Federal Railroad Administration News

Much has been said both in Congress and by the current administration of the need to restore and enhance our nation’s transportation infrastructure, including its maritime transportation infrastructure. Recent legislation, such as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA, also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law), the Inflation Reduction Act, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for fiscal year (FY) 2023, and the related appropriations acts, has shown that Congress is ready to provide substantial funding in support of these stated goals.

In the William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2021, Congress amended the Port Infrastructure Development Program (PIDP) administered by the U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD) to reserve to smaller ports 18% of the amounts appropriated for grants under the PIDP, and increased this percentage to 25% in the NDAA for FY 2022. This replaced the minimum dollar threshold for PIDP grants of the lesser of $10 million or 10% of the total amount appropriated for the PIDP for a fiscal year.

The White House and the U.S. Department of Transportation announced on Friday that John D. Porcari will be the Port Envoy to the Biden-Harris Administration Supply Chain Disruptions Task Force.Porcari will work closely with Secretary Buttigieg and the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) as well as the National Economic Council to address congestion at U.S. ports. Disruptions in global shipping and rapid shifts in demand have led the cost of shipping containers between China and the West Coast to grow more than 90% compared to 2019. Containerized cargo volumes rose 40% in the first half of this year compared to the same time last year at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, which together handle the largest share of containerized cargo moving through U.S. ports.

The Transportation Department said on Tuesday it was evaluating whether a temporary waiver of the Jones Act is needed to ensure sufficient gasoline supply to some U.S. states after the ransomware attack on Colonial Pipeline."The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) has started the work needed to enable consideration of a temporary and targeted waiver of the Jones Act," the department said. The Jones Act requires goods moved between U.S. ports to be carried by ships built domestically and staffed by U.S.

As many as 44 trains loaded with volatile Bakken crude oil are being sent through the state of New York each week, according to confidential disclosures made by railroads to state emergency responders, and released to Reuters through a Freedom of Information Law request. The disclosures come as New York and other states grapple with health and safety risks posed by a recent surge in oil-by-rail cargoes, following at least six fiery derailments of trains carrying Bakken oil in North America since last July. The New York State Emergency Response Commission released disclosures from railroads CSX Corp and Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd on Tuesday.

Sheriff Craig Apple assured a room of concerned citizens that county emergency crews were prepared to handle an oil-train accident involving three or four tank cars. Firefighters have been training to combat railcar fires with foam, and evacuation plans are detailed in a 500-page emergency response plan, Apple told residents in a May 12 address. Albany's tracks handle as much as a fourth of the oil pumped from North Dakota's booming Bakken Shale, or up to several 100-car trains per day, each carrying 70,000 barrels. It is one of several spots along North America's new oil-by-rail corridors where residents and officials are restless, following six fiery derailments in the past 10 months.

President Barack Obama has announced his intent to nominate David T. Matsuda, Administrator, Maritime Administration, Department of Transportation. David T. Matsuda has been serving as Deputy Administrator and Acting Administrator of the United States Maritime Administration since July 2009. He is a transportation professional with more than a decade of experience in federal transportation policy, programs and oversight. Prior to his current position, he served as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy at the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT), where he served as a chief policy advisor and focused on issues including surface transportation reauthorization…

The U.S. Department of Transportation announced the establishment of a department-wide Credit Council to enhance oversight and management of the Department’s direct loan and loan guarantee programs that are administered by the Maritime Administration, the Federal Railroad Administration, the Federal Highway Administration and the Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization. Currently, the Department’s four credit programs are responsible for $7.5 billion in outstanding loans and guarantees (including pending commitments). "As we continue to build a transportation infrastructure and transportation assets that keep our economy moving…

Farmers in northeast Oregon won't have to worry about having a reliable crane to load their products onto barges at the Port of Umatilla thanks to a $1 million grant from the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) announced. The grant will pay to complete the installation of the new crane, upgrade the electric supply system and expand the container storage area on the port dock, the agency said. The crane will replace an aging gantry crane erected in the 1940's. "It goes without saying the new crane will be faster and more reliable," said FRA Administrator Joseph H. Boardman. The new crane will nearly double the number of containers that can be loaded onto barges per hour, he said, and will be able to shoulder heavier loads.

On October 23, the FBI issued an intelligence update warning state and local law enforcement of recent reporting that Al Qaeda is targeting the U.S. railway and petroleum sectors. Information from debriefings of Al Qaeda detainees as of mid-October indicates that the group has considered directly targeting U.S. passenger trains. The U.S. U.S. economic interests. containers. Recently captured Al Qaeda photographs of U.S. threat. against the global petroleum sector. including oil facilities and nuclear power plants. In addition, the U.S. financial sector and government facilities and installations. physical protections. enhanced rail security measures. well as Amtrak. implementation of enhanced security measures. measures. Administration have implemented additional security measures as well.