Statement of Joe Kiely on Behalf Of Ports-To-Plains Alliance at Oklahoma City, Ok, Field Hearing of Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, U.S. House of Representatives, February 24, 2011

1. STATEMENT OF JOE KIELY
ON BEHALF OF PORTS-TO-PLAINS ALLIANCE
AT OKLAHOMA CITY, OK, FIELD HEARING OF
COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE
U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
FEBRUARY 24, 2011
I am Joe Kiely, Vice-President for Operations, of the Ports-to-Plains Alliance, which is a non-profit, non-
partisan, community-driven advocacy group of public and private leaders from a ten-state, 2300-plus
mile transportation and economic development corridor between the Texas-Mexico border and Alberta,
Canada, traversing western Oklahoma. This corridor of national significance serves:
 6 of the top 10 agricultural states that produce nearly 25 percent of all U.S. agricultural goods;
 8 of the top 10 oil producing states and 5 of the top 6 natural gas producing states;
 9 of the top 10 states for wind energy potential and 5 of top 12 installed wind generation states;
 many national, state and local tourist attractions;
 a region of the country that has the highest rate of population loss over the last decade; and
 as a potentially cost-efficient way to take pressure off highly-congested parallel corridors, like
the I-35 corridor.
Today the north-south movement of goods and persons through this region relies on an inadequate and
unsafe network of mostly two-lane highways which have been designated by federal law as National
Highway System High Priority Corridors: the Ports-to-Plains Corridor (#38), the Heartland Expressway
(#14), and the Theodore Roosevelt Expressway (#58). It is imperative that the next multi-year surface
transportation bill take meaningful steps to upgrade and modernize rural, multi-state corridors like these
to ensure that America’s energy and agricultural heartland and its communities are connected to
America by modern, efficient and safe transportation facilities.
As you will see from our Policy Paper, we are in general agreement with the Committee’s priorities for
the new surface transportation legislation.
We agree with the need to stabilize the Highway Trust Fund. Recognizing that preserving and
upgrading our national transportation infrastructure will be costly, we support significantly increased
transportation investment and continued user financing through a dedicated trust fund. We support
proposals like the Bowles-Simpson proposal to raise the motor fuel user tax and dedicate the revenue
stream to increased transportation investment. We also recognize, however, that the current political
climate in Washington makes proposals like this unlikely, at least in the near term.
If we have to live with existing revenues, we agree with the Committee that it will be essential to do
more with less by refocusing on programs and projects that are truly in the national interest. This
refocusing must include programs targeted at rural connectivity and mobility, freight transportation, and
safety.
Limon Office Lubbock Office
P.O. Box 9 5401 N MLK Blvd., Unit 395
Limon, CO 80828 Lubbock, TX 79403
P: 303.586.1787 P: 806.775.2338
F: 719.775.9073 Fax: 806.775.3981
www.portstoplains.com

2. We agree with the need to better leverage revenue sources through innovative financing and public-
private partnerships. We must, however, remember that these tools are of limited use in rural areas,
especially along multi-state rural corridors. This makes it all the more important that adequate Federal
resources be targeted to these areas.
We agree with the need to cut red tape and expedite projects. We must deliver projects faster than
we do today.
We also agree with the need for a National Strategic Transportation Plan. We support development
of a clear and compelling federal vision as well as a performance-based, outcome-oriented program
structure. The plan should be balanced; meet the needs of small communities and rural areas as well
as major metropolitan areas; recognize the need for system preservation and needed capacity; and be
environmentally responsible and energy efficient.
In conclusion, Mr. Chairman, President Eisenhower got it right when he said: “Our unity as a nation is
sustained by free communication of thought and by easy transportation of people and goods. The
ceaseless flow of information throughout the Republic is matched by individual and commercial
movement over a vast system of interconnected highways crisscrossing the country. Together, the
uniting forces of our communication and transportation systems are dynamic elements in the very name
we bear — United States. Without them, we would be a mere alliance of many separate parts.”
Our challenge today is to do for future generations what President Eisenhower and his generation did
for us. We must modernize our national surface transportation network to meet the challenges of the
21st Century. This is an enormous challenge but one in which we must succeed. The Ports-to-Plains
Alliance stands ready to do our part and to help you in any way we can.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I ask that a copy of this statement and our Policy Paper be included in the
hearing record.
Limon Office Lubbock Office
P.O. Box 9 5401 N MLK Blvd., Unit 395
Limon, CO 80828 Lubbock, TX 79403
P: 303.586.1787 P: 806.775.2338
F: 719.775.9073 Fax: 806.775.3981
www.portstoplains.com