{"id":2189,"date":"2019-11-14T05:54:43","date_gmt":"2019-11-14T05:54:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/quicktransportsolutions.com\/blog\/?p=2189"},"modified":"2019-11-14T05:54:45","modified_gmt":"2019-11-14T05:54:45","slug":"a-huge-highway-bill-and-an-epa-vindication","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/quicktransportsolutions.com\/blog\/a-huge-highway-bill-and-an-epa-vindication\/","title":{"rendered":"A Huge Highway Bill and an EPA Vindication"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A major highway infrastructure bill is now rolling around the Senate. After landing on July 29, the bipartisan bill, termed the America\u2019s Transportation Infrastructure Act of 2019<\/a>, the bill is now set for debate and has been termed the \u201clargest highway legislation in history.\u201d The bill has already been marked up with amendments and was approved unanimously by the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The bill would authorize $287 billion over a five-year\nperiod to maintain the nation\u2019s roads and bridges. This would represent a 27%\nincrease over what the FAST Act proposes. It would also aim to improve safety,\nstreamline project delivery, and increase environmental protections. The main\nthrust of the bill would be to generate strong economic growth. The bill\u2019s\nco-sponsors are Senators John Barrasso (R-WY), Tom Carper (D-DE), Shelley Moore\nCapito (R-WV), and Ben Cardin (D-MD). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Industry Reacts<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Considering infrastructure has been like a Capitol Hill hot\npotato in recent years, many industry advocacy groups were pleased to see some\nmovement on the topic. The ATA came out strongly saying that the strength of\nthe U.S. economy relies on sound roads and bridges. They also added that their\norganization plans on working with the Senate committee on a legislative\npackage that includes long-term, sustainable funding. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even the association for travel plaza and truck stop\noperators lent their voice to the debate, stating that the Senate Committee\nshould expeditiously advance the proposal. They called the bill a step in the\nright direction and hope that it will enhance supply chain efficiencies and help\nthe private sector take steps to innovate and improve their overall\nenvironmental footprint. The group also supports a grant program that would\nstimulate private investment in electric vehicle technology and alternative\nfueling and charging stations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But will policymakers steer the grants towards objectives in\na way that doesn\u2019t create a high level of risk for those working on the\nproblem? Time will tell. For now, transportation advocacy organizations are\nworried that the grant money may be funneled to public utilities, which will\nuse the money to squeeze out private investment for EV and alternative fuel\ncharging and fueling infrastructure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even more, industry insiders are hoping that a long-term\nsolution sees the light of day. Many are hoping it passes by the fall. Still,\nsome are worried that the next transportation bill will be done piecemeal, in\nshort-term increments and program extensions. They argue that infrastructure\nfunding needs to be predictable and stable so that state DOTs can focus on\ndelivering projects for those within their states. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the positive developments in the bill is regarding\nthe funding. Since 90% of the funding in the program goes directly to the\nstates, the states then get to decide how they invest the money based on their\nparticular need. And while some groups, such as the OOIDA, express a little wariness\nat a process that has produced little results in the past, they still support\nthe overarching goal. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Business Groups Weigh In<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The United States Chamber of Commerce released a statement\nstating that the new bill represents a 25% increase over current funding. They\nwent on to state that this increase will create a vital bridge program that\nwill address the major bridge deficiencies in America. They also expressed the\ndesire to see a long-term funding solution enacted, rather than short-term\nstopgap measures. Even the Associated General Contractors of America have\nweighed in calling the bill a \u201ccritical first-step.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other American business groups states that robust funding increases\nthe proposed for the national discretionary and formula grant programs for\nfreight and highway projects. It would also significantly increase the amount\nof funding that would go toward port, rail, and intermodal projects. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some of the key aspects of the bill that make it so\ndesirable include the increases in the Nationally Significant Freight and\nHighway Projects (INFRA) program funding and the increases in the freight\nformula program funding. INFRA funding would jump by $5.5 billion over five\nyears, which is a full $500 million more than what had been proposed in the\nFAST Act. The annual cap would jump by 30%. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Freight formula funding would increase to $8.5 billion over five years, which is nearly $2 billion more than what the FAST Act authorized. Many are calling these funding levels \u201cunprecedented,\u201d which is what has led some to call this bill the \u201clargest in history.\u201d Indeed, the proposed measure includes a substantial boost in funding. But it also includes some interesting improvements to broader transportation policy as it relates to federal regulation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The most important aspect of the legislation is the part\nwhere the federal reviews and permitting for new transportation projects is\nsignificantly sped up and much of the red tape cut out. The bill also includes\nworkforce development goals that aim to lure new workers into high-paying\nconstruction careers. Now, the question is, what will happen in the house? With\nthe current federal highway bill set to expire on September 30, 2020, only time\nwill tell what comes out of the deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Justified EPA Study<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In other news out of Washington D.C., the audit by the U.S.\nEnvironmental Protection Agency was validated by its independent Inspector\nGeneral\u2019s office. Remember back when the agency did glider vehicle testing and\nfound that glider-kits put out a lot more emissions than new trucks? Well,\nthere was a big back-and-forth battle regarding the outcome of that study, but\nnow the independent Inspector General said the study complied with standard\npractices and that its outcome was not in doubt. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The original audit was brought on by Congressional requests\nfrom the summer of 2018. These requests cast doubt on glider vehicle testing\nconducted by the EPA in 2017. Since the Office of the Inspector General is an\nindependent arm of the EPA funded solely by Congress, its audit was not subject\nto agency oversight. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The OIG ended up doing its own testing using the EPA\u2019s\nNational Vehicle and Fuel Emissions Laboratory. They also used the EPA\u2019s own\nplanning to make their determination. Since it was the testing methodology that\nwas at the heart of the controversy, the OIG wanted to use the same testing\ntype that the EPA originally used. The report in question was called the\n\u201cChassis Dynamometer Testing of Two Recent Model Year Heavy-Duty On-Highway\nDiesel Glider Vehicles.\u201d  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The controversy stemmed from a glider kit proposal loophole that\nwould allow glider kit manufacturers a way to avoid EPA regulations that they\nfind onerous. Almost every industry stakeholder, whether trucking advocacy\norganization or big fleet, came out against the measure. It also stems from the\nongoing fights over the GHG\/Fuel\nEfficiency Phase 2 rule<\/a>. The rule required glider kits to meet the emission\nstandards for the year the vehicle was assembled, rather than the year the\nengine within it was manufactured. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

By July of the same year, a major glider kit manufacturer petitioned\nthe EPA to repeal its previous findings. Then, by November, the EPA had done\nso. Still, that repeal is yet to become a final rule and is still just a\nproposal. Once a study by Tennessee Tech was discredited, the EPA\u2019s\njustification for repealing their initial guidance unraveled. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The study determined that emissions from glider vehicles\nwere significantly higher than emissions from newer model year vehicles, no\nmatter what cycle they were purchased in. Yet, proponents of glider kits stated\nthat Volvo Group had more influence over the study than they should have, with\nemployees at the agency and certain aspects of the testing that were done\nwithout agency approval. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yet, even the ATA has now come out in favor of the OIG\nruling, saying in a public statement that the OIG report finally vindicated the\noriginal findings that truck OEMs did not unduly influence the EPA\u2019s glider\ntesting results. Many OEMs and trucking advocacy groups communicated and cooperated\nregarding the EPA\u2019s testing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The final OIG audit report came out stating that the EPA selected and tested the vehicles based on their given authority within the Clean Air Act. Standard EPA practices and relevant policies and procedures were used. The report went on to say that there was no evidence EPA staff deleted materials or completed steps of the study without consulting agency leadership ahead of time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Another allegation that came from the request to remove the\nproposals was regarding the Office of Transportation and Air Quality Center\nDirectory, who had been accused of ethics violations while serving as a federal\nemployee. And finally, that there was no collusion between agency employees and\nOEMs they may currently or previously have worked for. \n\nWhile it seems this issue has been put to rest\nfor now, it may come up again as the FMCSA, under guidance from the current\nadministration, further rolls back regulations impacting several agencies. Will\nwe see more changes to EPA rules or more studies challenged as rules of the\npast are revisited? Perhaps, but with a new election cycle coming up, it is\nlikely most policymakers will be quite distracte\n\n\n\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A major highway infrastructure bill is now rolling around the Senate. After landing on July 29, the bipartisan bill, termed the America\u2019s Transportation Infrastructure Act of 2019, the bill is now set for debate and has been termed the \u201clargest highway legislation in history.\u201d The bill has already been marked up with amendments and was … Read moreA Huge Highway Bill and an EPA Vindication<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2189","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-trucking"],"yoast_head":"\nA Huge Highway Bill and an EPA Vindication - Quick Transport Solutions Trucking Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/quicktransportsolutions.com\/blog\/a-huge-highway-bill-and-an-epa-vindication\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"A Huge Highway Bill and an EPA Vindication - Quick Transport Solutions Trucking Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A major highway infrastructure bill is now rolling around the Senate. 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