[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 115 (Thursday, July 1, 2021)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E731]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       INVESTING IN A NEW VISION FOR THE ENVIRONMENT AND SURFACE 
                     TRANSPORTATION IN AMERICA ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                       HON. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 30, 2021

  Ms. JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, as the senior Texas Member of the 
Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, I strongly support House 
passage of H.R. 3684, the INVEST in America Act. I inserted numerous 
provisions into the bill, including one to establish a grants program 
in the Department of Transportation to develop transportation workforce 
training programs for workers adversely affected by industry 
automation, and another to assist communities to retrofit 
transportation infrastructure that creates obstacles to their mobility 
and employment opportunities to provide greater transportation equity.
  The INVEST in America Act authorizes a tremendous funding boost to 
our nation's surface transportation and infrastructure system, 
providing just under $550 billion over five years and bringing over $27 
billion to my state of Texas. In addition to highways, roads and 
bridges, the bill makes a substantive investment in our nation's 
transit system as well as our passenger and freight rail system, and 
makes great strides to improve environmentally friendly policies by 
encouraging and funding alternative modes of transportation and 
decreasing traffic congestion to reduce carbon emissions and the 
harmful effects of climate change. Moreover, according to the Council 
of Economic Advisors, for every $1 billion in Federal highway and 
transit investment, approximately 13,000 well-paying domestic jobs are 
supported for one year.
  With respect to funding for passenger and freight rail, the bill 
provides a total of $95 billion in authorized funding, while 
specifically:
  Tripling funding for Amtrak to $32 billion.
  Providing funding for corridor planning and development of high-speed 
rail projects such as the Texas Central project, a proposed high-speed 
rail line between Dallas and Houston.
  Improving rail safety by addressing highway-rail grade crossings 
needs, requiring additional rail safety inspectors, addressing 
trespasser and suicide fatalities, and eliminating gaps in railroad 
safety.
  My congressional district, Texas' 30th, includes the International 
Inland Port of Dallas (IIPOD), an intermodal and logistics district 
that encompasses 7,500 acres and five municipalities while supporting 
over 17,000 jobs. The Dallas Inland Port is also supported by Union 
Pacific, who added an intermodal terminal nearly 20 years ago to 
increase Class I's Dallas/Ft. Worth container capacity. The Union 
Pacific Dallas Intermodal Terminal also provides intermodal access to 
the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.
  The freight railroads invest $25 billion per year of their own 
private money into their networks and are critical partners in efforts 
to reduce transportation-related greenhouse gas emissions. Given the 
importance of freight rail, not only to the Inland Port of Dallas but 
to ports nationwide, I encourage the Committee on Transportation and 
Infrastructure to continue to work with the freight railroad industry 
as the INVEST Act advances towards a House-Senate conference committee.

                          ____________________