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NRF Welcomes Progress on Transportation Reauthorization, Expresses Concern Over Funding

Dépèche transmise le 7 juillet 2011 par Business Wire

NRF Welcomes Progress on Transportation Reauthorization, Expresses Concern Over Funding

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The National Retail Federation welcomed a transportation reauthorization proposal released today by House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman John Mica, R-Fla., but expressed concern over the measure’s funding levels.

“Retailers are among the nation’s largest shippers, and the condition of the nation’s transportation system is vital to our industry”

“Retailers are among the nation’s largest shippers, and the condition of the nation’s transportation system is vital to our industry,” NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay said. “Unfortunately, the transportation system has suffered from decades of underinvestment to the point that is has become inflexible and a drag on the economy. The growing inefficiencies and bottlenecks in the system increase costs and make it increasingly more difficult for American companies to grow their businesses and create the new jobs essential to continued economic recovery and future growth. Congress and the Administration need to move as quickly as possible to improve and expand transportation infrastructure to handle growing freight needs, and to find the funding necessary to achieve that goal.”

“With a long-term, six-year funding period, provisions to streamline the permit process for new projects and a multi-modal focus, this bill is a significant step in the right direction,” NRF Senior Vice President for Government Relations David French said. “Nonetheless, there is significant concern that by relying on the constraints of the current Highway Trust Fund, it does not provide sufficient funding to meet the existing and future needs of the U.S. infrastructure. We know this is the beginning of a legislative process, and look forward to working with lawmakers to ensure passage of a long-term reauthorization bill with appropriate funding levels and a funding mechanism that treats all transportation system users fairly.”

NRF has long supported a highway reauthorization bill that includes a focus on freight mobility, specifically the development of a national freight policy and a funding mechanism that fairly captures all users of the system.

As the world's largest retail trade association and the voice of retail worldwide, NRF's global membership includes retailers of all sizes, formats and channels of distribution as well as chain restaurants and industry partners from the United States and more than 45 countries abroad. In the United States, NRF represents the breadth and diversity of an industry with more than 1.6 million American companies that employ nearly 25 million workers and generated 2010 sales of $2.4 trillion. www.nrf.com