Cantwell Freight Provisions Pass U.S. Senate in Sorely-Needed Surface Transportation Legislation

Press Release

Today, the U.S. Senate passed a long-term transportation bill, the DRIVE Act, which includes multiple freight and rail safety provisions championed by U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA). And for the first time, the bill contains a separate Freight Division that is explicitly focused on goods movement. That section, significant parts of which are based on Cantwell's National Multimodal Freight Policy and Investment Act (S.1680), includes America's first-ever national multimodal freight policy, new strategic freight planning, and a program to specifically invest in multimodal freight and port projects. The bill also includes crude-by-rail safety measures that establish enhanced first responder information access, require railroads to develop comprehensive oil spill response plans, and take an incremental step towards regulating the volatility of crude oil being transported by train.

"U.S. growers and manufacturers must be able to efficiently ship their goods to consumers outside our borders, where 95 percent of the world's consumers live. Around the world, countries are investing in freight infrastructure to stay competitive in a global economy. But here at home, we face the economic consequences of an outdated, crumbling transportation network," said Cantwell. "I fought to include multimodal freight planning and investment provisions in this bill, which reflects a growing consensus both in Washington state and in Congress that we can't afford to neglect freight any longer."

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