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My husband wants a new car.
That doesn't surprise me.
He's had his current car a little more than a year. He had his previous car for two years. The car before that he had for a little less than a year. So in "car years", it is time for him to start looking for a new car.
What did surprise me was the car he wants.
It's little - but quick - which I expected. It has a nice, modern interior, a panoramic sunroof, and a sleek exterior. It's quite cute.
Apparently, my husband is not alone in his desire to own this eye-catching vehicle.
Within the first 24 hours of Tesla's launch of the Model 3 (the car that my husband covets) more than 180,000 orders were placed. That number is now in excess of 325,000 orders. And that is just after one week of sales.
For comparison, according to the New York Post, BMW Group sold at total of 405,000 vehicles last year.
Tesla has not yet said how many of these orders were placed in the United States, but the sheer volume of those orders is worth considering.
Let's assume that all of those orders were placed in the US. That means there will be 325,000 cars using our roads. Which in turn means gas for those 325,000 cars will not need to be purchased. EVER.
They will not contribute to the Federal Highway Trust Fund nor will they contribute to their state road funds.
Unless we make changes at the state and federal level, those users will not contribute to the infrastructure they will use on a daily basis.
As a country - and as a state - we have to think about how we fund our infrastructure in the future. Whether it is revising our taxing structure to include alternative fuel vehicles, charging users for the miles they travel, changing our tax formula, or a combination of all three.
We will have to do something and, from the looks of things, we need to do something soon.
I think the users of our transportation network would be supportive of making changes that are equitable to all users.
After all, who would want to buy a new, technologically advanced car and continue to drive it on roads that are falling apart?
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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.
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KBT committee meetings are open to all members of KBT.
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KBT's Annual Washington, D.C. Fly-In
May 18 & 19, 2016
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U.S. Senator John Thune to Address KBT Fly-In Attendees
KBT is honored that Senator John Thune will address attendees during our Annual Washington, D.C. Fly-In.
This standing committee, one of the largest in the Senate, has legislative jurisdiction over:
- Coast Guard.
- Coastal zone management.
- Communications.
- Highway safety.
- Inland waterways, except construction.
- Interstate commerce.
- Marine and ocean navigation, safety, and transportation, including navigational aspects of deepwater ports.
- Marine fisheries.
- Merchant marine and navigation.
- Nonmilitary aeronautical and space sciences.
- Oceans, weather, and atmospheric activities.
- Panama Canal and interoceanic canals generally, except as provided in subparagraph (c).
- Regulation of consumer products and services, including testing related to toxic substances, other than pesticides, and except for credit, financial services, and housing.
- Regulation of interstate common carriers, including railroads, buses, trucks, vessels, pipelines, and civil aviation.
- Science, engineering, and technology research and development and policy.
- Sports.
- Standards and measurement.
- Transportation.
- Transportation and commerce aspects of Outer Continental Shelf lands.
John Thune grew up in Murdo, South Dakota. His interest in politics was sparked at a young age after making five of six free throws during a freshman high school basketball game. He was later greeted by a spectator who said, "I noticed you missed one." That spectator happened to be well-known sports enthusiast and South Dakota U.S. Representative Jim Abdnor. The introduction was the start of a friendship that ignited John's career in public service.
John received his undergraduate degree at Biola University and his Master's degree in Business Administration from the University of South Dakota. Upon completion of his Master's Degree in 1984, he married Kimberley Weems, a native of Doland, South Dakota.
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The bipartisan FAA Reauthorization Act will support American jobs and help American manufacturing. It will improve safety in the skies, and security in our airports...without raising taxes or fees on travelers...Let's continue doing our job. Let's vote today to get on this bill.
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell made the following remarks on the Senate floor today regarding the bipartisan Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Reauthorization Act:
"The bipartisan FAA Reauthorization Act is the product of a collaborative committee process in a Senate that's back to work. It was guided and informed by a series of substantive committee hearings. It contains ideas from committee members on both sides of the aisle. And because both Republicans and Democrats were given a stake in the outcome, it passed the Commerce Committee on a voice vote.
"Senator Thune is the Chair of that committee. Senator Ayotte is the Chair of the committee's aviation panel. We recognize key players like these for their many months of hard work, hearings, and collaboration. We recognize the Ranking Members - Senators Nelson and Cantwell - and committee members from both sides for their contributions too.
"The bipartisan FAA Reauthorization Act will support American jobs and help American manufacturing. It will improve safety in the skies, and security in our airports.
"It contains common-sense reforms for passengers too, in fact a consumer columnist for The Washington Post dubbed it 'one of the most passenger-friendly Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization bills in a generation.' For instance:
- To the extent an airline charges fees for things like baggage, or cancellations, or changes, this bill will help ensure they provide it in a clear, standard format people can understand.
- It will allow passengers to get refunds for services they purchase but don't receive, like if they've been charged a bag fee and the bag doesn't make it.
- It will give passengers more peace of mind when they travel, directing the FAA to update the contents of onboard emergency medical kits.
- And it will maintain rural access in states like Kentucky.
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The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is currently reviewing the report and recommendations of the Micro Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Aviation Rulemaking Committee. The agency had tasked the group to develop recommendations for performance-based regulations that would let certain unmanned aircraft operate over people not directly involved in the flight of the aircraft.
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Two Republican lawmakers urged the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Wednesday to move forward with a $2.3 billion project to replace three sets of Depression-era locks and dams at the head of the Ohio River, saying their crumbling condition hurts the competitiveness of the region's economy.
U.S. Rep. Bill Shuster, R-Blair, and Keith Rothfus, R-Sewickley, said the Corps has spent $17 million since 2003 studying what to do about locks and dams at Emsworth, Dashields and Montgomery.
If the Corps doesn't sign off on the project soon, it will not be included in legislation this year that will authorize new river infrastructure projects, they said. Since Congress only considers tho
se projects every two years, that would mean two more years of bureaucratic delays that Mr. Shuster, chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, and Mr. Roth
fus said must be avoided.
"We have been waiting now for close to 13 years and $17 million to get this study done," Mr. Rothfus said at a news conference at the Emsworth lock and dam.
Barge operators say the older locks and dams are, the more often they must be closed for emergency repairs - resulting in costly delays to barge shipments. Mr. Rothfus said there is a 50 percent chance that a lock or dam at one of the three Ohio River sites will fail by 2028. That would bring river traffic to a halt and jeopardize the water supply of thousands of residents who depend on water drawn from the river.
Link here to read entire article from Powersource
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This week FTA published its
proposed policy statement on the implementation of the increase in domestic content under the Buy America provisions for rolling stock. The FAST Act
amended the Buy America waiver for rolling stock to provide for a phased increase in the domestic content requirement for rolling stock from the current more than 60 percent to more than 70 percent in FY2020 and beyond. FTA interprets the statute to require that if a recipient enters into a contract for rolling stock after the effective date of the FAST Act -- October 1, 2015 -- then the new FAST Act provisions for the date of delivery of the rolling stock apply. Thus, for vehicles delivered in FY2018 and FY2019, the domestic content must be more than 65 percent, and for vehicles delivered in FY2020 and beyond, the domestic content must be more than 70 percent. To comment on the proposed policy statement, go to
Regulations.gov before May 6, 2016.
Additionally, FTA published a proposed
general public interest waiver for the following categories of rolling stock contracts: (1) for contracts entered into between the FAST Act's effective date and date of enactment -- between October 1, 2015 and December 4, 2015 -- the increased domestic content requirements for FY2018 and beyond will not apply, regardless of when the vehicles are delivered; and (2) for contracts entered into after December 4, 2015 as a result of solicitations for bids or requests for proposals that were advertised before December 4, 2015, the increased domestic content requirements for FY2018 and beyond will not apply, regardless of when the vehicles are delivered. To comment on the proposed public interest waiver, go to
Regulations.gov before April 13, 2016.
Links:
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National Work Zone Awareness Week, April 11-15
According to federal government data, more than 600 workers and motorists are killed annually in work zone-related accidents, and another 40,000 are injured.
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The U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) on April 4, 2016 announced that it is accepting applications for $25 million in competitive grant funding available to railroads, suppliers, and state and local governments for Positive Train Control (PTC) implementation. The funding is part of the 2016 Consolidated Appropriations Act that funds the U.S. Department of Transportation.
Applications will be accepted until May 19, 2016, and FRA will give preference to projects that would provide the greatest level of public safety benefits. As part of the President's Fiscal Year 2017 budget proposal, FRA requested $1.25 billion to assist commuter and short line railroads with implementing PTC.
Click here for more from Railway Age
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Round 7 Implementation Assistance Program Application Period Now Open & Webinar Recordings Available
The second Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP2) is now accepting applications for Round 7 of the
Implementation Assistance Program (IAP), which will remain open until April 29. Recipients will be announced in June.
For product details and to learn more about the Round 7 offerings,
click here.
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The first high-performance Charger diesel-electric passenger locomotive has rolled off the line at the Siemens manufacturing plant in Sacramento, Calif., and will soon begin testing and qualifying.
Charger locomotives are designed to operate at speeds up to 125 mph. They're powered by a Cummins QSK95, a 16-cylinder, 95-liter-displacement engine rated at 4,400 hp. and manufactured in the U.S. at the company's Seymour, Ind., plant. The QSK95, says Siemens, "is engineered with modern technologies and design features that ensure the highest performance, lowest fuel consumption, cleanest emissions, and lowest total cost of ownership of any locomotive engine." It meets EPA Tier IV emission standards.
Click here to read more from Railway Age
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KBT thanks all of our 2016 Transportation Conference
Sponsors & Exhibitors
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Kentuckians for Better Transportation | (502) 491-5600 | www.kbtnet.org
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