Following months of bicameral and bipartisan negotiations, members of the Surface Transportation Conference Committee have filed a Conference Report. The proposed two-year bill contains a number of provisions that place unprecedented emphasis on freight movement and its importance to the United States economy. Among the prescribed freight provisions, the bill contains two long-standing priorities of the Coalition for America's Gateways and Trade Corridors (Coalition): the continuation of SAFETEA-LU's Projects of National and Regional Significance program (PNRS) and the establishment of a national freight policy.

'This compromise legislation shows that Congress has been listening when we've made our case for supporting the systems that move our nation's goods,' said Coalition Chairman Mort Downey. 'We see this as a good platform upon which future steps can be taken to further improve this critical network and its infrastructure.'

Other important features of the legislation include establishment of a national freight network, a national freight strategic plan, a biennial freight conditions and performance report, and prioritization of projects to move freight. Although most of the bill's language is aimed at improvements for road freight, railway-highway grade separations and intermodal connectors are listed as eligible projects for prioritized federal funding (Section 1116).

'We applaud the Conferees for their dedication to ensuring our nation has a comprehensive surface transportation program going forward,' said Coalition Vice Chairwoman and Chief Deputy Executive Director of the Southern California Association of Governments, Sharon Neely. 'This bill represents a milestone in freight planning and we look forward to working with Congress and the Administration to increase the efficiency and capacity of our nation's multimodal goods movement network.'

Continuation of the PNRS program is critical to funding large, multimodal, and often times multi-jurisdictional projects that optimize freight mobility, especially at locations of national significance. Despite the conservative amount of money authorized by the program in this bill, maintaining this program in law will allow for future increases in funding.

In addition to the establishment of a national freight policy and continuation of the PNRS program, the bill also calls for an increased federal share of funding for road freight projects and encourages the establishment of state freight plans and state-level freight advisory committees.

'Through this bill, Congress has recognized freight as a priority at both the national and state levels,' said Coalition Board Member and President and CEO of the Intermodal Association of North America, Joni Casey. 'Our Coalition looks forward to working with state governments on the various initiatives and serving as a resource that bridges the local perspective to regional and national programs.'