NAM Backs Infrastructure Corridor Initiative
A newly proposed initiative of the Transportation Department could “accelerate infrastructure deployment, create new revenue opportunities for transportation assets and strengthen the connection between transportation infrastructure and economic development,” the NAM told the agency this month.
What’s going on: In August, the DOT unveiled America’s Great Corridors of Commerce, a voluntary national program that would use public-private partnerships to speed up utility infrastructure construction along U.S. highway and rail corridors. The NAM participated in earlier roundtables to inform the AGCC’s proposal rollout.
- The main reasons for deploying AGCC now, according to the administration, are China’s fast-paced construction, in recent years, of high-voltage transmission lines; an expected U.S. surge in demand for fiber optic cables; and a “multi-trillion”-dollar backlog of existing-infrastructure upgrades.
- “The NAM supports the AGCC concept and encourages DOT to implement it in a manner that is technology-neutral, market-driven and focused on measurable economic and infrastructure benefits,” the NAM said last week in response to a DOT request for information.
What’s next: As the DOT implements its proposal, it will have to create procedures and solutions to address key issues and opportunities. These include:
- Technical feasibility, safety, siting and permitting
- Crossing jurisdictional borders
- The voluntary public-private model
- Technical assistance and support from the federal agency task force
- The designation process
- Regional economic development
- Affordability
The NAM says: “The success of AGCC will depend on a practical, voluntary and market-driven approach that prioritizes safety, technical feasibility, predictable permitting and clear allocation of responsibilities,” NAM Vice President of Domestic Policy Chris Phalen concluded.
- “By leveraging existing transportation rights-of-way, coordinating federal and state resources and facilitating innovative public-private partnerships, AGCC has the potential to accelerate infrastructure deployment, improve reliability and support long-term economic growth.”
