Sec. 101. National freight policy
485 words·~2 min read·
/bill/114/hr/198/ih/section-101A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.
Section 101(a) of title 23, United States Code, is amended— by redesignating paragraphs
(15)through
(34)as paragraphs
(16)through (35), respectively; and by inserting after paragraph
(14)the following: The term national freight network means a network composed of highways, railways, navigable waterways, seaports, airports, freight intermodal connectors, and aerotropolis transportation systems most critical to the multimodal movement of freight. . Subsections
(c)and
(d)of section 167 of title 23, United States Code, are amended to read as follows: The Secretary shall establish a national freight network in accordance with this section to assist States in strategically directing resources toward improved system performance for efficient movement of freight— on highways (including highways on the national highway system), railways, navigable waterways, freight intermodal connectors, and aerotropolis transportation systems; and into and out of inland ports, seaports, and airports. The national freight network shall consist of multimodal transportation infrastructure, including— the primary freight network, as designated by the Secretary under subsection
(d)(referred to in this section as the primary freight network ) as the network composed of highways, railways, navigable waterways, seaports, airports, freight intermodal connectors, and aerotropolis transportation systems most critical to the multimodal movement of freight; the portions of the Interstate System not designated as part of the primary freight network; and critical rural freight corridors established under subsection (e). Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this section, the Secretary shall designate a multimodal primary freight network— based on an inventory of national freight volume conducted by the Secretary, in consultation with stakeholders, including system users, transport providers, and States; and that shall be comprised of— not more than 27,000 miles of existing major freight corridors that are most critical; critical rail corridors; critical intermodal connections; and critical inland port, seaport, and airport infrastructure, at the discretion of the Secretary. In designating the primary freight network, the Secretary shall consider— the generation of national economic benefits, including job creation, expanded business opportunities, and benefits to the gross domestic product; the origins and destinations of freight movement in the United States; the total freight tonnage and value of freight moved; the percentage of annual average daily traffic; land and maritime ports of entry; access to energy exploration, development, installation, or production areas; population centers; and network connectivity. In addition to the miles of existing major freight corridors initially designated under paragraph (1), the Secretary may increase the number of miles designated as part of the primary freight network by not more than 3,000 additional miles of freight corridors (which may include existing or planned corridors) critical to future efficient movement of goods on the primary freight network. Effective beginning 10 years after the designation of the primary freight network and every 10 years thereafter, using the designation factors described in paragraph (1), the Secretary shall redesignate the primary freight network (including additional mileage described in paragraph (2)). .