Senate EPW Committee Plans to Release Five-Year Highway Bill Before August Recess

Industry News / Infrastructure Funding

July 11, 2019

Senate EPW Committee Plans to Release Five-Year Highway Bill Before August Recess

Leadership of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee have announced they will unveil a new five-year survface transportation bill before Congress takes its August recess.

“It is our shared goal to advance a bill out of committee this summer,” said EPW Committee Chair John Barrasso (R-Wyo.). “Our roads and bridges are in need of a serious investment. If we do not pass a long-term surface transportation bill, and instead pass a series of short-term extensions, we will undermine our states’ abilities to plan for these challenges.”

The committee did not release any details about the bill’s contents or how it would be funded.

“What we need to do is to put out a good bill that addresses a bunch of the concerns that others talked about and sets the stage for the work that needs to be done in the Finance committee and Ways and Means committee,” said Senator Tom Carper (D-DE), the top Democrate on the committee.

In remarks about potential proposals in the legislation, Barrasso emphasized streamlining the federal environmental permitting process, while Carper focused on improving the resilience of the nation’s infrastructure.

The current five-year surface transportation program expires on September 30, 2020.

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