Capito Emphasizes The Need To Give States ‘Flexibility’ In Addressing Transportation Projects

2 days ago

During Wednesday’s Senate Environment Committee hearing, Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) questioned Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy about differing state needs for transportation project funding.

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Transcript

00:00Good morning everybody and thank you for joining us this morning as we begin our

00:04work to develop the next surface transportation reauthorization bill. This

00:10hearing is the first of a two-part series of that we are having to help us

00:14guide our work and I really want to thank Secretary Duffy for being here

00:18with us today. My vision for this legislation is simple but important. We

00:23want to improve the movement of people and goods. Our roads and bridges are

00:28what connect us to the people in places that matter most in our lives. They help

00:32American businesses large and small, create jobs and economic opportunities

00:37and enable that competitiveness in the global marketplace. They connect

00:41everything around us from point A to point B. Every state has transportation

00:46needs and stands to benefit from the surface transportation reauthorization

00:50bill. My home state of West Virginia is pursuing important projects like the

00:54Coalfields Expressway. I'm specifically mentioning these in front of the

00:58secretary because he will be hearing from me on this with these two. Corridor

01:02H also to better link our communities to essential services and economic

01:06opportunity. This legislation provides the funding and establishes the policies

01:10and programs that enable the improvement of surface transportation network that

01:14we all so rely on. Since the enactment of the bipartisan infrastructure

01:18Investment and Jobs Act, the EPW committee has reviewed and conducted

01:23oversight of the existing policies and programs. We've learned a lot about

01:28what is working and what isn't. That effort has provided me with three key

01:32principles for the next bill. By focusing on these principles, I'm confident that

01:37we can work towards bipartisan legislation as we have in the past that

01:41will deliver results for the American people. Principle one, improving the

01:45safety and reliability of America's surface transportation network with

01:50impactful investments. In recent years, we've seen an increase in the

01:55number and scope of federal transportation programs. These programs

01:59have often had duplicative purposes and project availability and eligibility.

02:05This leads to an expensive and time-intensive process to get funding

02:09out the door that disrupts the focus of federal funding and lessens the impact

02:13that the legislation can make. As we craft the next surface transportation

02:18reauthorization bill, we must make investments that instead optimize the

02:22impact of federal funding and give the state partners the confidence

02:26they can invest over the longer period of time. We should focus on

02:30eliminating duplicative programs that invite regulatory overreach and increase

02:35funding for the highway formula programs that our states rely on and have a proven

02:40track record of success. Principle two, reforming and modernizing federal

02:44programs and policies to increase efficiency. We all know that it's

02:48currently structured. Federal requirements can add red tape that

02:52increase costs and time and slow down the completion of projects. We all want

02:56to deliver transportation benefits faster and save money for American

03:00taxpayers. To achieve this goal, we need to take a serious look at the

03:05federal requirements to determine how to make meaningful improvements to our

03:08planning and procurement procedures, our environmental review processes for

03:13projects, and discretionary grants and loan requirements. By reforming and

03:19modernizing these requirements, we can create certainty for the partners who

03:22make these projects happen and ensure that the public receives benefits of

03:26these needed investments quickly. Principle three, addressing the variety

03:31of surface transportation needs across all states. Obviously, different states

03:36have different needs. I wouldn't expect West Virginia with our mountainous peaks

03:40and valleys to prioritize the same transportation projects in states, in

03:45other states, in other parts of our country. By avoiding top-down mandates

03:49from Washington and giving states flexibility to address their individual

03:54improvements, I think that's what we need to be looking at. The bill can support

03:59our common goals while ensuring that federal regulations programs and policies

04:03recognize the different needs of our states. It will take collaboration from

04:07my Senate colleagues, our stakeholders, and the Trump administration in order to

04:11complete the bill before the IIJA expires in September of 2026. We must be

04:18pragmatic and work in a bipartisan way, as we have in the past, to develop a

04:22Senate bill that sets us up for a productive conversation on this

04:25reauthorization effort with our colleagues in the House. I'm grateful to

04:29Secretary Sean Duffy, who is here today to share the Trump administration's

04:33priorities for this legislation, and I look forward to learning more about

04:36those priorities. The Department of Transportation's technical assistance

04:40and support will be critical parts of this process. This is an excellent

04:45opportunity ahead of us to make a pivotal impact in our surface

04:48transportation network. Each of it knows how important that network is and the

04:53role that it plays in keeping our country's economy and people on the move.

04:56I'm excited to get to work and continue the EPW's bipartisan tradition of

05:01developing this legislation, and I want to thank our witness and the members for

05:05participating today in this hearing.

Capito Emphasizes The Need To Give States ‘Flexibility’ In Addressing Transportation Projects

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