Source: United States Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND)
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FARGO, N.D. – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Ranking Member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee, addressed the Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute’s (UGPTI) 36th annual awards banquet.
Senator Cramer provided opening remarks and discussed the important transportation research UGPTI provides for entities across North Dakota, including the North Dakota Department of Transportation. He also highlighted his efforts to preserve highway formula funding and ensure flexibility to best serve the needs of rural states.
“Thank you to the Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute for hosting this event and the important work you do for transportation in North Dakota. This industry is an important link in the supply chain and we rely on them each day to deliver agriculture products from the field to our tables,” said Senator Cramer.
During the banquet, UGPTI presented awards to recognize individuals who have made significant contributions to transportation and announced scholarships to four North Dakota State University (NDSU) students.
UGPTI is a research, education, and outreach center at NDSU promoting the safe and efficient movement of people and goods. Their program areas focus on specific transportation issues including agricultural freight, rural traffic analysis, and tribal outreach.
Background:
In February, Senator Cramer led his colleagues in two letters to the U.S. Department of Transportation pressing the Biden Administration to implement the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) according to the law and highlighting concerns with the FHWA-issued guidance. The IIJA also explicitly excluded language to limit states from expanding their infrastructure beyond the maintenance of existing roads and highways and codified expedited permitting reforms for highway projects. During bill negotiations, Senator Cramer secured the traditional split of Highway Trust Fund program dollars of 90 percent formula funding to 10 percent discretionary grants, ensuring states have consistent funding and the flexibility to meet their constituents’ needs.
At a Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) hearing in March, Senator Cramer pressed Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg to rescind their flawed guidance regarding the implementation of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Similarly, he pressed Shailen Bhatt, nominee to be Administrator of the Federal Highway Administration, to rein in the bureaucracy and focus on implementing the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law as Congress intended at a Senate EPW hearing in September.