Political Director Jeff Soth wrapped up today’s episode. He discussed the failure to reach a legislative agreement on surface transportation program extension, the current state of employment for operating engineers and other laborers and the economic outlook for the Highway Trust Fund and employment.

Some post-COVID projections show the highway trust fund running out as early as 2021. Meanwhile, most state gas taxes are losing value every year due to inflation. What can the U.S. do to raise the revenue needed for infrastructure upkeep and accurately internalize the costs associated with road usage? Support the show

Some post-COVID projections show the highway trust fund running out as early as 2021. Meanwhile, most state gas taxes are losing value every year due to inflation. What can the U.S. do to raise the revenue needed for infrastructure upkeep and accurately internalize the costs associated with road usage? Support the show (https://taxfoundation.org/donate/)

H.R. 7301 – Emergency Housing Protections and Relief Act of 2020 (Rep. Waters – Financial Services)   The bill takes on financial challenges of those out of work due to Covid 19 and the economic downtown by helping short and medium term inability to pay rent and utility costs. The primary provision is $100,000,000,000 for an additional amount for grants under the Emergency Solutions Grants program under subtitle B of title IV of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance to remain available until expended , to be used for providing short- or medium-term assistance with rent and rent-related costs (including tenant-paid utility costs, utility- and rent-arrears, fees charged for those arrears, and security and utility deposits) in accordance with the law. Passed/agreed to in House: On passage Passed by the Yeas and Nays: 232 – 180 (Roll no. 128).   H.R. 5332 – Protecting Your Credit Score Act of 2019 (Rep. Gottheimer – Financial Services) This bill revises provisions related to consumer credit reports and credit reporting agencies. Credit reporting agencies are directed to create a central online portal that allows consumers to (1) access free credit reports and credit scores, (2) dispute errors, and (3) place or lift security freezes. Consumers will receive a free credit score when requesting a free annual credit report. The bill establishes a public registry for credit reporting agencies. The bill also provides the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) with statutory authority for supervising credit reporting agencies. A credit reporting ombudsperson is established at the CFPB, whose responsibilities include resolving persistent errors by credit reporting agencies. A court may award injunctive relief to compel a credit reporting agency to comply with credit report protections. Credit reporting agencies must provide available information to consumers regarding the purpose behind the procurement of a credit report. The bill gives the CFPB the authority to establish data security requirements for credit reporting agencies. The Government Accountability Office must report on the feasibility of credit reporting agencies replacing Social Security numbers as identifiers with another type of federal identification. Passed/agreed to in House: On passage Passed by the Yeas and Nays: 234 – 179 (Roll no. 126). H.J.Res. 90 – Providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency relating to “Community Reinvestment Act Regulations” (Rep. Waters – Financial Services) This joint resolution nullifies a rule published on June 5, 2020, by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency within the Department of the Treasury. The rule generally revises the office’s implementation of the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA), which requires banks to serve the credit needs of low- and moderate-income communities. Under the CRA, a bank receives credit, which influences the bank’s performance rating, for conducting specified activities related to this requirement in designated assessment areas. Among other things, the rule revises qualifying CRA activities, sets forth new procedures for determining if an activity qualifies under the CRA, and expands designated assessment areas. Passed/agreed to in House: On passage Passed by the Yeas and Nays: 230 – 179 (Roll no. 129).   H.R. 2 – Moving Forward Act (Rep. DeFazio – Transportation and Infrastructure/Education and Labor/Financial Services/Energy and Commerce/Ways and Means/Oversight and Reform/Natural Resources) (Subject to a Rule) This bill addresses provisions related to federal-aid highway, transit, highway safety, motor carrier, research, hazardous materials, and rail programs of the Department of Transportation (DOT). Among other provisions, the bill extends FY2020 enacted levels through FY2021 for federal-aid highway, transit, and safety programs; reauthorizes for FY2022-FY2025 several surface transportation programs, including the federal-aid highway program, transit programs, highway safety, motor carrier safety, and rail programs; addresses climate change, including strategies to reduce the climate change impacts of the surface transportation system and conduct a vulnerability assessment to identify opportunities to enhance the resilience of the surface transportation system and ensure the efficient use of federal resources; revises Buy America procurement requirements for highways, mass transit, and rail; establishes a rebuild rural grant program to improve the safety, state of good repair, and connectivity of transportation infrastructure in rural communities; implements new safety requirements across all transportation modes; and directs DOT to establish a pilot program to demonstrate a national motor vehicle per-mile user fee to restore and maintain the long-term solvency of the Highway Trust Fund and achieve and maintain a state of good repair in the surface transportation system. Passed/agreed to in House: On passage Passed by the Yeas and Nays: 233 – 188 (Roll no. 138).   Support the show: https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=Q2PZ6NSMG7X7N&source=url

LLN (6/23/20) – For years, we’ve heard about the Highway Trust Fund’s slow march toward insolvency. Now, another plan to bail it out has emerged. Also, in terms of improving your truck’s function or appearance, one part often gets overlooked – the fifth wheel. We’ll go over your options. And Michigan takes a hard look at tolls and local road funding aid, while a Pennsylvania effort to revamp notification rules for CDL violations is underway. 0:00 – Newscast. 9:43 – Fifth wheel options. 24:06 – Michigan tolls, road funding; Pennsylvania CDL violation notifications. 38:34 – Highway Trust Fund bailout.

This week’s Talking Michigan Transportation podcast includes conversations about whether the federal government will provide any relief for transportation agencies in the wake of declining fuel tax revenues because of the pandemic. First, Lloyd Brown, director of communications at the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, offers his analysis of the ongoing Congressional discussions. Later, MDOT Finance Director Patrick McCarthy talks about Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s Rebuilding Michigan program and plans to sell some of the bonds this year. Will there be help from Washington? Many scholars and analysts have argued that this is an opportune time to raise the federal gas tax, last increased in 1993, not indexed to inflation, which has increased 77 percent since then. Writing in The Hill, Bernard L. Weinstein, associate director of the Maguire Energy Institute and adjunct professor of business economics in the Cox School of Business at Southern Methodist University, makes the case for doing something now. https://thehill.com/opinion/finance/492748-this-is-prime-time-to-increase-the-federal-gasoline-tax The inflation-adjusted cost of gasoline today is about where it was 50 years ago. Weinstein questions whether Congress will squander a unique opportunity to hike the federal gasoline tax, replenish the Highway Trust Fund, and rebuild America’s critical road and bridge infrastructure. His thinking is in line with that of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which has advocated for a 25-cent increase in the federal gas tax. “Our nation’s infrastructure is deteriorating and only getting worse. By 2025, our crumbling infrastructure will cost American businesses $7 trillion,” said Chamber CEO Tom Donohue. “Today’s announcement … is an important step forward on the path to rebuilding America’s infrastructure.” Says House Transportation Chairman Peter DeFazio, D-Oregon: “And just like the New Deal of the 1930s, the best way to re-start our economy and put workers first is with a massive investment in the kind of infrastructure that will help future generations succeed - from better bridges and roads to robust transit and passenger rail service, to fully functioning ports and harbors, to modernized waste and drinking water systems, and widely available broadband internet.” U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, after initially balking at aid to states in another round of stimulus and suggesting they could default, amended his stance and suggested there could be some relief. But his and administration proposals come with what Democrats consider some poison pills, calling for a pandemic liability shield and payroll tax cuts. https://www.usnews.com/news/economy/articles/2020-05-05/liability-protection-looms-over-next-coronavirus-stimulus-package Rebuilding Michigan MDOT’s McCarthy explains the bond sale process and how it will support the Rebuilding Michigan plan. Earlier this year, Gov. Whitmer asked the State Transportation Commission (STC) to authorize bonds to rebuild some of the state’s busiest freeways. The STC voted to authorize up to $3.5 billion in bonds. https://www.michigan.gov/mdot/0,4616,7-151-9621_14807_14810_59639---,00.html The first project in the plan, the rebuild of I-496 west of Lansing, began April 1. McCarthy explains that the project is being funded with existing revenue that will be reimbursed when the bonds are sold. https://www.michigan.gov/mdot/0,4616,7-151-9620_11057-523878--rss,00.html Meanwhile, other states are eyeing bond sales to shore up funding. The Texas Transportation Commission is preparing to issue $880 million of general obligation refunding bonds. https://www.bondbuyer.com/news/texas-plans-taxable-transportation-go-bond-refunding

Not a day goes by without someone reminding us that our roads, bridges, and other transportation facilities get a failing grade from America’s civil engineers. You probably know the grade, because it’s quoted in almost every story on the topic.We’ve heard people on this podcast talk about it. So we thought we’d talk to the people who issued it. This week, we explore the Infrastructure Report Card issued by the American Society of Civil Engineers, with Anna Denecke, ASCE’s Director of Infrastructure Initiatives.

America’s engineering industry applauds Chairman Barrasso, Ranking Member Carper and the committee for approving the America’s Transportation Infrastructure Act. This bill provides funding to grow essential programs and long-term certainty; the two most important ingredients for addressing the nation’s transportation needs.  We are also encouraged that the bill codifies elements of the ‘One Federal Decision’ policy to speed project delivery and includes new competitive grant programs for resiliency. America’s engineers are tested daily to design infrastructure that can withstand a changing climate, unpredictable weather and increasingly devastating natural disasters. This bill provides the resources necessary to help state agencies improve resiliency and durability in their long-term planning.By approving the America’s Transportation Infrastructure Act, the committee took the critical first step towards FAST Act reauthorization. We urge Congress to use this bill as a means to address the looming issue of Highway Trust Fund solvency and the need to increase the gas tax.

Many are wondering how engaged President Trump actually is on one of his campaign issues: revitalizing the nation’s crumbling infrastructure. Eyes are turning back to Congress for a broad infrastructure package. Yet there is an even bigger issue of the looming insolvency of the Highway Trust Fund. BPC’s Jake Varn is joined by former Reps. Bill Shuster (R-PA) and Joe Crowley(D-NY) to... Source

BPC sits down with Chris Vieson, Staff Director for the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee, to discuss Chairman Shuster’s recently released infrastructure plan, and the outlook for bipartisan progress in Congress. The new proposal wants to fix the Highway Trust Fund before it goes insolvent, but can Shuster’s gas tax ideas break the deadlock? This podcast can also be found on... Source

You’ve heard it for years, and it’s nearly happened several times already. The Highway Trust Fund is running dry. Now, a government watchdog agency has put a date to the crisis. Mark Reddig gets the rundown from Nile Elam of OOIDA’s Washington, D.C., office.

Where did MSHA’s Office of Small Mines go? Established in 2003, the office offered compliance assistance to operators – particularly small quarries – prior to inspections. The office, which was independent of the inspectorate, was folded into the agency’s field services arm in recent years and is hard to find now. “All it tried to do … was help operators do a better job of complying with standards and do a better job of effectively managing for safety,” says Joseph Casper, NSSGA vice president of safety services. In this episode of the NSSGA Podcast, Casper talks about the history of the office and the possibility of its return. Also, NSSGA dives into how the federal government is spending money on infrastructure this year and if Congress is likely to shore up the Highway Trust Fund. Listen now to the NSSGA Podcast!

DOT Secretary Elaine Chao appeared before another congressional committee yesterday to talk about transportation funding – including the Highway Trust Fund. Terry Scruton will find out more about what she had to say with Jay Grimes of OOIDA’s Washington, D.C., office.

A group of lawmakers has reached out to key members of the House Ways and Means Committee urging them to fix the Highway Trust Fund. Terry Scruton finds out more from Collin Long of OOIDA’s Washington, D.C., office.

Two prominent members of Congress are pushing their colleagues to create a real, long-term solution to funding our nation’s highways. Mark Reddig discusses the effort with Collin Long of OOIDA’s Washington, D.C., office.

Transportation: We all need it, and Congress funded it. In this episode, we take a detailed look into the FAST Act, which funds our national transportation network for the next five years. Please support Congressional Dish: Click here to contribute with PayPal or Bitcoin; click the PayPal "Make it Monthly" checkbox to create a monthly subscription Click here to support Congressional Dish for each episode via Patreon Mail Contributions to: 5753 Hwy 85 North #4576 Crestview, FL 32536 Thank you for supporting truly independent media! H.R. 22: FAST Act ("Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act) Bill Highlights Division A - Surface Transportation Title I - Federal-Aid Highways Funding level Highways will get an average of 41 billion per year. Private Freight Grants: $500 million can go to private rail freight companies to upgrade rail infrastructure; the Federal share of these projects is capped at 60%. Acceleration of Projects Creates a pilot program that will allow States to conduct environmental reviews, using their own State laws, instead of using the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Capped at 5 States The State can only be approved if the Secretary of Transportation determines the laws of the State are at least as stringent as the Federal requirements. No lawsuits will be allowed, challenging the permit approval, after 2 years. The program will sunset in 12 years Miscellaneous The Department of Transportation will identify national corridors for installation of electric car charging stations and hydrogen, propane, and natural gas refueling stations by the end of 2016. The goal is to have the charging and refueling stations deployed by September 30, 2020. Allows the Department of Transportation to move swallows from under bridges that need fixing until the Interior Department issues final rules. The Secretary of the Interior can suspend the authorization to move the swallows. Title III - Public Transportation Funding level The Mass Transit Account will provide and caps expenditures at an average of $9.7 billion per year. $199 million for positive train control installation, which can be used to pay for up to 80% of the cost. Buy American Requires American steel, iron, or manufactured goods to be purchased, when possible. Title IV - Highway Traffic Safety Provides grants to States in return for their establishment of laws that prohibit texting and driving. Prohibits Federal grant money from funding for State & local programs for checking for motorcycle helmet usage or checkpoints for motorcycle monitoring. Impaired Driving Provides grants to States for implementation of drunk driving laws. Orders a study and report to Congress on marijuana-impaired driving by the end of 2016. Title V - Motor Carrier Safety Drug Test Expansion Allows companies to conduct preemployment and random tests of commercial drivers for alcohol and controlled substances using hair testing as an alternative to urine testing. Allows for religious exemptions Title VI - Innovation Highway User Fees Grants will be provided to States that create user-fee programs for funding the Highway Trust Fund. The goal is to test the design and public acceptance of two or more user fee systems. Private vendors can be used to operate the fee collection systems. The fees collected will not be considered "tolls" Public Access to Research A database of all Department of Transportation research projects will be available on a public website and updated once per year. Title VII - Hazardous Materials Transportation Special permits Speeds up the decision time for special permits for transporting hazardous material by 60 days The decisions will be available to the public "Wetlines" Requires the Secretary of Transportation to kill a proposed rule that would have prohibited the transportation of flammable liquids in the pipes underneath tankers Transportation of flammable liquids by rail Within a year, the Secretary of Transportation has to create regulations to require railroads to report accurate, real-time information about hazardous liquids being transported to the local fusion centers, who will share the information with State and local first responders. Tank cars that do not meet Federal standards can still be used to transport oil and ethanol until 2018 or May 2025, depending on the type of tank car. The Secretary of Transportation can extend the deadlines for up to 2 years The Secretary of Transportation will have 180 days to create regulations to make sure that tank cars modified to meet Federal standards be equipped with insulating blankets that have been approved by the Secretary. Title XI - Rail Funding Levels Amtrak, which owns the tracks and passenger cars operating in the Northeast, will get an average of $519 million per year. For Amtrak operations in the rest of the country, where private freight companies own our tracks, Amtrak will receive an average of $1 billion per year. Food and Beverage Reform Amtrak will have 90 days to develop a plan to eliminate the operating loss associated with offering food and beverages on Amtrak trains in a way that doesn't eliminate any Amtrak employee positions Amtrak will be cut off from Federal funds to cover food and beverage related operating losses in December 2021. Pets on Trains Amtrak will have one year to launch a pilot program allowing dogs and cats on trains Gulf Coast Rail A working group will be created and have nine months to develop a recommendation for the best option for restoring intercity rail passenger transportation between New Orleans, LA and Orlando, FL. Privatizing long distance routes The Secretary of Transportation will have to create a pilot program by mid-2017 that will allow non-Amtrak companies to operate up to 3 long distance passenger rail routes. The non-Amtrak operator will have control of the route for four years and it can be renewed once for an additional four year period. The operator will be given an operating subsidy for up to 90% of what the government is giving Amtrak. The non-Amtrak operator can be the private company that owns the tracks, another private company that has an agreement with the track owners or the States. The non-Amtrak operator will be given access to Amtrak's reservation system, stations, and operations facilities and will be required to give hiring preferences to the Amtrak employees laid off because of the transfer. Cameras on Trains By the end of 2017, the Secretary of Transportation must create regulations requiring inward and outward facing cameras in the control cabs on all passenger trains Liability Cap Amtrak can not be held liable for more than $295 million for the fatal accident that occurred on May 12, 2015. Title XXIV - Motor Vehicle Safety Recall Information The Secretary of Transportation will have until the end of 2017 to create a public website for easily accessible information on vehicle safety recalls. Information about recalls will have to be sent to consumers electronically in addition to first class mail. There will be a two year pilot program testing the idea of States informing customers of recalls when they register their vehicles. Doubles the amount of time consumers get to have their recalled tires replaced from 60 days to 180 days. Rental Car Safety Rental car companies with more than 35 cars can sell, lease, or rent out cars only after they have fixed whatever was recalled. They can continue to rent out the cars until the solution is available, if it is not immediately available at the time they are notified. Motor Safety Violation Penalties Increases the penalties from $5,000 per violation to $21,000 per violation, capped at $105 million. Driver Privacy Information from a car's event data recorder can only be accessed by someone other than the owner or lessee if it's authorized by a court, is provided willingly by the owner/lessee, is needed for emergency response purposes, or is for traffic safety research and the personally identifiable information is hidden. Tires The Secretary of Transportation will create regulations for tire fuel efficiency minimum performance standards, taking steps to ensure that wet traction functionality is not effected. Creates a publicly searchable electronic database for tire recall information Whistleblowers If a whistleblower gives credible and unique information about a safety problem to the Secretary of Transportation that results in sanctions, the whistleblower can get between 10 and 30 percent of the award. Title XXXII - Offsets Passport Denials for Tax Delinquencies If a person has a seriously delinquent tax debt over $50,000, the Secretary of State must deny new passports and can revoke, or limit existing passports. Privatize Tax Collection Forces the Treasury Secretary to issue at least one contract for tax collection services by April 2016. Customs Fees Increases a list of customs fees every year with inflation. Federal Reserve Funds Limits the amount of money that can be held by the Federal Reserve banks to $10 billion and transfers the remainder to the general fund of the Treasury. Adjusts dividends for Federal Reserve stockholders to the lower of the rate of the 10 year Treasury notes or 6 percent Strategic Petroleum Reserve Requires the Secretary of Energy to sell at least 66 million barrels of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve and deposit the money into the general fund of the Treasury. The amount sold may be increased at the discretion of the Energy Secretary until the revenue totals $6.2 billion. Crop Insurance Profits Repeals a part of the Bipartisan Budget Act that caps the returns for crop insurance providers at 8.9% Oil & Gas Royalties Eliminates interest payments that oil and gas companies could accrue on overpayments. PAYGO Scorecard The effects of this law on the budget will not be counted Title LI - Taxpayer protection provisions and increased accountability Export-Import Bank Reauthorizes the Export-Import bank until September 30, 2019 and reduces the amount of loans, guarantees, and insurance the Export-Import bank can have outstanding to $135 billion (from $140 billion). Requires the Export-Import bank to hold 5% of it's funds in reserve to protect against losses. Requires independent audits of the Export-Import bank's portfolio Creates a pilot program that allows the Export-Import Bank to enter into contracts to "share risks". The amount of liability allowed to be transferred is capped at a total of $10 billion. Title LV - Other Matters Environmental Law Waivers In an emergency during which there is a sudden increase in energy demand - which includes during a war that the United States is involved in - "any party" that follows an order to generate electricity can not be sued for violating "any Federal, State, or local environmental law or regulation". The order that allows immunity for breaking environmental laws will expire in 90 days, but the order can be renewed as the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission "determines necessary to meet the emergency and serve the public interest." If the emergency order is set aside by a court, the immunity remains. Strategic Transformer Reserve The Secretary of Energy will have one year to create a plan to store spare large power transformers and substations that are critical infrastructure or support military installations. Title LXXI - Improving Access to Capital for Emerging Growth Companies Makes it easier and faster for a company that makes under $1 billion per year to offer stock to the public. Title LXXII - Disclosure Modernization and Simplification Reduces paperwork for companies that make under $1 billion per year and want to offer stock to the public. Title LXXIII - Bullion and Collectible Coin Production Efficiency and Cost Savings Removes the requirement that collectable coins be 10% copper Title LXXIV - SBIC Advisors Relief Investment advisors who solely advise small business investment companies will be able to be excluded from registration requirements even if they are managing assets over $150 million (current limit for exemption from registration requirements). Title LXXV - Eliminate Privacy Notice Confusion Banks will not have to mail privacy notices to their customers if they haven't changed their policies since the last disclosure was sent. Title LXXVI - Reforming Access for Investments in Startup Enterprises Allows privately held shares to be sold to "accredited investors" without registering the securities with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Title LXXXII - Capital Access for Small Community Financial Institutions Allows privately insured credit unions to become members of Federal Home Loan Banks if they are FDIC eligible or are certified by the State If the State doesn't get to it in under 6 months, the application is deemed approved. Title LXXXIII - Small Bank Exam Cycle Reform Doubles the size of a bank that counts as a "small bank" from banks that have less than $500 million to banks that have less than $1 billion for the purpose of allowing those banks to have on-site examinations by regulators every 18 months instead of every year. Sound Clip Sources Hearing: House Rules Committee Meeting on Highway Bill Amendments-Part 1, November 3, 2015. Hearing: House Rules Committee Meeting on Highway Bill Amendments, Part 2, November 3, 2015. Hearing: Federal Railroad Administration Confirmation Hearing, Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, September 17, 2015 Hearing: Positive Train Control, House Transportation Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials, June 24, 2015. Hearing: Amtrak Derailment, House Transportation and Infrastructer Committee, June 2, 2015. Recommended Congressional Dish Episodes Congressional Dish Episode 99: April Takes a Turn By Jennifer Briney, June 27, 2015 Congressional Dish Episode 73: Amtrak, By Jennifer Briney, June 24, 2014 Congressional Dish Episode 62: The Farm Bill By Jennifer Briney, February 8, 2014. Reports Federal Public Transportation Program: In Brief By William J. Mallett, December 28, 2015. Congressional Budget Office: H.R. 22, the FAST Act, December 2, 2015. Additional Reading Article: Rental companies now have to repair recalled cars By Chris Isidore, CNN Money, June 1, 2016. Article: NTSB: Philly Amtrak crash engineer’s fault By Bill Cummings, CtPost, May 17, 2016. Article: With RAISE Act, Congress Paves Way For Private Secondary Markets By Shriram Bhashyam, TechCrunch, December 20, 2015. Article: Highway Bill Restores Crop Insurance Funding Cut in Budget Deal, Insurance Journal, December 4, 2015. Article: Fewer Taxpayer Giveaways Would Cut The Fat, Not ‘Cripple’ Crop Insurance By Shannon Van Hoesen, Environmental Working Group, December 3, 2015. Article: FAST Act (H.R. 22): Surface Transportation Conference Report Released By Robert S. Kirk, December 2, 2015. Article: $305B highway bill taps Fed, oil reserves By Keith Lang, The Hill, December 1, 2015. Article: Congress votes to delay rail safety mandate by 3 to 5 years, fund transportation programs By Joan Lowy, U.S. News and World Report, October 28, 2015. Article: Ag Committee Leaders Stand United Against Reopening Farm Bill to New Crop Insurance Cuts By Meghan Cline, United States Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, October 27, 2015. Article: 'Devastating' crop insurance cut sends lawmakers scrambling By Philip Brasher, Agri-Pulse, October 27, 2015. Article: Rail-safety deadline extension hitched to must-pass bill on transit funding By Ashley Halsey III and Michael Laris, The Washington Post, October 27, 2015. Article: Deadline for train safety technology undercut by industry lobbying By Ashley Halsey III and Michael Laris, The Washington Post, October 25, 2015. Article: Stop pretending you know what the Export-Import Bank is By Simone Pathe, PBS, September 15, 2014. Article: REUTERS SUMMIT-U.S. Ex-Im bank would back Airbus sales -Hochberg By Alwyn Scott and Tim Hepher, Reuters, September 10, 2014. Article: CARGO TANK TRUCKS: Improved Incident Data and Regulatory Analysis Would Better Inform Decisions about Safety Risks By Susan A. Fleming, U.S. Government Accountability Office, September 11, 2013. Article: How the cult of shareholder value wrecked American business By Steven Pearlstein, The Washington Post, September 9, 2013. Article: NTTC Asks LaHood to Halt Rulemaking On Wetlines Procedures, Tanker Design By Timothy Cama, Transport Topics, October 10, 2011. Article: Hazardous Materials: Safety Requirements for External Product Piping on Cargo Tanks Transporting Flammable Liquids By Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, January 27, 2011. Additional Information U.S. Department of Homeland Security Budget-in-Brief Fiscal Year 2016 U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Aviation Administration Budget Estimates, Fiscal Year 2016 Metra Website: Positive Train Control Joint Explanatory Statement explaining the FAST Act OpenSecrets: Profile of National Tank Truck Carriers Inc OpenSecrets: Top Contributors to Chairman of the House Transportation Committee, Bill Shuster OpenSecrets: Top Contributing Industries for Chairman of the House Transportation Committee, Bill Shuster OpenSecrets: Career Profile for Rep. Steve Stivers of Ohio's 15th district Website: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Website: Export-Import Bank of the United States Website: Risk Management Agency/U.S. Department of Agriculture: Crop Insurance Providers List for 2016 Website: Department of Transportation Fact Sheet Website: United States Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics: Transportation Fatalities by Mode YouTube: 9/11 hijackers at Dulles Airport, October 3, 2008. Music Presented in This Episode Intro & Exit: Tired of Being Lied To by David Ippolito (found on Music Alley by mevio) Cover Art Design by Only Child Imaginations

The Highway Trust Fund provides funding for road, bridge, and mass transit projects across the country – and it’s running out of money. Its revenue source, the federal gas tax, has not been raised in over two decades. There are many arguments for a leaner fund, but proponents of the tax say that it still plays a vital role in supporting infrastructure. Should Congress raise the federal gas tax? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

From her family's Iowa farm to the troubled lands of the Middle East, Iowa Senator Joni Ernst has dedicated her life to the nation's security: for ample food and against foes. In this week's Open Mic Interview U.S. Senator Joni Ernst shares her thoughts on proposed legislative action to block the EPA's new clean water rules, the economic significance of the agency's RFS volume obligation announcement, long term funding for the Highway Trust Fund and why Washington should address GMO food labeling.Jeff NalleySenator Joni Ernst

More bills than anyone could possible read were passed by a branch of Congress in June, including the 994 page National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), four government funding bills, and thirty bills governing a wide range of topics, including Wall Street, MediCare, fishing, carbon dioxide emissions, stolen art, chemical storage, taxes, and more. Please support Congressional Dish: Click here to contribute with PayPal or Bitcoin; click the PayPal "Make it Monthly" checkbox to create a monthly subscription Click here to support Congressional Dish for each episode via Patreon Mail Contributions to: 5753 Hwy 85 North #4576 Crestview, FL 32536 Thank you for supporting truly independent media! New Congressman Rep. Trent Kelly of Mississippi's 1st district was sworn into office Emergency The Obama Administration continued the national emergency declared in Executive Order 13405 on June 16, 2006 with respect to Belarus Bulletin: Prospects for Belarus' Membership in the WTO by Anna Maria Dyner, The Polish Institute of International Affairs, July 31, 2013. Laws H.R. 2048: USA Freedom Act Outlined and discussed in Congressional Dish Episode 98: The USA Freedom Act H.R. 2620: United States Cotton Futures Act Hearing: House Agriculture Committee, June 17, 2015. Exempts cotton from foreign companies from part of the United Sates Cotton Futures Act, which will allow foreign cotton companies to participate in cotton futures trading. Current law only allows 100% U.S. cotton to be traded on the futures exchange. Passed the House of Representatives and the Senate by voice votes Sponsored by Rep. David Scott of Georgia's 13th district His #2 contributor is ICE Group, (stands for Intercontinental Exchange) which is a network of financial exchanges and clearing houses; it operates eleven exchanges, including three in the United States, Canada, and Europe that deal with agriculture futures. The company has ten lobbyists and has spent over $1.3 million lobbying for the last Congressional election. In the last election cycle, ICE Group gave more to Rep. David Scott than to any other politician, and over the years, the company has given Rep. David Scott at least $73,850. 1 page H.R. 1626: DHS IT Duplication Reduction Act Makes the DHS submit a report about the department's technology and gives them no additional money to complete it. Passed the House of Representatives and the Senate by voice votes Sponsored by Rep. Will Hurd of Texas's 23rd district 2 pages Bills H.R. 1735: National Defense Authorization Act Passed the House of Representatives 269-151 The version passed by the House of Representatives received a veto threat by President Obama Passed the Senate with changes 71-25 Sponsored by Rep. Mac Thorneberry of Texas's 13th district 994 pages Weird advertisement for the NDAA H.R. 2685: Department of Defense Appropriations Act Passed the House of Representatives 278-149 Received a veto threat from President Obama Sponsored by Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen of New Jersey's 11th district 170 pages H.R. 2596: Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016 Passed the House of Representatives 247-178 Received a veto threat from President Obama Sponsored by Rep. Devin Nunes of California's 22nd district 63 pages H.R. 2578: Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2016 Passed the House of Representatives 242-183 Received a veto threat from President Obama Sponsored by Rep. John Culberson of Texas's 7th district 218 pages H.R. 2577: Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act Passed the House of Representatives 216-210 Received a veto threat from President Obama Sponsored by Mario Diaz-Balart of Florida's 25th district 354 pages H.R. 1335: Strengthening Fishing Communities and Increasing Flexibility in Fisheries Management Act Hearing: House Rules Committee, May 19, 2015. Changes the rules for management of an overfished fishery so that there is no hard deadline (currently 10 years) to replenish the fishery and adds exceptions, including one that allows the overfishing to continue if replenishment can't be done "without significant economic harm to the fishery". Doubles the amount of time an emergency regulation can adjust a fishery management plan. Adds economic impact to "fishing communities" to the list of factors that need to be considered when creating catch limits and exempts for some fish with short life spans. Regional Fishery Management Council meetings will have to be posted online All requirements of the the National Environmental Policy Act and all related implementing regulations will be deemed approved if the Regional Fishery Management Council completes a fishery impact statement. Creates a pilot program for using electronic monitoring at fisheries. Repeals independent peer-reviewed analysis' of the quality of statistics collected on fishing populations and a requirement for catch limits for Gulf of Mexico red snapper for recreational and commercial fishermen Ensures that this law will trump the National Marine Sanctuaries Act, the Antiquities Act, and the Endangered Species Act Prohibits the government from factoring in red snapper killer during the removal of offshore oil rigs when determining catch limits. Prohibits the government from factoring fish caught by foreign vessels in the U.S. economic zone when determining catch limits. Requires new guidelines be issued that will use nongovernmental sources for fisheries management decisions. Passed the House of Representatives 225-152 Received a veto threat from President Obama Sponsored by Rep. Don Young of Alaska His #4 contributing industry for the upcoming election is Fisheries and Wildlife; he has taken $9,000 from them for this election cycle as of 9/11/15. 57 pages H.R. 2042: Ratepayer Protection Act of 2015 Hearing: House Rules Committee, June 23, 2015. Prohibits any final rule to address carbon dioxide emissions from existing fossil-fuel powered electric utilities from being enforced until all lawsuits and appeals filed within 60 days of the final rule's publication are complete. Exempts states from complying with a final rule addressing carbon dioxide emissions from existing fossil fuel powered plants if the Governor informs the EPA that the rule would increase rates or have a significant adverse effect on the reliability of the State's electricity system. Hydropower will be counted as renewable energy Passed the House of Representatives 247-180 Received a veto threat from President Obama Sponsored by Rep. Ed Whitfield of Kentucky's 1st district His #1 and #2 industries for the upcoming election are Oil and Gas and Electric Utilities; he's taken $46,100 from Oil and Gas and $38,500 from Electric Utilities as of 9/11/15. Over the course of his Congressional career, he has taken at least $771,315 from Electric Utilities and $562,097 from Oil and Gas. 6 pages H.R. 2289: Commodity End-User Relief Act Hearing: House Rules Committee, June 2, 2015. Extends operations of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission Limits the rules and regulations that can be enacted on futures commissions merchants Adds seven more considerations (including alternatives to regulation) to the requirements of cost-benefit analysis of regulations. Orders the CFTC cost benefit analysis to be reviewed by a judge. Allows the traders to be regulated to challenge new CFTC rules directly to the US Court of Appeals, the second most powerful court in the country. Limits the subpoena power of the CFTC Removes the requirement that the CFTC be immune from lawsuits that arise from sharing data about swaps with domestic and foreign authorities and backdates this change to July 21, 2010, the effective date of Dodd Frank Financial Reform. Adds "a utility operations-related swap" to the list of swaps that can be traded, which allows gambling on the future of natural gas or electric generation, purchases, sales, supplies or delivery. Exempts traders from being classified and regulated as a "swaps dealer" if they trade less than $8 billion (current CFTC rule exemption limit is $3 billion). Expands the number of financial models swaps dealers will be allowed to use to determine how much actual money they need to hold onto. Passed the House of Representatives 246-171 Received a veto threat from President Obama Sponsored by Rep. Michael Conaway of Texas's 11th district His top contributor for the upcoming election is Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation, which is a swaps clearing house; he received $15,000. His top 5 contributors over the course of his career are, in this order, the American Institute of CPA's an international association of accountants, KPMG LLP, a multinational corporation specializing in auditing and regulation compliance, PricewaterhouseCoopers, and even larger multinational corporation specializing in regulation compliance, Energy Future Holdings Corp, a portfolio of energy companies, and Deloitte LLP, the self-proclaimed "world's largest" multinational corporation that specializes in auditing and risk management. From these five companies, Conaway has taken at least $319,873. 80 pages H.R. 1190: Protecting Seniors' Access to Medicare Act of 2015 Hearing: House Rules Committee, June 16, 2015. Repeals the Independent Payment Advisory Board, which is designed to suggest solutions if Medicare costs get out of control. Drastically cuts funding for the Prevention and Public Health Fund, cutting it by a total of $8.8 billion by 2026, which is a 61% cut. Passed the House of Representatives 244-154 Received a veto threat from President Obama Sponsored by Rep. Phil Roe of Tennessee's 1st district His #1 contributing industry over the course of his career is Health Professionals; he has taken $435,088 as of 9/11/15. 3 pages H.R. 160: Protect Medical Innovation Act of 2015 Hearing: House Rules Committee, June 16, 2015. Repeals the medical device excise tax The effects of this repeal on the budget will not be counted The Joint Committee on Taxation estimates that this will increase the budget deficit by $24.4 billion Passed the House of Representatives 280-140 Received a veto threat from President Obama Sponsored by Rep. Erik Paulsen of Minnesota's 3rd district His #3 contributing industry over the course of his career has been Pharmaceuticals/Health Products; he has taken at least $654,929. His #4 contributing industry has been Health Professionals; from them, he has taken $622,645. 4 pages H.R. 2200: CBRN Intelligence and Information Sharing Act of 2015 Allows the Office of Intelligence an Analysis of the Department of Homeland Security to share information and work with the Intelligence community to analyze possible chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear attacks. Allows the Department of Homeland Security to share information related to terrorist attacks with the public. Passed the House of Representatives 420-2 Sponsored by Rep. Martha McSally of Arizona's 2nd district 6 pages H.R. 805: DOTCOM Act of 2015 Press Release: NTIA Announces Intent to Transition Key Internet Domain Name Functions, March 14, 2014. Prohibits the transition of NTIA's functions in Internet domain name registry until 30 days after a report is submitted. Passed the House of Representatives 378-25 Sponsored by Rep. John Shimkus of Illinois's 15th district 4 pages H.R. 2576: TSCA Modernization Act Eliminates a requirement that EPA use the "least burdensome requirements" when regulating toxic chemicals Orders the EPA to do risk evaluations on chemicals used, stored, sold or disposed of by commercial companies. The risk evaluations will not consider cost If the risk evaluation is requested by a manufacturer, the manufacturer will pay for the risk assessment The EPA will be required to do at least 10 risk assessments per year "subject to the availability of appropriations". Adds an exemption for "replacement parts" from the EPA rules prohibiting chemicals unless the replacement parts "contribute significantly to the identified risk". Adds the requirement that any rules created "shall provide for a reasonable transition period." Eliminates the requirement for an informal hearing when making rules about toxic chemicals. Creates a "critical use exemption" option for the EPA if the requirement is not "cost-effective", if it would "significantly disrupt the national economy, national security, or critical infrastructure" The exemption would be valid for 5 years at a time The exemption will include conditions on the use of the toxic chemical Allows data to be shared with State, local, or tribal governments and with health care professionals to assist with diagnosis or treatment. Forces companies that want to keep information confidential to explain their reasons and automatically releases the information to the public in 10 years, unless the company justifies the confidentiality again in writing. Eliminates caps of fees that can be collected and creates a "TSCA Service Fee Fund" to collect, store, and disperse the funds to pay for the EPA's costs for regulating chemicals. Passed the House of Representatives 398-1 Sponsored by Rep. John Shimkus of Illinois's 15th district 48 pages H.R. 1615: DHS FOIA Efficiency Act of 2015 Orders the Chief Freedom of Information Act Officer of the Department of Homeland Security to update Freedom of Information Act regulations within 90 days of the bill's passage. Orders the Chief FOIA Officer to identify the total annual cost of implementing the FOIA within 90 days. Orders the Chief FOIA Officer to identify unnecessary actions taken in the course of processing requests and eliminate them within a year of identifying them. Orders the Chief FOIA Officer to develop a plan to to process requests electronically. Orders the Chief FOIA Officer to issue guidance to the necessary people to reach the goal of reducing the FOIA request backlog by 50 percent by 2018. Passed the House of Representatives 423-0 Sponsored by Rep. Buddy Carter of Georgia's 1st district 7 pages S.611: Grassroots Rural and Small Community Water Systems Assistance Act Authorizes $15 million per year until 2020 to provide technical assistance to small public water systems. Passed the Senate by a voice vote Sponsored by Senator Roger Wicker of Mississippi 5 pages S. 653: Water Resources Research Amendments Act Adds a requirement for additional research into new water treatments into the Water Resources Research Act Requires an evaluation of water resource research projects every three years and withdraws funds from projects that do not qualify based on the evaluation. Authorizes $13.5 million per year through 2020. Passed the Senate by a voice vote Sponsored by Senator Ben Cardin of Maryland 5 pages H.R. 2088: United States Grain Standards Act Reauthorization Act of 2015 Reauthorizes the Department of Agriculture's process for grain inspections until September 30, 2020. Forces the Secretary of Agriculture to waive weighting and inspections of grain in an "emergency, a major disaster"; currently, the Secretary has the option to do so, but does not have to. A "major disaster" is defined to specifically include "a sever weather incident causing a region-wide interruption of government services". Changes the location of export inspections to specifically "export elevators" at export port locations. Widens the criteria for who is qualified to perform official inspections by deleting a list of requirements. Delegations of authority to conduct grain inspections to a State will expire every five years, and my be renewed. Adds a public comment period before the Secretary can delegate inspection responsibility to a State and requires a notice in the Federal Register announcing if the State was approved and the rational for the decision. The State would have to give at least 90 days notice advanced notice in writing to the Dept. of Agriculture if they want to stop performing grain inspections, unless there has been a major disaster. The public must be given online a list of the States delegated to perform official inspections, which needs to be updated at least twice a year. Passed the House of Representatives by a voice vote Sponsored by Rep. Michael Conaway of Texas's 11th district His #2 contributing industry over the course of his career has been Crop Production and Basic Processing; he has taken at least $646,470. 18 pages H.R. 2051: Mandatory Price Reporting Act of 2015 Extends mandatory price reporting requirements for livestock until September 30, 2020. Clarifies that reports are expected on days the Dept. of Agriculture is open for business, including days when the government is "on shutdown or emergency furlough as a result of a lapse in appropriations". Allows transactions between pork packers and producers to take place using a new pricing formula. Changes the definition of an importer of lamb to include anyone who imports an average of 1,000 metric tons per year; currently importers have to comply with regulations if they import and average of 2,500 metric tons of lamb per year. Changes the definition of a lamb packer to someone who owns 50% or more of a facility and slaughters an average of 35,000 heads of lambs per year; currently if they slaughter 75,000 lambs per year. Passed the House of Representatives by a voice vote Sponsored by Rep. Michael Conaway of Texas's 11th district 8 pages H.R. 2394: National Forest Foundation Reauthorization Act of 2015 Reauthorizes and appropriates $3 million per year until 2018 for the National Forest Foundation Act, which established a partnership with a non-profit to study and restore national forests. This is triple the previous funding. Passed the House of Representatives by a voice vote Sponsored by Rep. Glenn Thompson of Pennsylvania's 5th district 3 pages H.R. 235: Permanent Internet Tax Freedom Act Article: Internet tax moratorium extended again by Grant Gross, IDG News Service, December 15, 2014. Makes the moratorium on Internet access taxes permanent. Passed the House of Representatives by a voice vote Sponsored by Rep. Bob Goodlatte of Virginia's 6th district 2 pages H.R. 889: Foreign Cultural Exchange Jurisdictional Immunity Clarification Act Prohibits art imported into the United States to be temporarily displayed from being seized by the United States, even if that art is discovered to have been stolen. This immunity does not apply to art stolen by the Nazis. Passed the House of Representatives by a voice vote Sponsored by Rep. Steve Chabot of Ohio's 1st district 5 pages S. 184 and H.R. 1168: Native American Children’s Safety Act Requires criminal background checks of any person who lives in a house applying to provide foster care to an Indian child and prohibits placement if anyone in the home is found to have committed certain crimes. This will not apply to emergency foster care placement Both bills passed the Senate and the House of Representatives by voice votes S. 184 was sponsored by Senator John Hoeven of North Dakota and H.R. 1168 was sponsored by Kevin Cramer of North Dakota S. 184: 12 pages H.R. 1168: 10 pages S. 246: Alyce Spotted Bear and Walter Soboleff Commission on Native Children Act Establishes the Alyce Spotted Bear and Walter Soboleff Commission on Native Children. All 11 members will be appointed by the President and Congressional leaders and their appointments will be for the entire duration of the commission. The Commission's job will be to complete a study on the effectiveness of programs aimed at the health and education of native children and to make recommendations for fixing the inadequacies. The Commission will terminate 90 days after they submit their report. Authorizes, but does not appropriate, $2 million. Passed the Senate by a voice vote Sponsored by Senator Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota 27 pages H.R. 404: Authorizing early repayment of obligations to the Bureau of Reclamation within the Northport Irrigation District in the State of Nebraska Allows Nebraska landowners to repay construction debts at any time. Passed the House of Representatives by a voice vote Sponsored by Rep. Adrian Smith of Nebraska's 3rd district 3 pages H.R. 1493: Protect and Preserve International Cultural Property Act Directs the State Department to designate an existing employee to coordinate efforts to protect art around the world from being stolen and/or destroyed. Establishes a committee, which will meet once a year and be made up of representatives from various Federal agencies, who will "coordinate and inform Federal efforts to protect international cultural property". Blocks importation of "archaeological or ethnological material of Syria" starting 120 days after the bills enactment. The import restrictions will expire in five years, but can be extended. Passed the House of Representatives by a voice vote Sponsored by Rep. Eliot Engel of New York's 16th district 19 pages S. 253: Federal Communications Commission Consolidated Reporting Act Orders a public report every two years on competition, availability of services, and regulatory barriers to entry into the communications services business. Repeals an annual public report on privatization of the communications services industry, which includes public comments. Repeals an annual report on foreign and domestic competition in the communications satellite market. Eliminates an annual report on the "status of competition in the market for the delivery of video programming". Eliminates the requirement that a report on cable industry price be completed annually. Eliminates the requirement that a report on regulatory barriers be reviewed every three years. Eliminates an FCC analysis "of whether any of such competitors have a dominant share of the market" Passed the Senate by a voice vote Sponsored by Sen. Dean Heller of Nevada 16 pages S. 565: Federal Vehicle Repair Cost Savings Act Encourages Federal agencies to use remanufactured vehicle parts to maintain Federal vehicles. Passed the Senate by a voice vote Sponsored by Sen. Gary Peters of Michigan 4 pages H.R. 2570: VBID for Better Care Act Establishes a three year demonstration project to test "value-based insurance" for Medicare patients at two Medicare Advantage sites. Value based insurance allows insurance companies flexibility with co-payments, allowing them to lower co-payments for services deemed to be "high value" preventative services and increasing rates for services with uncertain value. It's designed to "create financial disincentives for poor health choices". The demonstration projects would not allow increases in co-payments to discourage the use of services. Passed the House of Representatives by a voice vote Sponsored by Rep. Diane Black of Tennessee's 6th district 17 pages H.R. 2507: Increasing Regulatory Fairness Act Extends the amount of time between proposed Medicare rate changes are announced and when they can go into effect from 60 days to 90 days. Requires more information about why the changes are being implemented. Passed the House of Representatives by a voice vote Sponsored Rep. Kevin Brady of Texas's 8th district 4 pages H.R. 2505: Medicare Advantage Coverage Transparency Act Requires an annual report to Congress detailing the location and number of people enrolled in Medicare, Medicare Advantage, and Medicare Part D. Passed the House of Representatives by a voice vote Sponsored by Rep. Mike Kelly of Pennsylvania's 3rd district 4 pages H.R. 2582: Securing Seniors' Health Care Act Prohibits the government from terminating a contract for a Medicare Advantage organization because it fails to meet minimum quality standards until the end of 2018. Passed the House of Representatives by a voice vote Sponsored by Rep. Vern Buchanan of Florida's 16th district 10 pages H.R. 1633: DHS Paid Administrative Leave Accountability Act of 2015 Article: Administrative Leave Restrictions at DHS Backed, FedWeek, July 8, 2015. Orders a report to be completed by the Department of Homeland Security four times per year on the number of people on paid administrative leave for more than six months and the cost associated. Passed the House of Representatives by a voice vote Sponsored by Rep. Barry Loudermilk of Georgia's 11th district 7 pages H.R. 1646: Homeland Security Drone Assessment and Analysis Act Orders a report on how commercially available small and medium sized drones could be used to commit terrorist attacks and what the Department of Homeland Security could do to stop this type of attack. Passed the House of Representatives by a voice vote Sponsored by Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman of New Jersey's 12th district 4 pages H.R. 1637: Federally Funded Research and Development Sunshine Act of 2015 Orders an annual report on the Federally funded research projects being conducted by the Department of Homeland Security Passed the House of Representatives by a voice vote Sponsored by Rep. John Ratcliffe of Texas's 4th district 3 pages H.R. 2390: Homeland Security University-based Centers Review Act Orders an annual report on the effectiveness of using universities to conduct Department of Homeland Security research. Passed the House of Representatives by a voice vote Sponsored by Rep. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi's 2nd district 5 pages June Hearings Senate Committee on Foreign Relations: Security Assistance in Africa, June 4, 2015. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations: Trade Promotion and Capacity Building in the Asia-Pacific Region, June 16, 2015. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure: Western Hemisphere Drug Interdiction Efforts, June 16, 2015. House Committee on Financial Services: The Impact of the International Monetary Fund: Economic Stability or Moral Hazard?, June 17, 2015. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform: Drones: The Next Generation of Commerce?, June 17, 2015. House Committee on Energy and Commerce: A National Framework for the Review and Labeling of Biotechnology in Food, June 18, 2015. House Committee on Foreign Affairs: The Future of Property Rights in Cuba, June 18, 2015. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations: American Energy Exports, June 23, 2015. Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control: Cannabidiol, June 24, 2015. House Committee on Homeland Security: DHS' Efforts to Secure .Gov, June 24, 2015. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure: The State of Positive Train Control Implementation in the United States, June 24, 2015 House Committee on Ways and Means: Repatriation of Foreign Earnings as a Source of Funding for the Highway Trust Fund, June 24, 2015 Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry: Country of Origin Labeling, June 25, 2015 Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs: Global Impact of a Greek Default, June 25, 2015. Jen's Podcast Appearances September 9, 2015 episode of American Workers Radio Music Presented in This Episode Intro & Exit: Tired of Being Lied To by David Ippolito (found on Music Alley by mevio) Money, Money, Money by The Undercover Hippy (found on Music Alley by mevio)

Another short-term extension of funding for transportation infrastructure improvements? This story is getting old. The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation has come up with a six-year transportation bill, the Comprehensive Transportation and Consumer Protection Act of 2015. That's not to be confused with the DRIVE (Developing a Reliable and Innovative Vision for the Economy) Act, which came out of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. Ideally, these measures would be successfully combined into a comprehensive, multi-year bill that nails down funding for transportation projects once and for all. But don't get your hopes up. Meanwhile, Congress has passed yet another extension of the Highway Trust Fund, but only until the end of the year. Have we made any progress at all, since enactment of the last big transportation bill in 2012 (which, by the way, didn't include a long-term funding solution)? On this episode, Joshua Schank, president and chief executive officer of the Eno Center for Transportation, returns to the podcast with an update on a perennially contentious issue. It's time to come up with a new way of paying for transportation projects, he says. But what will that look like? Nobody can seem to agree.

Auto Talk with Dave and Jan Murphy from Saturday, August 1st, 2015

With America's transportation system on the verge of collapse, the Highway Trust Fund is about run out of money. Even if Congress passes a short-term fix, what are the consequences of falling behind for competition in the global economy?

A review of the week's major US international tax-related news. In this edition: Congress to return from recess to tackle Highway Trust Fund; repatriation, international tax reform possible revenue sources -- Deadline for Senate Finance Committee’s tax reform working groups pushed to early July -- World Customs Organization publishes Guide to Customs Valuation and Transfer Pricing – Possible ‘Grexit’ has FX implications.

District Representative Adrian Smith outlines a challenging agenda for House members following the Memorial Day break. As a member of the House Ways and Means Committee, Smith expects a great deal of debate over Trade Promotion Authority, tax reform, and identifying financial resources for the Highway Trust Fund. In this week's feature, Smith shares his support for renewable fuels and his concern over attempts to further define food labeling laws.Agri-Pulse staffRep. Adrian Smith, Nebraska

Has the stupor worn off yet? Election Day was last Tuesday, and we'll be living with the results for years. But Beth Osborne, a former Hill staffer and U.S. DOT official now at Transportation for America, says the changes on the Hill are no big deal: Nothing was getting done anyway. So Beth, Jeff, and I examine the prospects for a new transportation bill. One is due in May, and it's a Republican House and a Republican Senate that will preside over it. Will lawmakers raise the specter of devolution of transportation funding to the states? Will they suggest that the Highway Trust Fund should just be used for highways? Of course they will! But the conversation won't end there.  Even the short-term extensions aren't as easy as they used to be, and that could make the politics of a long-term bill a little easier to manage. Some people blame the end of earmarks for the difficulty passing a bill, but Beth makes the point that you can't very well turn a transportation bill into a Christmas tree for every member of Congress when there's absolutely no money. We don't have a crystal ball, but here's everything you need to know to make an educated guess about how the next six months will play out -- this, and our coverage of the ballot initiatives, governors' races, Senate leadership shakeup, and the new top transportation Democrat in the House. Do you subscribe to this podcast yet? You've got three choices: iTunes, Stitcher, and the RSS feed.

The nation's infrastructure crisis is crying out for a long-term solution. For years, transportation funding has been falling far short of what's needed to repair, construct and maintain highways, roads, bridges, tunnels and canals. But congressional deadlock has continued to starve the Highway Trust Fund, without devising an alternative means of funding. The federal gas tax hasn't been raised since 1993, and the HTF survives only through a series of stopgap measures, the latest of which puts off the issue until next May. On this episode, we’re joined by Leslie Blakey, president and executive director of the Coalition for America's Gateways Trade Corridors. She puts the infrastructure debate into perspective, and discusses the various plans that might solve the problem once and for all – provided legislators possess the spine necessary for spurring action.

In this edition of Extra Credit, Standard & Poor's Director Scott Garrigan discusses our ratings on Detroit's water & sewer bonds and Director Mary Ellen Wriedt explains Congress's recent action on the Highway Trust Fund.

This week Chuck does a solo podcast talking about the Federal Highway Trust Fund and the implications of its pending insolvency. Additional reading: Some perspective on the gas tax

Our guest this week is Missouri 6th District Representative Sam Graves. As chair of the House Small Business Committee and member of the Transportation Committee, Graves is anxious for a long term resolution to finding resources for the Highway Trust Fund. He has introduced legislation to reign in EPA regulations on farms and small businesses. Graves wants a solution to the nation's immigration policy, but says the administration should do more to enforce the country's existing immigration policy. SELECT NOW FOR DAILY AUDIORep. Sam Graves, MO-6

Nathan, Mike, and Mahler talk about corneal tissue, Israeli teenage settlers, the Islamic State in Iraq, janjaweed, snake and bee attacks, Cullinan, Facebook, Hobby Lobby, the No Fly List, migrant children, Blackwater, the Highway Trust Fund, Target, GM, and the cannibal cop.

A review of the week's major US international tax-related news. In this edition: IRS releases FATCA guidance in run up to 1 July 2014 effective date -- Shakeup at the IRS Large Business and International Division -- US Congress to take up Highway Trust Fund after 4 July recess.

The Highway Trust Fund is broke. And the nation's transportation system is broken. What's to be done? Step one is finding new sources of funding for repairing our crumbling roads, highways and bridges, as well as the construction of new ones. The battle over where to get the money has raged for years, even as the federal gas tax has gone without an increase since 1993. In this episode, Joshua L. Schank, president and chief executive officer of the Eno Center for Transportation, outlines the various funding ideas, and discusses the feasibility of each one. He also offers a view on how we can proceed to fix the entire multimodal system, not just the roads. Find out why Schank is optimistic about the prospects for success – or, at least, the beginnings of it – in 2014.

Congress needs to reauthorize the federal gas tax and decide how to spend federal surface transportation dollars in 2014. Unfortunately, argues Cato’s Randal O’Toole, too much spending in the past has gone to obsolete transportation technologies. Author Scott Beyer argues that the federal government’s role in funding infrastructure has stripped both money and decision-making power from localities, particularly major cities. Emily Goff, of the Heritage Foundation, will present ways reauthorization can embrace future technologies rather than be stuck in the past. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.