Historic Legislation Co-Authored by Senator Cramer Contains Several North Dakota Priorities

***Click here to download audio.***

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), the Ranking Member of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Subcommittee on Transportation and Infrastructure, issued the following statement today on the EPW Committee unanimously passing the Surface Transportation Reauthorization Act, the bipartisan surface transportation reauthorization bill he co-authored with fellow EPW leaders:

“Our Surface Transportation Reauthorization Act is a historic effort to rebuild and revive America’s roads and bridges. It contains high levels of support for rural communities, ensures resources are distributed in an equitable fashion, significantly reduces bureaucratic regulations, and provides states with flexibility to implement federal guidance, all of which are major North Dakota priorities. I am honored to have partnered with leaders like Senators Tom Carper, Shelley Moore Capito, and Ben Cardin to find common ground and get this done. I urge our colleagues to join us in supporting it and working to pass it.”

The $303.5 billion investment would mark an increase of more than 34 percent from the last reauthorization to pass Congress, the FAST Act, in 2015, which expired in 2020. Congress passed a one-year extension that will expire on September 30, 2021, if Congress fails to act. Today’s legislation includes North Dakota priorities such as: 

  • Delivering over $1.7 billion to North Dakota.
  • Distributing more than 90 percent of the funding via the current funding formula so state and local governments have guaranteed funding and flexibility to meet their constituents’ needs.
  • Establishing a new $2 billion grant program set aside solely for rural projects.
  • Enacting Senator Cramer’s bipartisan legislation to improve safety for students commuting to school.
  • Increased funding for roads on federal and tribal land.
  • Reauthorizing and increasing the University Transportation Centers program, which North Dakota State University participates in as part of the Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute and Mountain-Plains Consortium.
  • Requiring the Secretary of Transportation to consider states like North Dakota who have never received an INFRA Grant to be considered for eligibility. Senator Cramer led an amendment to include this language.
  • Providing the Secretary of the Interior discretion to establish a categorical exclusion for certain gathering lines that would reduce vented, flared, or avoidably lost natural gas from or vehicular traffic servicing onshore oil and gas wells on federal land and tribal land. 
  • Establishing a wildlife crossing pilot program to provide grants for projects designed to reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions and improve habitat connectivity.
  • Providing additional flexibility to states to provide additional funding to local communities for railway grade crossing closures.
  • Directing the Secretary of Transportation to establish a council to ensure the unique transportation needs and attributes of tribes and disadvantaged rural communities are fully addressed during the development and implementation of programs, policies, and activities of the Department of Transportation.
  • Prioritizing the maintenance of forest service access roads.
  • Maintaining and building permitting efficiency provisions.
  • Ensuring the Alternative Fuels Corridors grants include natural gas and propane products.

Senator Cramer also spoke during today’s markup, offering an amendment to streamline environmental protection regulations, create new pilot programs to revamp federal guidance, and improve the way costs associated with environmental compliance are measures. Click here to watch.

North Dakota Department of Transportation (NDDOT) Director Bill Panos applauded the committee’s progress.

“I’m grateful to Senator Cramer and the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee for their work to unanimously pass the Surface Transportation Reauthorization Act,” said Director Panos. “This bipartisan bill would increase transportation funding to North Dakota by approximately 20% and allow NDDOT to plan for and move forward with projects we may not have otherwise been able to fund. If it becomes law, it will benefit all North Dakotans who use the transportation system.”

Senator Cramer unveiled this legislation with fellow EPW leaders over the weekend. It now awaits action from the Senate’s Finance, Commerce, and Banking committees – where the senator holds a seat – which will produce their titles of the bill in order for it to reach the Senate full.

Click here for text of the Surface Transportation Reauthorization Act. Click here for a summary.