article: SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the ``Transportation Efficiency Act''. SEC. 2. NATIONAL INTERMODAL TRANSPORTATION PLANNING TASK FORCE. (a) Establishment of Task Force.--The President shall create a National Intermodal Transportation Planning Task Force (referred to in this Act as ``Task Force'') with the Secretary of Transportation, or designee, acting as chairperson and compromised of representatives of the Departments of Commerce, Energy, Labor, and Housing and Urban Development, the Environmental Protection Agency and other government agencies the President considers necessary to conduct the study and complete the Plan required by this Act. (b) Duties of Task Force.--The Task Force shall-- (1) conduct a study on transportation needs, a draft of which shall be completed not later than 12 months after the date of enactment of this Act and the final study shall be completed not later than 15 months after the date of enactment of this Act; (2) sponsor a conference on National Transportation Planning not later than 6 months after the completion of the draft study; (3) make recommendations to the President for possible invitees to the conference on National Transportation Planning described in section 3; (4) use the study and the input of attendees of the conference under section 3 to draft a National Intermodal Transportation Plan (referred to in this Act as ``Plan'') not later than 24 months after the date of enactment of this Act and publish it in the Federal Register and place it on the Department's Web site for public comment; and (5) transmit to Congress, and place on the Department of Transportation's Web site, a National Intermodal Transportation Plan not later than 24 months after the date of enactment of this Act. SEC. 3. NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION STUDY. In developing the study established pursuant to section 1, the Task Force shall consider all aspects and all modes of transportation, public, private, and commercial, including air, rail (passenger and freight), road, port, waterway, bicycle, and pedestrian. The study shall project for the next 30 years and examine and identify for such period of time the following: (1) National transportation priorities. (2) The anticipated demand, steps currently being taken to address anticipated demand, how successful these steps are anticipated to be, the most advantageous allocation of shipments of goods and travel among the various capacities of various modes, connectivity of those modes, and comparative costs. Comparative costs shall take into account past public investments in currently existing infrastructure for each transportation mode. (3) Deficiencies in the current and currently planned transportation systems to meet current and anticipated demand and the appropriate level of redundancies. (4) How intermodal transportation planning may help address anticipated transportation demand, social impacts of transportation, and the impact of the transportation sector on the environment, particularly global warming. (5) What obstacles exist to enhance and improve intermodal transportation planning to meet national priorities so that the national Plan provides suggestions on policy and legislative recommendations to such obstacles. (6) Transportation purposes, systems operational requirements and capacities, comparative long-term costs, and revenue sources. (7) How different agencies and levels of government may be better incorporated and coordinated to improve transportation planning. (8) Obstacles to potential benefits from, and current efforts in mega-region planning at the national and regional level. SEC. 4. NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION PLANNING CONFERENCE. (a) In General.--The Task Force shall convene a National Transportation Priorities Conference (referred to in this Act as the ``Conference'') not later than 6 months after the completion of the draft National Transportation Study. (b) Conference Mission.--The mission of the Conference shall be-- (1) to review the draft of the study conducted pursuant to section 2 and comment on the draft's findings; (2) to discuss ways to improve transportation planning; (3) to suggest short-term and long-term goals to be incorporated into the Plan; (4) to examine and evaluate how environmental priorities and economic planning are integrated into transportation planning; (5) to identify obstacles to meeting those goals and suggestion measures to reduce or eliminate those obstacles; and (6) to perform other tasks that the Task Force considers helpful to complete the Study and the Plan. (c) Conference Representatives.--The Conference shall be comprised of representatives appointed by the President of the following: (1) State Departments of Transportation. (2) State legislatures. (3) Municipal leaders. (4) Metropolitan planning organizations. (5) Transportation nonprofit and advocacy groups. (6) Bike and pedestrian and other transportation safety organizations. (7) Transportation trade associations. (8) Small and large transportation companies. (9) Environmental organizations. (10) Labor unions. (11) Academia. (12) And other groups the Task Force considers helpful in achieving the conference's mission. SEC. 5. NATIONAL INTERMODAL TRANSPORTATION PLAN. (a) In General.--The Plan developed under this Act shall include all aspects and all modes of transportation, both public and private, including rail, aviation, waterways, roads, ports, bicycle, and pedestrian and shall include the following: (1) Summary of the findings of the study. (2) Short-term and long-term goals. (3) A description of how each short-term goal will lead to, or at least not preclude, achieving long-term goals. (4) Incremental steps and performance measures to achieve such goals. (5) What public and private resources will be required to implement the Plan. (6) Any recommended legislative changes that are necessary to meet national priorities and the short-term and long-term goals, including better intermodal transportation and mega- region planning. (7) An exploration of potential alternatives to what is proposed in the Plan. (b) Long-Term Goals.--The long-term goals in the Plan shall take into account the following: (1) Accessibility, including how best to reasonably ensure that the various parts of the country have access to the national transportation system (road, rail routes, air routes, and water routes), including how and when public subsidies or regulation may be needed. (2) Mobility, including the ease and expense of getting people and goods to their desired destination in order to meet economics and societal needs. (3) National security, including addressing moving people and goods by alternative routes and modes in the face of either a natural or man-made disaster or intentional act. (4) Economic prosperity, including addressing how a vibrant economy requires timely and cost-effective movement of goods and services and how various national transportation policies can positively and negatively effect local and regional economies. (5) Social equity, including addressing the fact that transportation decisions have different costs and benefits on differing segments of our society and how goals may be established to help minimize those differences and ensure that vulnerable segments of society do not pay a disproportionate percentage of the cost. (6) Evaluate the environmental protection, including addressing the fact that transportation issues will have varying impacts on the environment from its contribution to green house gasses and other emissions to short-term economic costs that may lead to a decision that is counter to a long- term environmental benefit. (7) Energy consumption, including addressing how to minimize overall transportation sector energy needs and utilizing cost-benefit analysis based upon full-cost accounting. SEC. 6. FUNDING AUTHORIZATION. There are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary to carry out this Act.
summary: Transportation Efficiency Act - Directs the President to create a National Intermodal Transportation Planning Task Force to: (1) study the nation's transportation needs and priorities for the next 30 years; (2) convene a conference on National Transportation Planning; and (3) draft a National Intermodal Transportation plan that includes short- and long-term goals for meeting those priorities and improving intermodal transportation planning for all modes of the national transportation system.