Formatting necessary for an accurate reading of this text may be shown by tags (e.g., <DELETED> or <BOLD>) or may be missing from this TXT display. For complete and accurate display of this text, see the PDF.
[Pages H2986-H2987]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
MODERNIZING INFRASTRUCTURE IS IMPORTANT TO ALL AMERICANS
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from
the Virgin Islands (Ms. Plaskett) for 5 minutes.
Ms. PLASKETT. Mr. Speaker, like many Members of Congress, I came
determined to increase long-term Federal investment in infrastructure.
Supporting the movement of people, goods, energy, and information
through our infrastructure is crucial to driving investment in our
communities and maintaining America's economic competitiveness.
Modernizing our infrastructure is important to Americans in every
part of the country. We know that infrastructure projects are
consistently evaluated as the best return on government investment.
{time} 0915
As a member of the New Democratic Coalition, we believe any new
proposal must include new revenue, new financing, new funding, and
regulatory streamlining and encourage lifecycle funding in innovative
infrastructure projects that are built to last.
As chair of the New Democrat Coalition Infrastructure Task Force and
a member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, I believe
that there should be four pillars for infrastructure deals. Those
include revenue funding.
[[Page H2987]]
I support securing dedicated, sustainable revenue to keep the Highway
Trust Fund solvent well into the future and increasing Federal
investment that is not looted for other purposes.
We need a variety of funding options, including mileage-based user
fees; raising or indexing the gas tax; user fees on electric vehicles
or batteries to create parity with gasoline-powered vehicles; slightly
increasing the corporate tax rate and dedicating the incremental
revenue gains toward infrastructure, both expanded and new bond
programs.
We must think strategically and use lifecycle cost analysis to
account for the operating and maintenance needs of an asset across its
entire lifecycle. Thus, we will help guard against deferred
maintenance.
I support investing seed capital to capitalize an infrastructure bank
that would leverage its funds for everything from roads, to water, to
broadband projects. The bank would be accessible to States, localities,
and regional groups and would be able to loan them money with favorable
terms as well as offer bond insurance.
I and the task force support grant programs that would specifically
target areas in desperate need of revitalizing their infrastructure,
including those recovering from natural disasters, communities with
higher rates of unemployment and poverty, and rural areas. That means
new avenues to fund infrastructure projects in communities that have
been left behind and in areas that traditionally struggle to attract
infrastructure funding for projects that have holistic community
support.
The task force recognizes the importance of continued regulatory
streamlining in a way that balances expedited construction with
appropriate environmental and safety safeguards. The administration
must work to implement the numerous streamlining provisions already
passed into law by Congress in the FAST Act transportation bill.
In addition, I support encouraging the use of regional partnerships
and public-private partnerships.
We must also think about broadband and realize that this is the new
transportation of the 21st century, making sustainable and innovative
public and private investments across the U.S. to repair and upgrade
existing assets and build vital new projects.
We must seek to support projects that help communities become more
energy efficient, resilient, and better prepared to deal with the
impact of climate change and environmental cleanup.
Finally, we must seek to give communities ownership of local
development and encourage innovation, regulatory streamlining, and more
comprehensive multiproject long-term planning.
____________________