Nice to see Heartland Expressway mentioned in Wyoming TRIP Report. See page 11:
One of Wyoming’s 25 most needed surface transportation projects for economic recovery: Heartland Expressway and it connection to energy and agriculture.
Construction of a new 1.6 mile connector route in Torrington to replace intersection of US 85 and US 20-26. This $35 million project would relieve congestion at this intersection and improve access to the Niobrara Oil Play and decrease conflicts with Powder River Basin low sulfur coal shipments while improving freight connections for freight and livestock movement from the Heartland Express to Interstates 80 and 25.
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AASTHO
January 7, 2011
Wyoming needs to make additional investments in its surface transportation system to strengthen the state's energy, agriculture, tourism, and manufacturing industries and to promote the overall quality of life, concludes a report released Wednesday by the nonprofit transportation research organization TRIP.
The Ports-to-Plains Alliance continues to advocate for a transportation system that meets the needs of energy and agriculture through the heartland of North America. Both economic sectors require the movement of oversize and overweight equipment and machinery. As we look for opportunities to create new jobs in our communities we find that the primary wind resources in North America are located in the Alliance region.
3 of the top 10 states in installed wind energy are in the region. (TX-1; CO-9; ND-10)
5 of top 10 states with projects under construction (CO-4; OK-7;TX-8;WY-9; SD-10)
9 of the top ten states in potential are in the corridor. [TX-1; KS-2; MT-3; NE-4; SD-5; ND-6; WY-8; OK-9; NM-10]
At the same time
8 of the top 10 states in oil production are served by the highway corridor. This includes Texas (#1) and North Dakota (#3).
Five of the top six gas production states.
Canada is the number one source of oil imported into the United States. Mexico is number 2. Alberta’s oil sands have estimated reserves of 171.3 billion barrels and currently provide 1.4 million barrels per day, over 14% of our total imports of oil. North America’s energy is far more secure because of the Alliance Region.
This production highlights the importance of the transportation system to the development of this energy. While it focuses on the movement of wind towers and blades the same points could be made if the haul was oil field and refining equipment. As pointed out in the production, most of the miles of these movements are not in urban areas or on interstate highways, but rural highways like the Ports-to-Plains Alliance corridors.
Permitting these large loads is an important part of the equation. The Alliance is advocating a pilot permitting process that would allow companies moving this equipment through the ten state region to obtain a coordinated electronic permit. The pilot project could provide federal funding to assist states with developing a process, not by changes their rules and regulations but by improving coordination so the final route from point A to point B is clear from the outset.
Every user of energy should watch this video. Every supporter of wind energy should watch this show. Energy and transportation are tied together.
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Dangerous Drives
Speed TV on Hulu
Truck drivers who are transporting towers and turbine fan blades from Texas and Washington states to a wind farm in South Dakota.
Ports-to-Plains Board Member Milton Pax was recently honored in Austin as one of seven of the Texas Road Hand inductees during the luncheon at the 6th Annual Texas Transportation Forum on Tuesday, Jan. 4, 2011.
Pictured L-R: Milton’s daughter Javonna Fielding, Milton Pax and wife Sandy at the Road Hand LuncheonIn the early days of the 20th century, anyone who helped build roads was called a Road Hand. Today’s Road Hands are citizens who have given their time, energy, and vision to help improve transportation throughout the state. Luther DeBerry, a former State Highway Engineer, created the Road Hand award in 1973 as the highest tribute to public-spirited citizens who championed transportation projects in their community...
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the AFL-CIO -- two powerful players that are often at each other's throats -- are considering teaming up for a campaign against the House GOP's planned cuts to infrastructure spending, spokespeople for both groups tell me...
State Senator Deb Fischer introduced her state highway funding plan to the Nebraska Legislature yesterday.
The introduced bills, LB 84 and LRC3A, would potentially utilize existing sales tax revenues to create the State Highway Capital Improvement (SCHI) Fund for roads projects and expressway construction. The bill would also allow for highway bonds.
As proposed, the SHCI fund would allocate up to 85% of aggregate money for surface transportation projects of the highest priority as determined by the Nebraska Department of Roads (NDOR); at least $15 million for construction of the expressway system as determined by the NDOR; and no more than $25 million annually for payments on bonds.
How this may impact the Heartland Expressway is uncertain as the interpretation of the expressway system appears to be at the discretion of the Nebraska Department of Roads. According to the Nebraska State Highway Functional Classification Map on the NDOR website, there are not any two-lane segments of the Heartland Expressway or any two-lane highways west of Highway 81 in eastern Nebraska that are classified as expressway.
The House of Representatives, assembling Wednesday for the first day of the 112th Congress, adopted a rule change that will make it easier to reduce highway and transit spending in legislation moving through the chamber.
House Republicans, who gained the majority in last November's election, turned down an effort Tuesday in caucus to modify a rules provision that drops a "point of order" (Rule XXI, Clause 3) in place since 1998 that permitted any representative to object to an appropriations bill containing funding for state highway and transit projects supported by the federal Highway Trust Fund that provides less money than what was previously authorized by law...
The 112th Congress hadn't even gaveled in when a broad group of transportation and labor organizations assailed House Republicans for changing the rules to limit how the highway trust fund is used in spending bills. The groups--including the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and the Laborers International Union of North America--claim the change will "sever the user-financed basis of the Highway Trust Fund, and make annual federal highway and transit investments subject to the whims of the appropriations process."...
Len Mitzel, Member of the Legislative Assembly from Alberta, Canada and Ports-to-Plains Alliance, talks to TxDOT about borders, trade, transportation and Alberta's relationship to the Ports-to-Plains Alliance. Mitzel was in Austin, TX to participate in the Ports-to-Plains Board of Directors meeting and the Texas Transportation Forum.
Monday, January 10, 2011 at 10:04PM 
