INVEST in America Act

Rail stakeholders: Tough road ahead for infrastructure bill

A photograph of tank cars parked at a rail yard.

The multibillion-dollar infrastructure bill passed the U.S. House of Representatives last week, but whether it can make it through the Republican-controlled Senate to President Donald Trump’s desk is less clear.

The U.S. House of Representatives passed the Moving Forward Act on a largely party-line vote of 233-188 last Wednesday, and the bill now is in the U.S. Senate. 

The act includes an infrastructure component that authorizes the federal government to spend nearly $500 billion over five years...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/rail-stakeholders-tough-road-ahead-for-infrastructure-bill

Putting the brakes on brakes

A close-up photograph of the wheels of a railcar.

Congress’ infrastructure bill is no stranger to controversial issues, including train crew sizes, the prospect of shipping liquefied natural gas via rail, and government studies on precision scheduled railroading and demurrage and accessorial charges.

Add one other item to the list: federal regulation on air brakes.

Part of the U.S. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure’s (T&I) INVEST in America Act, which has been folded into the Moving Forward Act, is an item pertaining to DB-60...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/putting-the-brakes-on-brakes

Highway-rail grade crossings get attention in infrastructure bill

A photograph of a highway-rail grade crossing. There is a train with boxcars and tank cars crossing the intersection.

The latest iteration of the surface transportation and infrastructure bill has additional provisions for highway-rail grade crossings amid constituent and emergency responders’ concerns about long wait times at blocked crossings.

The new provisions spelled out in the INVEST in America Act include a comprehensive review of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) national highway-rail crossing inventory, which would verify inventory data using mapping technologies and other means. 

Another...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/highway-rail-grade-crossings-get-attention-in-infrastructure-bill

Rail groups gear up for infrastructure bill fight

A photograph of a tank car by a rail crossing.

Rail groups are considering their next steps as a major, multi-billion dollar infrastructure bill becomes part of a wider trillion-dollar package that also addresses education, housing and renewable energy infrastructure. 

Last week, the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee passed the Investing in a New Vision for the Environment and Surface Transportation in America (INVEST in America) Act, keeping in the bill’s contents some items that the freight rail industry considers...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/rail-groups-gear-up-for-infrastructure-bill-fight

Truck stops join owner-operators in rejecting Dems’ highway bill

Travel plaza and truck stop operators are no longer backing U.S. House Democrats’ federal infrastructure proposal after a provision was included to allow electric vehicle charging stations at interstate rest areas.

“It is incredibly shortsighted for lawmakers to focus on installing electric vehicle charging at rest areas with taxpayer dollars … rather than to partner with the thousands of exit businesses already investing in electric fuel,” Lisa Mullings, president and CEO of NATSO, the trade...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/truck-stops-join-owner-operators-in-rejecting-dems-highway-bill

House vote imminent to raise mandatory insurance coverage to $2 million

Lawmakers marking up the U.S. House of Representatives’ version of the surface transportation reauthorization bill are considering an amendment that would more than double the required amount of insurance coverage for truck owners from $750,000 to $2 million.

Proponents of the amendment argue that the current insurance liability requirement does not adequately compensate victims of accidents involving large trucks. Opponents, including small-business truck owners, contend that raising the limits...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/house-vote-imminent-to-raise-mandatory-insurance-coverage-to-2-million

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