Lawmakers Push for Port Performance Language in Surface Transportation Bill
A final transportation reauthorization bill ought to include provisions from the Port Performance Act, a bill that mandates evaluation on a set of port metrics, a group of lawmakers said in a Nov. 18 letter (here). The House members, including Reps. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., and Greg Walden, R-Ore., sent the letter to the leadership of the House and Senate committees for transportation. Following a short-term extension (see 1511230019), Congress has until Dec. 4 to resolve differences between Senate and House of Representatives versions of the surface transportation reauthorization bills through a legislative conference.
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The West Coast port shutdown highlighted the lack of data being compiled on port performance and congestion, the members said in the letter. "Unfortunately our ports are facing congestion issues on a daily basis for a variety of reasons that impact their productivity and efficiency," the lawmakers said. While many ports already maintain performance metrics, a common standard is needed, they said. While a Congressional Budget Office estimate of a cost of $9 million over four years to collect the new metrics is "an issue for consideration," the conferees should "weigh that against the hundreds of millions of dollars in damages suffered by U.S. businesses and consumers every day at the height of the crisis, and the cost of future congestion or crises, which this data would help prevent," they said.