To watch Chairman Capito’s questions, click here or the image above.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, led a hearing on constructing the Surface Transportation Reauthorization Bill with stakeholders’ perspectives.

During her questions, Chairman Capito asked about the role of the Surface Transportation Reauthorization Bill regarding economic development, and how permitting reform remains key in the efficient development of our country’s surface transportation network.  

HIGHLIGHTS:

IMPORTANCE OF SURFACE TRANSPORTATION REAUTHORIZATION FOR ECONOMIC GROWTH:

Chairman Capito:

“In each individual ways, you've talked about the importance of the surface transportation network and what reauthorization will mean to you, in terms of economic and job growth. I want to dig down a little bit more on that. Is it the predictability, the affordability, the flexibility? What would you point to as from your standpoint as governor, and then we'll go down the panel, to how this will impact your economic growth and job creation abilities?”

Governor Kelly Armstrong (R-N.D.), on behalf of the National Association of Governors:

“All of the above, but I think, you know, I have the opportunity to serve here too. We spend money inefficiently, and we're required to do that because you go a decade without any increase in funding, and then things turn to whatever. The more predictability and foresight you can push onto us, the less money we will spend to build the same project.”

Austin Ramirez, CEO, Husco International Inc., on behalf of the National Association of Manufacturers:

“I mentioned supply chain in my comments, and I think it’s a real issue. We’ve got rural facilities, and having surface transportation to those facilities that is efficient and well maintained is really important. But you know, another really big one is, my main facility is outside Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and the main East-West Corridor I-94 has been caught up in litigation for years, so I've got employees that spend hours a day stuck in traffic because we can't execute projects that we've already agreed to do.”

PERMITTING REFORM:

Chairman Capito:

“I think there's a lot of similarities, and what everybody's saying from the different standpoints of where you are. Permitting is something that Senator Whitehouse and I, and our staffs, talk about almost daily. We know that this is at the heart of the efficiency that I think most folks – and how the dollars can go farther than they can.”

Click HERE to watch Chairman Capito’s opening statement.

Click HERE to watch Chairman Capito’s questions.

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