President Donald Trump on Aug. 2 signed into law a bill that halts a U.S. Coast Guard rule requiring the use of biometric readers for Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) cards at high-risk maritime facilities until an assessment of the program’s effectiveness is prepared and submitted to Congress. The TWIC program was established after 9/11 to improve security at high-risk ports. The legislation (H.R. 5729), the “Transportation Worker Identification Credential Accountability Act of 2018,” prohibits implementation of a rule that was set to take effect this month. Rep. John ... Read More
Transportation
Senate Commerce Committee recommends confirmation of Oberman to STB
The Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee approved, by voice vote on Aug. 1, the nomination of Martin Oberman to serve on the Surface Transportation Board, which provides regulatory oversight of the freight rail industry. The full Senate now can confirm all three STB nominees during its August work period. Oberman, who President Donald Trump nominated on July 5, enjoyed an uncontentious nomination hearing on July 26. He would fill the Democratic seat vacated by former STB Chairman Dan Elliott, whose term expires on Dec. 31, 2023. Two other STB nominees – Patrick Fuchs and ... Read More
Industry and government leaders look toward improving U.S. infrastructure and transportation services during 2018 Ag Transportation Summit
By Sarah Gonzalez, Director of Communications and Digital Media Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue emphasized why updating the nation’s infrastructure is so important to the U.S. economy during his keynote speech at the 2018 Agricultural Transportation Summit in Arlington, Va., on July 25. Noting that nearly one third of the freight on American roadways is used to transport agricultural products, Perdue said that the transportation and agricultural industries depend on each other. Likening the U.S. agricultural production, marketing and transportation sectors to the ... Read More
STB nominee enjoys smooth Senate confirmation hearing
By Randy Gordon, President Martin J. Oberman, who President Donald Trump nominated on July 5 to fill the final vacancy on the federal Surface Transportation Board (STB), enjoyed an uncontentious nomination hearing on July 26 conducted by the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee. During his testimony, Oberman pledged to bring a “fresh outlook” to the STB. “Honoring precedent and not changing systems that are not broken are important values to which I adhere, and there are often sound reasons to continue operations and policies used in the past, particularly ... Read More
Trump nominates Oberman to fill final vacancy at STB
By Randy Gordon, President President Trump on July 5 nominated Martin J. Oberman of Chicago to fill the final vacancy on the five-member Surface Transportation Board (STB), which provides regulatory oversight of the freight rail industry. If confirmed by the Senate, Oberman would fill the Democratic seat vacated by former STB Chairman Dan Elliott, whose term expires on Dec. 31, 2023. The Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee tentatively has scheduled a confirmation hearing on Oberman’s nomination for Aug. 26. Confirming a full complement of STB commissioners has become ... Read More
NGFA supports bill that would relieve ag truckers from electronic logging device mandate
ARLINGTON, Va., June 18, 2018 -- The National Grain and Feed Association (NGFA) is urging Congress to enact a bill that would relieve trucks involved in hauling agricultural products from the U.S. Department of Transportation's costly electronic logging device (ELD) mandate. Reps. Collin Peterson, D-Minn., and Greg Gianforte, R-Mont., introduced the Agricultural Business Electronic Logging Device Exemption Act of 2018, which would completely exempt agricultural businesses from the ELD mandate. The mandate requires commercial drivers who prepare hours-of-service records to connect an ... Read More
NGFA asks House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure to support the bipartisan DRIVE-Safe Act.
In a letter to the leaders of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, the NGFA and several other significant U.S. agricultural and agribusiness groups urged the lawmakers to help alleviate a nationwide shortage of commercial drivers by providing new opportunities for younger drivers. “Seventy percent of the nation’s freight is carried by commercial trucks, yet as our economy strengthens, motor carriers are having difficulty finding the drivers they need to handle growing capacity,” noted the NGFA and 41 other groups in a June 18 letter to Committee Chairman Bill Shuster, ... Read More
Industry Advisory: Barge Trade Digitization Project Underway
On Feb. 16, 2018, National Grain and Feed Association (NGFA) and North American Export Grain Association (NAEGA) conducted a workshop in New Orleans to explore the potential for digitization of the paperwork and processes currently utilized in the barge trade industry. The workshop was attended by more than 40 representatives from various sectors in the barge trade, including barge lines and operators; grain companies; exporters; trade, transportation and logistics consultants; and technology providers. The workshop focused on the numerous steps and multiple entities involved in the ... Read More
Ag Transportation Summit to focus on linking growing U.S. ag production with expanding demand
ARLINGTON, Va., and ANKENY, Iowa, June 4, 2018 - "Connecting Growing Supply with Growing Demand" will be the theme and focus of the third Agricultural Transportation Summit conference to be conducted on July 25-26 at the Westin Crystal City Hotel in Arlington, Va. Jointly hosted by the National Grain and Feed Association (NGFA) and Soy Transportation Coalition (STC), and sponsored in part by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service, this year's conference will occur at a particularly pivotal time as the U.S. transportation network ... Read More
House passes water resources infrastructure bill
The House on Wednesday (June 6) overwhelmingly approved the Water Resources Development Act of 2018 (WRDA), H.R. 8, the first major infrastructure legislation to move under the Trump administration. WRDA focuses on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, authorizing new projects and permitting the full use of the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund (HMTF) to finance port dredging and other port projects. The House-passed WRDA would accomplish the latter objective by moving the HMTF off-budget to allow for full-use of HMTF funds to be used solely for harbor-maintenance purposes. The bill ... Read More
National Grain and Feed Association
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