WASHINGTON, DC –Today, U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) released the following statement after the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee voted to advance a 6-year bipartisan surface transportation bill, the Developing a Reliable and Innovative Vision for the Economy (DRIVE) Act (S. 1647).
Barrasso was successful in including key provisions that provide regulatory relief and flexibility for rural states like Wyoming. The DRIVE Act was unanimously voted out of the committee today. Click here for the bill text and here for a bill summary.
“This strong bipartisan bill will give states the resources they need to ensure our nation’s roads, bridges and infrastructure are safe and up to date for all Americans,” said Barrasso. “I’m pleased we were able to include provisions that will provide flexibility for rural states like Wyoming. These provisions will make sure the unique transportation needs of both rural and urban communities are equally addressed. I look forward to the full Senate debating and voting on this bill as soon as possible.”
Background on Barrasso Provisions included in the Bill:
Rural Road Waivers
This provision provides the Secretary of Transportation with new authorities to provide exceptions and exemptions that provide regulatory relief and flexibility for rural road and rural bridge projects.
Indexing Categorical Exclusion Projects
This provision allows projects with categorical exclusions to adjust the project dollar amounts for inflation. MAP-21 currently allows for categorical exclusions for projects for any highway or transit project that receive less than $5 million in Federal funds. Unless those amounts are adjusted for inflation, the value of the categorical exclusion will degrade over time.
Critical Rural Freight Corridor Designation Flexibility
This provision provides the states with more flexibility to designate rural routes as critical rural freight corridors. This would include designating routes to agricultural and forestry facilities or energy development that connect to primary freight networks or interstate highways.
Tribal Administrative Expenses
Decreases administrative expenses paid by the Tribes to the Bureau of Indian Affairs from 6% to 5% of the total amount of the project. This provision will put more money into tribal projects instead of bureaucratic expenses.
Congestion Mitigation Air Quality (CMAQ) Program
This provision reinstates flexibility for states that have at least one nonattainment area to use CMAQ funding for rural transit operations or street sweeping equipment to limit particulate pollution in attainment areas.
Assistance for Major Projects Program (AMPP)
Provides language to ensure that, under the new assistance for major projects program, projects in a low population density state like Wyoming would be eligible at lower dollar amounts than the eligibility threshold for projects in more densely populated states.
TIFIA Qualification
Provides language in the bill to ensure that Wyoming “rural” projects would qualify for lower interest rates and require a lower project dollar amount in order to be eligible under the program.
Rural Road Data Collection Flexibility
Provides language in the bill that would provide an exemption from a MAP-21 requirement that State DOTs collect that same amount of data on a gravel road as a major intersection in Cheyenne.
Freight Program Requirement Delay
Provides language to ensure a reasonable transition period for states before the effective date of new requirements to establish a freight state advisory committee and a state freight plan under a freight program of the overall highway program.
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