January 31, 2018

New Democrat Coalition Infrastructure Task Force Releases Infrastructure Priorities for 2018

Today, the New Democrat Coalition 21st Century Infrastructure Task Force, along with Chair Jim Himes, released a set of priorities to increase long-term federal investments in all types of infrastructure. We need to modernize America’s infrastructure, create an infrastructure bank, incentivize rebuilding communities of need, and encourage innovation and reform.

The 21st Century Infrastructure Task Force, Co-Chaired by Reps. John Delaney, Elizabeth Esty, Stacey Plaskett, and Norma Torres, crafted these pillars in order to identify opportunities to improve outcomes for our nation’s infrastructure. Modernizing our infrastructure is important to Americans in every part of the country. We know that infrastructure projects are consistently evaluated as one of the best returns on government investments, and that Americans would rather spend more time doing the things they love than sitting in traffic wasting time and money.

Specifically, the Task Force outlined policy ideas under the following pillars:

  1. Modernize America’s infrastructure
  2. Create an infrastructure bank to finance projects
  3. Create incentives for communities most in need of building and maintaining their infrastructure
  4. Encourage innovation and reform

Investment is vital to both the jobs created to build and maintain our infrastructure, as well as those supported and bolstered by a strong and healthy infrastructure system that facilitates the efficient movement of workers, goods, services, and ideas. Any new proposal must include new revenue, new financing, new funding, regulatory streamlining, and encourage life-cycle funding in innovative infrastructure projects that are built to last.

These new priorities build on the three part plan that the Coalition released last year to revitalize our outdated infrastructure: Fund it, Fix it, Foster it.

Full text of the four pillars for an infrastructure deal is below and a copy can be found here. 

 

New Democrat Coalition 21st Century Infrastructure Taskforce

Four Pillars for an Infrastructure Deal

The New Democrat Coalition is determined to increase long-term federal investments in all types of infrastructure. Supporting the movement of people, goods, energy, and information through our infrastructure is crucial to driving investment in our communities and maintaining America’s economic competitiveness. This investment is vital to both the jobs created to build and maintain our infrastructure, as well as those supported and bolstered by a strong and healthy infrastructure system that facilitates the efficient movement of workers, goods, services, and ideas. Modernizing our infrastructure is important to Americans in every part of the country. We know that infrastructure projects are consistently evaluated as one of the best returns on government investments, and that Americans would rather spend more time doing the things they love than sitting in traffic wasting time and money.

As New Dems, we believe any new proposal must include new revenue, new financing, new funding, regulatory streamlining, and encourage life-cycle funding in innovative infrastructure projects that are built to last.

  1. Modernize America’s infrastructure
    • The Task Force proposes modernizing revenue sources and protecting infrastructure funds from being looted for other purposes. We support securing dedicated, sustainable revenue to keep the Highway Trust Fund solvent well into the future, and increasing federal investment that ensures America’s infrastructure keeps pace with growing demand. We are considering a variety of funding options including mileage based user fees, raising or indexing the gas tax, user fees on electric vehicles or batteries to create parity with gasoline powered vehicles, slightly increasing the corporate tax rate and dedicating the incremental revenue gains towards infrastructure, and both expanded and new bond programs.
    • Finally, we must think strategically and expand our focus beyond up-front costs, using life-cycle cost analysis to account for the operating and maintenance needs of an asset across its entire life-cycle. Short-sighted investment will only leave Americans with an ever-deeper backlog of deferred maintenance and costly repairs. 
  2. Create an infrastructure bank to finance projects
    • The Task Force supports investing seed funding to capitalize an infrastructure bank that could leverage its funds for everything from roads to water to broadband projects. The bank would be accessible to states, localities, and regional groups, and would be able to loan them money with favorable terms, as well as offer bond insurance. Importantly, an infrastructure bank is self-sustaining, able to make additional loans for new projects as money is paid back. 
  3. Create incentives for communities most in need of building and maintaining their infrastructure
    • The Task Force supports grant programs that specifically target areas in desperate need of revitalizing their infrastructure, including those recovering from natural disasters, communities with higher rates of unemployment and poverty, and rural areas.
    • We also support creating new avenues to fund infrastructure projects in communities that have been left behind and in areas that have traditionally struggled to attract infrastructure funding for projects that have holistic community support. New Dems also believe in working with public and private sources to encourage joint investment into all types of infrastructure projects.
  4. Encourage innovation and reform
    • The Task Force recognizes the importance of continued regulatory streamlining in a way that balances expedited construction with appropriate environmental and safety safeguards. First and foremost, we believe the administration must work to implement the numerous streamlining provisions already passed into law by Congress in the FAST Act transportation bill. In addition, we support encouraging the use of regional partnerships and public-private partnerships where appropriate.
    • Furthermore, as we revitalize old infrastructure and invest in new projects, we must encourage the adoption of new, innovative technologies that bolster safety and efficiency to create the infrastructure system of the future.
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