Peter DeFazio

Bipartisan congressmen want White House to support new Oregon container port

An close-up image of a map showing major towns along the Oregon coastline.

A bipartisan congressional delegation from the Pacific Northwest is pressing President Joe Biden to support the creation of a container port in Oregon, saying it could significantly boost West Coast port capacity and bolster the export of agricultural goods and forest products.

Earlier this month, Rep. Peter DeFazio, a Democrat from Oregon and chair of the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, asked the White House to consider allocating funds from the recent infrastructure law...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/bipartisan-congressmen-want-white-house-to-support-new-oregon-container-port

House T&I Committee leaders seek GAO probe of USCG program delays

House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Chair Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) and Ranking Member Sam Graves (R-Mo.) have asked the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) to review what they call “significant delivery delays” in two key Coast Guard programs—the Offshore Patrol Cutter and the Polar Security Cutter—as well as related budgetary issues. The Offshore Patrol Cutter fleet is the largest vessel procurement the Coast Guard has undertaken, and the Polar Security Cutter...

https://www.marinelog.com/news/house-ti-committee-leaders-seek-gao-probe-of-uscg-program-delays/

Key House member asks regulatory body to reject CN’s voting trust

A photograph of a Kansas City Southern train on a train track.

The chair of the U.S. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure has come out against a proposed voting trust that Canadian railway CN (NYSE: CNI) would use to acquire Kansas City Southern (NYSE:KSU).

The objection comes as other House members have expressed support for merger proceedings between the Class I railroads to continue.

The Monday letter from Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., calls for the Surface Transportation Board (STB) to reject CN’s proposed voting trust, arguing it is not in...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/key-house-member-asks-regulatory-body-to-reject-cns-voting-trust

Democrats want look at precision scheduled railroading’s impact

A photograph of a train at a railroad crossing.

Democratic leaders with the U.S. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure want the U.S. General Accountability Office (GAO) to examine the impacts that precision scheduled railroading (PSR) has had on shippers and freight and passenger rail operations.

PSR is an operational model that all of the Class I railroads except BNSF (NYSE: BRK.B) have publicly embraced. The model seeks to streamline operations and cut costs. Proponents say PSR enables greater network efficiency, which will...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/democrats-want-look-at-precision-scheduled-railroadings-impact

House Transportation Committee chair skeptical of rail merger offers

A photograph of a Kansas City Southern train.

The chair of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee panned competing efforts by two Canadian railways to acquire Kansas City Southern (NYSE: KSU), saying the offers threaten to usher in a new round of consolidations in the rail sector.

In a Friday statement, Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Oregon, said, “Multiple railroads are now seeking to acquire KCS, and that flurry should set off alarm bells about a potential new wave of railroad mergers that stifle competition and trigger...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/house-transportation-committee-chair-skeptical-of-rail-merger-offers

Inspector General says Elaine Chao used office to help family

A report released by the Inspector General (IG) of the U.S. Department of Transportation says that Trump Administration Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao used her office staff on a number of occasions to handle matters related to her father, James Chao, founder of Foremost Shipping, and her sister, Angela, who now runs the company.

A redacted version of the report is appended to a letter sent March 2 to Peter DeFazio, Chairman of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure,...

https://www.marinelog.com/news/inspector-general-says-elaine-chao-used-office-to-help-family/

Rail groups split on Democrats’ infrastructure bill

A photograph on a train with a city landscape behind it.

A number of the railroad-related items listed in the 846-page, $500 billion infrastructure bill introduced by House Democrats this week could face some hot debate as it goes through Congress, judging by the reactions of rail trade groups and rail labor.

The bill, entitled Investing in a New Vision for the Environment and Surface Transportation in America (INVEST in America), is a five-year, $494 billion surface reauthorization bill unveiled on June 3 by the U.S. House and Transportation &...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/rail-groups-split-on-democrats-infrastructure-bill

House Democrats propose delay of hours-of-service rules

The newly minted hours-of-service (HOS) final rule will require an extensive safety review that would delay the effective date of the rules by up to 18 months or even longer if Democrats on Capitol Hill have their way.

A “comprehensive review” of the final rule, which became official on Monday and is currently scheduled to go into effect on Sept. 29, was included in the Investing in a New Vision for the Environment and Surface Transportation in America (INVEST in America) Act, a five-year, $494...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/house-democrats-propose-delay-of-hours-of-service-rules