[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 94 (Friday, May 28, 2021)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E585-E586]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       SURFACE TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT ACT OF 2021

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                          Friday, May 28, 2021

  Ms. JOHNSON of Texas. Madam Speaker, I am pleased to be joined by my 
colleague on the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, Ranking 
Member Lucas, Research and Technology Subcommittee Chairwoman Stevens 
and Ranking Member Waltz, and numerous other colleagues in introducing 
the Surface Transportation Research & Development Act of 2021.
  Every day, Americans depend on our outdated transportation 
infrastructure to access essential goods, to connect with friends and 
family, and to move their products across the country. I applaud 
President Biden for his ambitious plans to update the nation's 
transportation systems. I am still hopeful that Congress can come to 
bipartisan agreement on infrastructure. In any such agreement, we must 
not lose sight of the critical role of research and development in our 
transportation future. We must be dedicated to making significant 
investments in R&D, in partnership with local and state governments and 
the many nongovernment stakeholders, to successfully develop the 
technologies and systems that will make transportation safer, more 
equitable, more efficient, and more sustainable.
  The Surface Transportation Research & Development Act of 2021 
authorizes the Department of Transportation's (DOT) surface 
transportation research, development, and demonstration programs 
through fiscal year 2027. The legislation supports long-term, high-risk 
research across all modes of surface transportation. It increases the 
funding available to all tiers of the University Transportation Centers 
program and updates the UTC program to better tackle complex 
crosscutting transportation challenges, like cybersecurity and 
sustainability.
  The bill also supports research to ensure our entire transportation 
infrastructure remains resilient to natural disasters, extreme weather, 
and climate change impacts. By creating resilient transportation 
infrastructure centers of excellence, the bill would support the 
development of new materials, maintenance standards, and workforce 
development to mitigate the impacts of climate change. The bill also 
reauthorizes the Road Weather Centers of Excellence, which were last 
funded in 2009.

[[Page E586]]

  The bill would enable DOT to better plan for the future of surface 
transportation research, through more regular and focused strategic 
planning and the establishment of a surface transportation research and 
development advisory committee. It would fund research to increase 
understanding of the role that autonomous trucking may play in the 
future movement of freight as well as its social impact. It ensures 
that DOT supports research and technology development that meets the 
needs of smaller metro areas.
  These and other investments in transportation research, development, 
and demonstration in this legislation are necessary to support a safe, 
resilient, equitable and sustainable transportation future. As the 
Chairwoman of the Science, Space, and Technology Committee and a senior 
Member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, I look 
forward to working with my colleagues to advance the priorities 
outlined in this bill for transportation innovation.

                          ____________________