The Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute at NDSU, through its involvement in the Mountain Plains Consortium, sponsored a two-day workshop to bring together industry, government and academic leaders to address transportation policy and regulation. Beyond the Crossroads: A National Discourse on Transportation Policy and Regulation was held May 27-28 at the University of Denver.
“The workshop brought together bipartisan leaders from the political arena, professionals from various sectors of the economy and various modes of transportation, as well as academic specialists with expertise in various disciplines to address policy challenges facing the nation’s transportation system,” noted Denver Tolliver, associate director of the Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute and director of the Mountain Plains Consortium. The Mountain-Plains Consortium is a multi-state research center funded by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s University Transportation Centers program. NDSU, through the Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute, is the lead institution in the effort which also includes Colorado State University, South Dakota State University, the University of Utah and the University of Wyoming
“This is an ideal time for us to examine policy and regulatory issues related to transportation,” Tolliver said. “A number of factors are coming together to focus attention on transportation in this country in an unprecedented way.” He noted that the largest transportation spending bill in the history of the United States is being debated by Congress, significant regulatory changes are under consideration, transportation infrastructure in many areas of the country is nearing capacity, congestion costs taxpayers more than $200 billion a year, freight rail volume is expected to double by 2035 and the U.S. population is expected to increase by 50 percent by 2050.
Published proceedings from the conference will serve as a guidebook for agency heads, political leaders and researchers who want to address transportation regulatory issues in this new environment.
In addition to the Mountain Plains Consortium, other sponsors included the National Center for Intermodal Transportation, the Intermodal Transportation Institute at the University of Denver, the Rahall Institute, the Mineta Transportation Institute and the Colorado Transportation and Logistics Organizations (including the Rocky Mountain Roundtable of Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals, the Colorado Chapter of the Women’s Transportation Seminar and the Denver Transportation Club).
June 11, 2009