Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), a member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, sent a letter to Commerce Committee Chair John Thune (R-S.D.) and Ranking Member Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) requesting that the Committee hold a hearing on how smart cities and communities can effectively address our nation’s transportation and infrastructure challenges.
“According to the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT), Americans spend an average of 42 hours a year stuck in traffic,” wrote the Senator. “In addition to harmful effects on safety and opportunity, the economic cost of congestion alone amounts to $160 billion a year in excess fuel consumption and delays for consumers and businesses. Modern technology offers enormous potential to help address these issues and, as the number of people who depend on our transportation infrastructure grows, it is imperative we empower localities, both rural and urban, to develop solutions designed to address these challenges.”
The Senator continued, “As you know well, many localities are active in the smart city space. Austin, TX, has been working to establish a digital Mobility Marketplace to aid underserved residents and Indianapolis, IN, has targeted transit improvements and solar integration. These are just two examples that match the kind of thinking going on in Nevada, which we hope will be more broadly available to cities and rural communities of South Dakota, Florida, and elsewhere.”
The full text of the letter can be found below:
|
The Honorable John Thune Chairman, Senate Committee on Commerce, Science & Transportation Washington, DC 20510 |
The Honorable Bill Nelson Ranking Member, Senate Committee on Commerce, Science & Transportation Washington, DC 20510 |
Dear Chairman Thune and Ranking Member Nelson,
I am writing to respectfully request that the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation hold a hearing to examine how smart cities and communities can effectively address our nation’s transportation and infrastructure challenges.
According to the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT), Americans spend an average of 42 hours a year stuck in traffic. In addition to harmful effects on safety and opportunity, the economic cost of congestion alone amounts to $160 billion a year in excess fuel consumption and delays for consumers and businesses. Modern technology offers enormous potential to help address these issues and, as the number of people who depend on our transportation infrastructure grows, it is imperative we empower localities, both rural and urban, to develop solutions designed to address these challenges.
Even before the USDOT administered a competitive grant program known as the SMART City Challenge, and awarded $40 million to Columbus, Ohio to implement their plan to connect isolated communities to health care facilities, smart community concepts were gaining popularity throughout America. Since then, we have seen an explosion of activity and interest in the development of smart communities in order to benefit safety, efficiency, and broader quality of life.
As you know well, many localities are active in the smart city space. Austin, TX has been working to establish a digital Mobility Marketplace to aid underserved residents and Indianapolis, IN has targeted transit improvements and solar integration. These are just two examples that match the kind of thinking going on in Nevada, which we hope will be more broadly available to cities and rural communities of South Dakota, Florida, and elsewhere.
This kind of innovative planning is what led me to introduce the bipartisan Moving FIRST Act (S. 1809), with Senator Burr (R-NC), which would allow cities of all sizes to compete for these resources and promote the expansion of smart transportation technology throughout the country. S. 1809 currently enjoys the support of entities such as the National League of Cities, the National Association of Counties, CTIA, Lyft, and Uber.
Given the importance and opportunities available on this issue, and the emphasis we expect to be made on improving our nation’s infrastructure in the coming months, I believe a full committee hearing on this subject would be informative and productive. I appreciate your consideration on this matter and look forward to working on transportation issues in the future.
###