'Our Roads Can't Be Relegated To Gravel': Kevin Cramer Urges More Funding For Interstate Highways

Forbes Breaking News

During a Senate Environment Committee hearing in July, Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-ND) spoke about three policies he has proposed to make roads safer.

Transcript

00:00We're going to discuss proposals to improve America's transportation

00:03infrastructure. It's an important conversation. You know, at the EPW

00:07committee, we are working, already began the work to craft surface transportation

00:12reauthorization legislation for next year. Senator Ulsterbrooks and I were just

00:18visiting about the fact that the last one passed out of the full committee

00:22unanimously. And so beginning work early, working together, having good witnesses

00:27helps us get to a similar goal next year. I commend Chairman Capito for her

00:32leadership in getting the reauthorization process started early and look forward to

00:36working with her, ranking member White House, ranking member Ulsterbrooks, and of

00:40course, my fellow committee members to get a comprehensive bipartisan bill across the

00:45finish line next year. And I also want to thank our witnesses today for being here.

00:49We appreciate your time and the insight that you bring to this conversation. As we

00:54look toward reauthorization, I'm focused on advancing practical bipartisan policies to

00:59improve the efficiency and the effectiveness of the federal aid highway

01:03program. Just last week, as I said, the full committee held an excellent hearing with

01:07state and local leaders, including Governor Kelly Armstrong, where we talked about

01:11lessons learned in past bills and in what improvements we can make. Some

01:17programs like the bridge formula program are high priority for all states.

01:21Governor Armstrong spoke in strong support of it, and it's no surprise that his Department

01:25of Transportation is echoing the same strong support in your testimony today.

01:30But there are areas where we can improve. In recent months, I've introduced three bills,

01:36which I believe are all central to this effort. Each reflects direct input from states and is

01:41about getting better outcomes without increasing the cost to the taxpayers. From the start,

01:47however, I need to emphasize the importance of preserving and strengthening formula funding.

01:52As I like to say, without well-maintained routes like Interstate 94, which is made possible because

01:59of formula funding, durum wheat from North Dakota would never become pasta in New York or Los Angeles,

02:05and wouldn't that be too bad? North Dakota is a low population state, but the number one producer of

02:11many agricultural commodities. Our roads can't be relegated to gravel and expect interstate commerce

02:17to thrive. So the formula system works, and this committee has demonstrated a strong commitment

02:22to it over the years. In terms of reforms, I think we need to take a serious look at reducing the

02:27regulatory burden on states and cutting red tape within the highway program. My bill with Senator Kelly,

02:33the Transportation Asset Management Simplification Act, does just that. It's a small fix,

02:37but it supports a much bigger goal of cutting through the bureaucracy so that every dollar

02:43goes further. Another key principle is providing more flexibility for states to make investment

02:49decisions that better reflect local needs. Greater flexibility for states is precisely the goal

02:56of the Highway Funding Transferability Improvement Act, which I was happy to partner with ranking member

03:01also Brooks on. It's a great idea, and I'm glad that we're working on it. Her forward

03:07thinking approach on this issue is refreshing. The concept with our legislation is remarkably simple.

03:13A lot of good things are, but very important. States know their needs better than any bureaucrat

03:19in Washington. North Dakota and Maryland's constituents have very different transportation needs.

03:25It turns out when Washington gets out of the way, states know exactly what to do and deliver real

03:30results. Both ranking member also Brooks and I served in state and local government. I think both of us

03:35would agree. The best partnerships with the federal government were those where we could be the

03:40most nimble to meet the constituents' needs. I always tell federal witnesses and nominees,

03:46please do not impose federal mediocrity on our state's excellence. This bill embodies that basic

03:52principle, and I look forward to hearing from both of our state witnesses on this point. Safety,

03:58however, must also be at the forefront of everything we do. Specifically, making it safer and easier for kids

04:04to walk and bike to school. I introduced the Safe Routes to School Improvement Act with Senator Markey

04:09to do just that. It builds on bipartisan work that we did with Senator Cortez Masto in the last highway

04:17bill that expanded the Safe Routes to School program to include high schools. This bill would enhance

04:22access to the program for communities in North Dakota and nationwide by requiring states to have a

04:28specific point of contact to help local communities navigate the program and understand what exactly

04:34they are eligible to apply for. This will improve infrastructure like sidewalks and street crossings so the children

04:40who walk or bike to school are safer in that process. And lastly, this committee must do more to accelerate project

04:48delivery. There's a lot to be said on this, but I just note that the one federal decision framework was a strong concept

04:54under the last bipartisan infrastructure bill, but it hasn't delivered the results we'd hoped for.

05:00So as part of reauthorization at minimum, we need to revisit the OFD and make real improvements.

05:05I look forward to working with my colleagues to get this bill done and to ensure the highway program is more responsive

05:11to the needs of our constituents.

Category

Transcript

Be the first to comment

Recommended