FREIGHT TRANSPORTATION POLICY STUDIES AT THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES Freight Capacity for the 21 st Century Federal Role in the Marine Transportation System.

FREIGHT TRANSPORTATION POLICY STUDIES AT THE NATIONAL

ACADEMIES

Freight Capacity for the 21st Century Federal Role in the Marine Transportation

System Review of USACE Restructured Upper Miss.

Study

Joseph Morris, Transportation Research Boardjmorris@nas.edu

National Waterways ConferenceSeptember 25, 2003

FREIGHT CAPACITY FOR

THE 21ST CENTURY

Transportation Research Board

The National Academies

November 2002

FREIGHT CAPACITY FOR THE 21ST CENTURY

Charge: Identify factors influencing capacity; define govt. options to enhance operating efficiency & better target investment

Funding: FHWA, states, Corps of Engineers, TRB

Committee: state & local agencies, port, carrier, shipper, academics

Information Sources: trends, case studies, interviews

National Academies Study Procedures

Committee: responsible for report &recommendations

National Academies: approve committeereview reportpublish report

Sponsors: fundinginformation resources

Interested Parties, Public: comments solicitedopen meetings www.nationalacademies.org

FREIGHT CAPACITY FOR THE 21ST CENTURYSUMMARY OF RECOMMENDATIONS

A Comprehensive Federal Freight Program:

The Comprehensive Policy Agenda

Principles to Guide Freight Programs

Recommendations on Specific Programs

Federal freight infrastructure programs

Decisionmaking processes and planning

Regulatory issues

RECOMMENDATIONS

A Comprehensive Federal Freight Program

Federal government should recognize the full range of its programs affecting freight and make decisions in all these consistent with the principles below.

Adequacy of capacity will depend on government decisions in numerous existing programs :

infrastructure investmentoperationsfinanceregulation

RECOMMENDATIONS

A Comprehensive Federal Freight Program (cont.)

Principles to Guide Government Freight Programs

Respecting four principles will maximize contribution of freight infrastructure to economic well-being:

Make economic efficiency the primary goal of policy. Limit government involvement to essential roles.

A government responsibility does not justify subsidy.

Take advantage of the link between finance and performance.

Specific policy recommendations illustrate applications of principles.

PROGRAM RECOMMENDATIONS

Surface Transportation Act Reauthorization

Freight Priorities in the Surface Transportation Program

Any programs enacted to direct resources to freight-related projects should satisfy these criteria:

Sustain the user-pays principle.

Fund projects that fee payers recognize as having value.

Let demand decide market shares of modes.

Credit assistance should entail performance evaluation.

PROGRAM RECOMMENDATIONS

Federal Freight Infrastructure Programs (cont.)

Port Development

Admin. & Congress should reexamine planning & funding rules to concentrate dollars on projects with greatest benefits. Should consider:

deauthorization review

regional planning, regionalization of investment

greater reliance on local cost sharing & user fees

strengthened independent review of evaluations

Congress should sustain WRDA 86 cost-sharing reforms.

PROGRAM RECOMMENDATIONS

Federal Freight Infrastructure Programs (cont.)

Harbor Maintenance

Pros/cons of funding options to replace HMT described:

general revenue

Harbor Services User Fee, with trust fund

closely matching fees to costs, with local project funding

other dedicated revenue stream (e.g. customs revenue)

No recommendation, but Congress urged to recognize that site-specific fees for maintenance would have certain benefits.

PROGRAM RECOMMENDATIONS

Federal Freight Infrastructure Programs (cont.)

Operation and Management of the Inland Waterways

Congress & Administration should direct Corps to improve lock efficiency through demand management.

Congress should begin to rely on user fees to fund o&m.

Efficiency does not require full cost recovery.

Congress, Administration should consider: segment-specific user fee finance; regional authorities for waterway management

PROGRAM RECOMMENDATIONS

Decision-Making Processes and Planning

DOT Data and Analysis Programs

Develop DOT capabilities for economic analysis and applications.

Adapt DOT's policy guidance tools for state and local use.

Evaluation Methods

Create evaluation methods clearinghouse in DOT.

CURRENT TRB STUDY

The Federal Role in the Marine Transportation System

Sponsors: Coast Guard, NOAA, C. of E., Customs, Agriculture, Marad

Issues: Appropriate federal functions, finance, coordination, evaluation

Schedule: Report in fall 2003

Contact: Tom Menzies (Transportation Research Board) tmenzies@nas.edu

CURRENT WSTB STUDY

Review of Upper Miss.-Ill. Waterway System Restructured Navigation Study

Sponsor: Army Corps of Engineers

Task: Review Corps' restructured Upper Miss. feasibility study of capacity expansion, considering 2001

NRC report.

Schedule: Reports in fall 2003, early 2005Next meeting St. Louis Dec. 15-16

Contact: Jeff Jacobs, Water Science & Technology Board

jjacobs@nas.edu