March 4, 2016 
Greg Thomas Named KYTC Acting Secretary 

Gov. Matt Bevin has named Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) Deputy Secretary Greg Thomas as acting  Secretary. Thomas will replace Mike Hancock who submitted his resignation Thursday. 

Thomas, ap pointed Deputy Secretary in February, has held many diverse positions throughout his career.

Most recently, Thomas was responsible for safe, reliable and strategic operation of the statewide electric distribution system and related regulatory and compliance functions as a Vice President with Louisville Gas and Electric. 

KBT looks forward to working with Thomas and all of the KYTC staff. 

Yesterday, I was a guest of GoRail at Railroad Day 2016 - an annual Washington DC Fly In hosted by the rail industry. 

It was a quick trip on short notice, but it was a great event and a wonderful opportunity. Not only was I able to spend some quality time with many of our members, I was able to meet with the Kentucky Congressional delegation.
 
The primary "ask" yesterday wasn't really an "ask" at all. We were there to thank the Kentucky delegation for their support of the recently passed Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act - also regularly referred to as the FAST Act.

Washington may seem like a long way to travel just to say thank you.  Many people may not think it is worth it - but it is. 

Advocacy is more than just asking people to support your initiatives. It is about following up after the final votes are cast. It is also about letting the delegation know how that decision impacted your business or your community.
 
Advocacy really never ends, even after some of the largest issues are addressed. 

Although we now have a long term surface transportation bill, in five short years we will need another one. It took more than a decade to get the most recent bill passed.
 
When KBT hosts our Fly In in May, not only will we be thanking the Kentucky delegation for their support of the Long Term Surface Transportation Bill. We'll also be advocating for the next long term surface transportation bill and for FAA Authorization. 

As an organization, KBT needs to consistently remind every member of the Kentucky delegation that we must have continued authorizations that are adequately funded. 

We need to  remind them that this funding is necessary so that we can plan for and implement the major projects that are needed to keep Kentucky competitive.

I hope you'll join us on May 18-19, 2016 for the KBT Washington, DC Fly In so we can show our gratitude for the hard work that was completed, and begin advocating for the issues we need to address in the future.

Kentucky Wins Site Selection Governors Cup for the Second Year in a Row

Texas and Kentucky have again won the Governors Cups for attracting new facilities the previous year - Texas for total qualifying projects and Kentucky for total projects per capita (a widely applauded recognition added to this facilities race in 2014).

As Yogi Berra would say, it's like déjà vu all over again. Except this time the new governor involved, Matt Bevin, is on the Kentucky side. Last March, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott made his first appearance in the pages of Site Selec tion when he accepted the Governor's Cup for total project activity in 2014, having just taken office a few weeks previously.

Gov. Bevin of Kentucky has that experience this year as the Commonwealth claims the other Governor's Cup - he just took office in December 2015. Both governors in this situation transferred credit for their wins immediately to those economic development professionals on the state and local levels who did the hard work of attracting new businesses and retaining and growing existing ones during the calendar years for which they were recognized.

The Governors Cups reflect yearly project totals as tracked by the Conway Projects Database. Qualifying projects must meet one or more of these criteria for inclusion in the database: a minimum capital investment of $1 million, 20 or more new jobs created, and 20,000 or more square feet of new space.
Both Texas and Kentucky increased their winning totals in 2015. Texas finished the year with 702 projects, up from 689 last year; Kentucky had 285, up from 258. Ohio claimed second place in both total projects and total projects per capita in last year's facilities race - ditto the previous year - and it retains that recognition on the total projects side with 517 projects (down from 582 in 2015). Nebraska ranks second on the per capita side with 118 projects.

Click here to read the entire article from Site Selection
KBT's Mission Statement
Kentuckians for Better Transportation educates and advocates for all modes of transportation to promote a safe, sustainable transportation network that brings economic growth and improved quality of life to all Kentucky Communities.
Legislative Update
LIFT Before the House Committee on Constitutional Amendments

LIFT would allow voters to decide they want to raise revenue for important local projects that will improve quality of life and economic development.   If LIFT does not pass in 2016, it cannot be put on the ballot until  2018. That is two full years where cities in Kentucky will fall behind others with the power to raise their own revenues and determine their own futures.

Please Contact committee members today!

CALL 502.564.8100 and ask for one of the following committee members:
  • Rep. Reginald Meeks [Chair], 
  • Rep. Joseph M. Fischer [Vice Chair]
  • Rep. Derrick Graham [Vice Chair]
  • Rep. Mary Lou Marzian [Vice Chair]
  • Rep. Johnny Bell
  • Rep. Kevin D. Bratcher
  • Rep. Jim Gooch Jr.
  • Rep. Sannie Overly
Ask the committee members to support allowing local VOTERS to decide on important local projects that will improve quality of life and economic development. Ask them for their support HB2 and LIFT Kentucky.

For more information click here.
KBT's Events and Committee Meetings

KBT Air Transportation Committee Meeting

KBT Highways Committee Meeting
Date: Weds. March 30, 2016
Date: Friday, April 1, 2016
Time: 10:00 am
Time: 10:00 am
Location: Madison Co. Cooperative Ext. Office
230 Duncannon Lane
Richmond, KY 40510
Location: KYTC District 7 
763 West New Circle Road
Lexington, KY
Guest: KDA Commissioner Col. Steve Parker
Guest: Thomas L. Nelson, Jr., Division Administrator, Federal Highway Administration
KBT committee meetings are open to all members of KBT.
KBT's Annual Washington, D.C. Fly-In -  May 18 & 19, 2016
Washington DC Hyatt Regency
Don't miss this incredible opportunity to meet Kentucky's Congressional delegation, discuss transportation and network with leaders in the transportation industries.


Tentative Schedule
Wednesday,
May 18, 2016
1:30 - 4:00 pm

2:30 pm
3:00 pm
4:00 pm
Day One on the Hill
U.S. Capitol 
U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell
U.S. Senator John Thune, Chair of the Senate Republican Conference
Congressman Andy Barr
5:30 
Private Reception
GiGi Room - Joe's Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab
6:30
Private Dinner
Joe's Seafood, Prime Steak and Stone Crab 
Confirmed Guests:
Congressman Hal Rogers (KY-5),
Chairman House Appropriations Committee 
Thursday,
May 19, 2016
8:00 am
Day Two on the Hill
U.S. Capitol Visitors Center
8:00 
Catered Breakfast
Speakers
10:00 
Private Guided Tour of U.S. Capitol
with Congressman Hal Rogers 

For more information and to register online please click the following link:  2016 Washington, D.C. Fly-In
Gov. Reaffirms Commitment to Aging InfrastructureHighway

Flex Funds, 80/20 Bridge Replacement programs available to local governments in FY 2017 

FRANKFORT, Ky. (March 1, 2016) - Governor Matt Bevin today announced that two essential road aid programs - both housed in the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet's (KYTC) Department of Rural and Municipal Aid - will continue to operate in Fiscal Year 2017. 

The Flex Funds and 80/20 Bridge Replacement programs will be available to local officials over the next fiscal year.  These programs are designed to give local governments the flexibility to use state funds for county road projects. 

Mid-Park Opens New $3.5M Facility in Butler County

Bowling Green, Ky. - Mid-Park, Inc. has opened the company's newest Service Stamping and Threading (SST) operation in Morgantown, Ky.

SST estimates a total investment of as much as $3.5 million and expects to create 50 new jobs in Butler County over the next three years. This is Mid-Park's third Kentucky location.

"We are thrilled to become a part of Butler County's industrial base and part of this community," said SST division President Joel Bernard. "With the addition of SST's Morgantown Plant we are able to further enhance our 40 year history of suppling stampings, assemblies, and machined components to a variety of industries while making a positive impact on the lives of Butler Countians."

Mid-Park's existing SST facility in Leitchfield manufactures farm gate hardware and offers a variety of contract manufacturing services. They are the largest manufacturer and distributor of farm gate hardware in the United States.

Click here to link to article from The Lane Report

Three months? One year? That's the question now circulating through Congress as legislators shore up a strategy on how to approach the extension of FAA authority. Senate Commerce Chairman John Thune wants to keep it short, maintaining the goal of ramming through a long-term piece of legislation in the waning days of this Congress. But other lawmakers aren't so sure that's going to be possible - or even desirable. House Transportation Committee members placed their bets with our Heather Caygle and Lauren Gardner, and wondered whether their colleagues will want to pursue a longer extension to help salvage some of their own bill, rather than simply signing onto a Senate version and scrapping the years of work that were put into crafting the bill.
WASHINGTON - The Federal Railroad Administration today launched a new tool on its website that allows states and municipalities to request inspection reports for rail bridges in their communities. The tool is being launched following the passage of the Fixing America's Surface Transportation (FAST) Act and is one of the first provisions FRA has implemented. FRA also announced today that it has requested additional resources as part of the President's Fiscal Year 2017 budget to double its bridge specialist staff and create a national bridge inventory database and website.

"Communities across the country will now have access to information on the condition of railroad bridges in their area," said U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. "These inspection reports will provide greater transparency between railroads and local leaders, which is an important cornerstone in our comprehensive safety efforts."

Click here to read entire article from FRA DOT
USDOT Requests Applications for $800 Million New FASTLANE Grant Program

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) announced that it is now soliciting applications for the Fostering Advancements in Shipping and Transportation for the Long-term Achievement of National Efficiencies  (FASTLANE) grant program.  The FASTLANE program is a new program in the Fixing America's Surface Transportation (FAST) Act to fund critical freight and highway projects across the country.  The FAST Act authorizes $800 million in funding for the FASTLANE program for fiscal year 2016, with 25 percent reserved for rural projects, and 10 percent for smaller projects.   

Click here for more information from US DOT

Kentucky ranks among the nation's logistics leaders, located within a day's drive of two-thirds of the U.S. population and personal income. Nineteen interstates and major highways, 13 freight railroads, 1,490 miles of commercially navigable waterways, five commercial airports and dozens of regional airports make the Commonwealth an ideal location for companies focused on exports.

Eurofins Scientific  The global leader in bio-analytical testing, and one of the world leaders in genomic services, has opened a new $12.5 million state-of-the-art manufacturing and services facility in Louisville that will include up to 110 new employees, including lab technicians, chemists and biologists as well as positions in customer service, logistics, information technology, administration, finance and accounting.


A new container-on-barge shuttle service between the Port of New Orleans and Baton Rouge is poised to enhance the booming chemical industry's ability to move higher volumes. 

As the chemical industry continues to boom in Louisiana and the Gulf South region, SEACOR AMH has created a new container-on-barge shuttle service from Baton Rouge to export those products via the Port of New Orleans.
 
The company plans to bring the container-on-barge shuttle service on the Lower Mississippi River Waterway by the spring of this year. The initial service will operate with one tug boat and up to six barges at once, the maximum number that can be moved at once through the Port Allen lock near Baton Rouge. SEACOR AMH already has facilities in the New Orleans area and has opened a terminal along the Port Allen Canal. Plans include the installation of intermodal equipment such as chassis, trucking and container handling equipment at Port Allen to move empties and spreaders.


This is the last week to register and attend the webinar series hosted by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA)'s Office of Transit Safety and Oversight to discuss the Public Transportation Agency Safety Plan Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) and the proposed National Public Transportation Safety Plan. During the webinar series , which starts tomorrow with a session designed for Small Urban, Rural & Tribal-serving agencies, FTA will discuss the provisions of both the proposed rule and plan, and how industry stakeholders can get involved in the regulatory process.

The proposed Agency Safety Plan rule would require any public transportation system that receives federal financial assistance to certify and implement a safety plan based on the principles of Safety Management System (SMS). The National Safety Plan is not a regulation, but would be FTA's primary tool to disseminate guidance, technical assistance, templates, and other resources related to safety rulemaking to help transit providers improve their safety performance. Comments are due by April 5, 2016.


PASS Training will be held at Federated Transportation Services of Bluegrass Offices on March 7-9, 2016.
 
Class will begin at 9 am - 4:30 pm the first two days.  You may get out early on the third depending on the testing.  Lunch will be served each day.  

For more information please contact Pam Shepherd at  [email protected] or 859-233-0066  
Infrastructure Vision 2050 Challenge

The current public conversation about U.S. infrastructure focuses too often on what we have failed to do. It seems on a daily basis we read stories about chunks of concrete falling from bridges, or see segments about how potholes have ravaged our roads (and are aggravating drivers!).
 
Given this, it is understandable that many Americans focus on the problem that affect their daily lives, especially in a 24/7 media cycle. But if we are going to break the cycle of patchwork fixes and deferred maintenance, we must look beyond the immediate and form a long term vision for our future.
 
We need to imagine how people, freight, and utilities will move in the country of tomorrow - yes, even as far out as the year 2050 - rather than the congested status quo of today.

KBT thanks all of our 2016 Transportation Conference  Sponsors & Exhibitors
 
 Kentuckians for Better Transportation | (502) 491-5600 | www.kbtnet.org
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