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Contents
Extension of I-27/Ports to Plains Corridor
 The Texas Freight Mobility Plan notes that further investment alone on I-35 will not fix the problem saying, “The state must focus not only on improving existing facilities, but also on developing future freight corridors to move products to markets and exports”
Has your organization considered the resolution supporting the Extension of Interstate 27?
Have you individually added your name supporting the Resolution?
Please share with your Texas Friends!
Please click here to add your personal name to the Resolution in Support of Expansion on Interstate 27
Please click here to downland a draft organizational resolution for consideration by local governments and non-profit organizations. (Word Document)
Energy & Agriculture Summit Registration Open
June 13-14, 2017, Denver, CO
TOGETHER DRIVING CHANGE: Telling Our Story
Energy and agriculture provide a key basic economy across the Ports-to-Plains region which requires a robust transportation system to connect those resources with global markets. Our communities and others must be able to tell the story… provide clear information in response to attacks on these rural economy drivers. TOGETHER DRIVING CHANGE will focus on bringing together an agenda that will enable attendees to tell the economic story of energy and agriculture productivity.
Registration Now Open!
Energy Day, June 13, 2017 Confirmed Speakers
- J.J. Ament, CEO, MetroDenver EDC; Chair, Colorado Economic Development Commission
- Liam Stone, Executive Director, Policy, Government of Alberta
- Patty Silverstein, President and Chief Economist and David Hansen, Senior Economist, Development Research Partners
- Brad Ayers, Government and Industry Relations, TransCanada
- Kirk Scheitler, Manager, Policy and Outreach, Xcel Energy
- Tracee Bentley, Executive Director, Colorado Petroleum Council
- Kelly Davila, Director of Regional Services, South Plains Association of Governments
Agriculture Day, June 14, 2017 Confirmed Speakers
- Rick Robbins, Colorado Mills, Lamar, CO
- Tom Sell, Former Deputy Chief of Staff to the House Committee on Agriculture, Southwest Council of Agribusiness
- Kelsey Pope, Rancher, River Bend Ranch, LLC and CattleFax Digital Communications & Marketing
Click here for Complete Summit Information
Infrastructure Triage: Fix the Bottlenecks
Our nation’s economy relies on the continuous and efficient movement of goods and people, but the current condition of our nation’s infrastructure puts that at risk. The American Society of Civil Engineers gave America’s infrastructure a D+ on its 2017 report card. Among the recipients of the lowest marks were the nation’s highways, which the report described as “often crowded, frequently in poor condition, chronically underfunded, and are becoming more dangerous.”
For decades, we have relied on the Highway Trust Fund, which is funded primarily by the federal fuel tax, to help repair and maintain our nation’s roads and bridges. But the federal fuel tax has remained flat since 1993 and has been unable to keep pace with demands. By 2020, the Highway Trust Fund — originally intended to be a sustainable revenue source financed by users of the system — will be insolvent. And despite attempts to make up the shortfall, the fund is running on fumes today. Consequently, we must find other ways to increase revenues must be found. Estimates show that in addition to current projected user fee revenue, the U.S. will need about $25 billion annually to avoid reductions in highway, transit, and safety investments.
Read on...
Global Supply Chains Explained … in One Graphic
Global supply chains are complicated and critical, with many moving pieces.
The economic security of all businesses is on the line, and breaking down barriers and global borders unleashes the potential for increased competitiveness.
In an effort to simplify the importance of global supply chains, take a look at the graphic above.
Many pieces – from across the United States, Europe, Asia and Australia – with one grand result: a Boeing 787. Get the picture?
Read on...
Mark your Calendars to join us for the
20th Anniversary Reunion Ports-to-Plains Alliance Conference
September 12-14, 2017 -- Lubbock, TX
How important is Mexico and Canada to U.S. farmers and ranchers?
Check out these infographics.
Lubbock District to Celebrate TxDOT's Centennial
The Lubbock District will be celebrating TxDOT’s centennial at 10 a.m., Friday, June 2, at the historic TxDOT building located on the Panhandle South Plains Fairgrounds (105 E. Broadway, Lubbock). We hope that Ports-to-Plains members will be able to join in celebrating 100 years of transportation in Texas.
Investing To Move Texas Freight
TxDOT is hosting the second round of public meetings to get input on which freight projects it should prioritize in its updated Texas Freight Mobility Plan. Throughout the Ports-to-Plains Corridor meetings are scheduled in Midland Wednesday, June 7, in Lubbock Thursday, June 8 and in Laredo Tuesday, June 13.
“It is very important that we have a good turnout at each of the meetings in our area and let TxDOT know that improving the Ports-to-Plains Corridor and extending Interstate 27 are top priorities for the region,” said Ports-to-Plains President, Michael Reeves. “This is a critical opportunity for us and can be a significant boost to our efforts to extend I-27.
TxDOT released the first Texas Freight Mobility Plan in 2015. The plan is a guide for the Transportation Commission and the department as they select projects that promote freight movement in the state. That plan identified the Ports to Plains Corridor as a significant freight corridor in the state, and said that the Transportation Commission should consider extending Interstate 27.
TxDOT is updating the plan to make it compliant with the federal transportation authorization bill “FAST Act” that was enacted after the Freight Plan was adopted. TxDOT will release the final updated Texas Freight Mobility Plan later this year.
Signs Of Oil Boomlet In North Dakota After Pipeline Finished
There are hundreds more jobs than takers in the heart of North Dakota's oil patch. Finding a hotel room, parking space or table at a restaurant is no longer easy.
More than two years after the state's unprecedented oil bonanza fizzled to a lull, North Dakota — the nation's No. 2 oil producer behind Texas — is experiencing a sort of boomlet that has pushed daily production back above 1 million barrels daily.
"There is a long-term optimism that was not here just a year ago," said Williston Republican Sen. Brad Bekkedahl, whose western North Dakota district is in the epicenter of the state's oil-producing region.
Industry officials and others say the uptick comes from a bump in crude prices, regulatory certainty with the more drill-friendly Trump administration, better technology, and the prospect of nearly half of the state's crude coursing through the disputed Dakota Access Pipeline, which could open markets abroad where top prices are typically fetched.
Read on...
*North Dakota State Senator Brad Bekkedahl is a member of the Ports-to-Plains Alliance Board of Directors.
Heartland Expressway gaining traction in Washington
With chatter of President Trump’s proposed $1 trillion-infrastructure package, The Heartland Expressway is gaining traction on Capitol Hill, according to Daniel Bennett of Panhandle Area Development District and Scottsbluff City Manager Nathan Johnson.
Bennett, Johnson and Kimball City Administrator Dan Dean participated in a fly-in to the nation’s capitol at the end of April, joining a delegation from the Ports-to-Plains Alliance. Ports-to-Plains is a grassroots organization of over 275 communities and businesses, including the Heartland Expressway, the Theodore Roosevelt Expressway in North and South Dakota, and the Eastern Alberta (Canada) Trade Corridor Coalition. Their goal is to advocate for a robust international transportation infrastructure to promote economic security and prosperity throughout North America’s energy and agricultural heartland including Mexico to Canada.
“This time seemed to be different,” Bennett told the Heartland Express Association Board of Directors Thursday morning during its meeting at the Scotts Bluff County Administration Building. “There was a lot more receptiveness as to what we had to say for infrastructure.”
Bennett said that Ports-To-Plains lobbyist Jack Schenendorf said a lot of the proposed projects in an infrastructure plan are in urban areas, but the delegation seized the chance to present on a rural project, which touches multiple states and has a significant impact on international trade.
Read on...
13 Ways: Chapter 13 - Don't Take Responsibility
This is for those concerned about the future of their community and are looking for answers on how to find success.
13 Ways: Chapter 13- Don't Take Responsibility
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