Report: Congress, DOT should work jointly on freight strategy

Report: Congress, DOT should work jointly on freight strategy    The U.S. government watchdog agency is recommending the Department of Transportation “work with the Congress and freight stakeholders to develop a national strategy to transform the federal government’s involvement in freight transportation projects.”
   The recommendations are part of a Government Accountability Office report, Freight Transportation: National Policy and Strategies Can Help Improve Freight Mobility, that was prepared for Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla., ranking member of the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
   “This strategy should include defining federal and nonfederal stakeholder roles and using new and existing federal funding sources and mechanisms to support a targeted, efficient, and sustainable federal role,” the GAO report said.
   The report contends that “the nation is at a crossroads regarding the future of the freight transportation system,” and notes a “widening gap between the volumes of goods and available system capacity is increasing transportation congestion. Constrained freight mobility has adverse economic costs for consumers, shippers and carriers, as well as in urban centers where congestion exacerbates environmental pollution and increases health risks, such as respiratory illnesses.”
   The GAO said volumes of goods shipped by trucks and railroads, for example, are projected to increase 98 percent and 88 percent, respectively, by 2035.
   “The current federal role in surface transportation is unclear and unfocused, and the federal government does not maximize opportunities to promote the efficient movement of freight. Federal surface transportation programs also lack assurance that the federal transportation funds granted annually to states are being dedicated to projects that best meet the mobility needs of either freight or passengers,” the report said.
   “Given the clear interstate and international character of many freight challenges, the federal government has a distinct and important role in bringing a national scope and vision to the problems that now face localities, states, and regions that have national freight flows.
   “By promoting and coordinating solutions across jurisdictional lines, the federal government could increase the effectiveness of localities, states, and regional governments and planning organizations in overcoming their freight-related challenges. The federal government could also more effectively direct national resources towards those freight investments and solutions that have nationwide influence,” the report contends.
   The full report is available at: www.gao.gov/new.items/d08287.pdf.