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Meeting Recap
On Wednesday, January 28, the Council’s Transportation and Infrastructure Committee welcomed Mr. Loren Smith, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy and Mr. Miles Bolin, Deputy Director - Office of Public Liaison at the United States Department of Transportation, to discuss a variety of policy issues including surface transportation, aviation, rail, infrastructure, maritime, and safety.
Loren Smith began the discussion by providing an overview of the Transportation Department’s key priorities: safety, infrastructure, and innovation. He paused to point out that on the anniversary of the mid-air collision over Reagan National Airport, it was imperative to talk about safety throughout all modes of transportation. He pointed out that the One Big Beautiful Bill contained $12 billion to help provide upgrades to the nation’s air traffic control system to enhance safety and reliability. He let the Council know that the DoT is working to enhance auto safety to mitigate the 40,000 lives lost each year on our roadways. He discussed the progress they are making to increase the speed in which roadway injuries are treated and allow first-responding EMT’s to help with blood transfusions and post-crash care.
Also on the infrastructure side, Mr. Smith said the Department was very focused on eliminating hazards at rail crossings, noting that there are over 200,000 road and railway crossings in the nation. He stated that the Department is honing-in on mode separations of all kinds to help reduce accidents and injuries and also to help with efficiency. Other infrastructure priorities for the Department include bridges, ports, freight infrastructure and congestion mitigation. Part and parcel with this are ways to bring about permitting reform, including fixing the NEPA process to streamline environmental reviews. He said that the Department can do everything that various laws require, but to do them more efficiently, speeding up project delivery which will save time and money. Mr. Smith also discussed the Department’s review of more than 3,000 grants in 50 different grant programs worth $50 billion in a six-month time-frame; all in an effort to get the funds where they were needed.
He noted that the Department was focused on innovation as well, preparing for the future of transportation and safely integrating new technologies such as autonomous vehicles, dynamic signage, and advanced aerial mobility. The challenge at the Department is to find ways to safely integrate new technologies to provide better outcomes for all and improve the economy of transportation.
Mr. Bolin and Mr. Smith were also asked a handful of questions, including those related to open skies agreements and international alliances and the advancement of U.S. interests; the flexible use of rail grants; the potential for a surface transportation bill to be passed in 2026 or if there will be an extension to 2027; progress on the eVTOL Integration Pilot Program; and U.S. Coast Guard and maritime functions and port infrastructure.
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