Transportation

Policy Priorities for 2008

• Through the Let's Rebuild America initiative, the Chamber will identify and drive solutions to our nation's infrastructure challenges by:
• Documenting the problem with solid research-defining, quantifying, and illustrating the benefits of a well-designed national transportation and logistics system with adequate capacity in a way that the business community will champion and the average American will understand.
• Educating the public, business community and policymakers on infrastructure needs, focusing on the capacity crisis.
• Spurring private investment in critical infrastructure by identifying and seeking to reform those rules and policies that threaten the efficiency of our logistics system and obstruct positive investments in our nation's future.
• Fostering an honest dialogue on how to find the public money to meet critical infrastructure needs.
• Bring the business community's voice during difficult legislative battles on all transportation infrastructure issues.

• Lobby Congress to complete reauthorization of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Airway and Airports Trust Fund.
• Continue to fight for federal policies that recognize the link between our nation's aviation network and jobs, economic development, global competitiveness, quality of life, and national security.

• Work with Congress and the administration to expedite air traffic modernization and invest in greater aviation system capacity to meet an expected doubling in aviation traffic over the next 10 years.
• Urge the public and private sectors to accelerate project delivery, deploy technology, and implement operational approaches in the near term to reduce congestion and improve speed and reliability.
• Focus attention at port and border bottlenecks through work with the Reducing Border Costs While Strengthening Security project and other cooperative efforts among the Chamber's transportation, trade, and homeland Security divisions.  

• Ensure that the funding commitments made in SAFETEA-LU, the federal surface transportation law, are kept.
• Lobby Congress to pass legislation ensuring that Highway Trust Fund revenues are sufficient to support the guaranteed funding levels in SAFETEA-LU through fiscal year 2009.
• Develop the Chamber's surface transportation policy platform to prepare for the 2009 expiration of SAFETEA-LU. 
• Launch a grassroots and lobbying campaign through the Americans for Transportation Mobility Coalition aimed at increasing investment for highways and transit in the 2009 surface transportation authorizing legislation.