SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 41
(By Senators Unger, Jenkins, Love, Oliverio, White, Deem,
Facemyer and McKenzie)
[Originating in the Committee on Transportation and
Infrastructure]
Requesting the United States Congress provide funding for a
double-stack rail route in West Virginia in an effort to
improve West Virginia's access to affordable rail and truck
transportation and requesting the Joint Committee on
Government and Finance study intermodal transportation in West
Virginia.
Whereas, Efficient and affordable intermodal transportation
has emerged as an essential element in international trade; and
Whereas, The highest value commodities moving in international
trade today, short of those extremely high-value items that move
via air freight, move in containers; and
Whereas, The most cost-effective manner to move such
containers is via rail intermodal in a double-stack configuration;
and
Whereas, Most parts of West Virginia are too distant from
existing intermodal routes to provide access for the state's
producers and receivers of products to effectively use the vital intermodal containerized transportation alternative which isolates
most of West Virginia's commerce from a burgeoning international
trade; and
Whereas, At the request of the Department of Transportation,
Norfolk Southern agreed to collaborate with the Department of
Transportation, the Appalachian Regional Commission and others in
exploring remedies that would improve West Virginia's access to
affordable rail-truck intermodal transportation; and
Whereas, The Nick. J. Rahall II Appalachian Transportation
Institute at Marshall University determined in its March 2003 final
report that double-stack rail service would return considerable
economic benefits to West Virginia; and
Whereas, The most efficient surface form of intermodal
transportation for container movement involves "double-stacking"
containers two-high on rail cars; and
Whereas, Currently there are no rail routes in West Virginia
capable of accommodating double-stacked containers, thereby
precluding West Virginia producers' access to double-stack services
and impeding the free flow of double-stacked commerce between West
Virginia and contiguous states; and
Whereas, Such a lack of access to double-stack rail service
for containers places West Virginia producers and receivers of
products and components at a significant competitive disadvantage;
and
Whereas, Providing adequate clearances for double-stacked
movement in West Virginia requires tunnels and other track
structures to be modified; and
Whereas, Clearing a West Virginia routing for the movement of
double-stacked containers would provide significant economic,
environmental and social benefits to the residents of West Virginia
and adjoining states, including thousands of direct and indirect
new jobs in West Virginia; and
Whereas, Providing for a double-stack intermodal route through
West Virginia should be pursued via a partnership that includes
both public and private entities, including the Department of
Transportation, the United States Department of Transportation and
private rail carrier Norfolk Southern; and
Whereas, The rail carrier in question, Norfolk Southern, on
its own volition and in good faith with proponents of double-stack
intermodal transportation in West Virginia and adjoining states,
decided this year to initiate and fund the preliminary engineering
necessary for the tunnel clearance component of the Heartland
Corridor Project; and
Whereas, The Heartland Corridor Project is an intermodal
project designed to provide West Virginia and adjoining states with
a fully cleared double-stacked intermodal corridor from the east
coast to the midwest, including Chicago, and the Heartland
Corridor's improvements are consistent with West Virginia's interest in improving the free flow of commerce throughout the
United States; and
Whereas, Funding for implementing such a double-stacked route
in West Virginia would be an eligible activity under the proposed
Federal TEA 21 Reauthorization's Program for "Projects of National
and Regional Significance"; therefore, be it
Resolved by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That the Legislature hereby requests the United States
Congress provide funding for a double-stack rail route in West
Virginia in an effort to improve West Virginia's access to
affordable rail and truck transportation and requesting the Joint
Committee on Government and Finance study intermodal transportation
in West Virginia; and, be it
Further Resolved, That the United States Congress should
consider that the implementation of this type of intermodal
transportation project would not only greatly benefit the citizens
of West Virginia but would also greatly enhance the free flow of
commerce among all states in the national interest and greatly
benefit the environment, safety and economic development of the
same; and, be it
Further Resolved, That the Heartland Corridor Project and
intermodal transportation facilities should develop and utilize
technology infrastructure to aid in time-sensitive inland
transportation networks; and, be it
Further Resolved, That the Joint Committee on Government and
Finance's study of the intermodal transportation project include
infrastructure development and improvement projects in conjunction
with the intermodal transportation project and the use of West
Virginia labor; and, be it
Further Resolved, That the Joint Committee on Government and
Finance report to the regular session of the Legislature, 2006, on
its findings, conclusions and recommendations, together with drafts
of any legislation necessary to effectuate its recommendations;
and, be it
Further Resolved, That expenses necessary to conduct this
study, to prepare a report and to draft necessary legislation be
paid from legislative appropriations to the Joint Committee on
Government and Finance; and, be it
Further Resolved, That the Clerk of the Senate is hereby
directed to forward a copy of this resolution to West Virginia's
Congressional Delegation.
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