Examining the Role of Ferries in Improving Mobility — House Hearing, 117 Congress

Summary

Printed record of a September 28, 2021 remote hearing (117-26) of the Subcommittee on Highways and Transit of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, examining the role of ferries in improving mobility. Eleanor Holmes Norton, Chair of the subcommittee, and Rodney Davis, its Ranking Member, give opening statements. The witnesses are Patty Rubstello of the Washington State Department of Transportation, Ferries Division; Seamus Murphy of the San Francisco Bay Area Water Emergency Transportation Authority; Frank J. Principi of the M-495 Fast Ferry Stakeholder Group; and Kyle Godar, County Engineer of Calhoun County, Illinois. In written answers, Kyle Godar suggests language allowing Ferry Boat Program funding for maintenance of major vessel components and for terminal approaches.

Summary drafted by a model from the document's text below and checked by script against that text before publication. It is a navigation aid, not a reading of what the document proves. Where AI is used

Cite this document

“Examining the Role of Ferries in Improving Mobility — House Hearing, 117 Congress.” Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/examining-the-role-of-ferries-in-improving-mobility-1e56aad4c1/, SHA-256 3e657543d4b2b85d03d3eb6be68c3e35c776bb20d7911a2d67c23ac166fc47c5.

Full text

[House Hearing, 117 Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]

EXAMINING THE ROLE OF FERRIES IN IMPROVING
MOBILITY

=======================================================================

(117-26)

REMOTE HEARING

BEFORE THE

SUBCOMMITTEE ON
HIGHWAYS AND TRANSIT

OF THE

COMMITTEE ON
TRANSPORTATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

ONE HUNDRED SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS

FIRST SESSION

__________

SEPTEMBER 28, 2021

__________

Printed for the use of the
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure

[GRAPHICS NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]

Available online at: https://www.govinfo.gov/committee/house-
transportation?path=/browsecommittee/chamber/house/committee/
transportation

__________

U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE
46-518 PDF WASHINGTON : 2022

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

PETER A. DeFAZIO, Oregon, Chair
SAM GRAVES, Missouri ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON,
DON YOUNG, Alaska District of Columbia
ERIC A. ``RICK'' CRAWFORD, Arkansas EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON, Texas
BOB GIBBS, Ohio RICK LARSEN, Washington
DANIEL WEBSTER, Florida GRACE F. NAPOLITANO, California
THOMAS MASSIE, Kentucky STEVE COHEN, Tennessee
SCOTT PERRY, Pennsylvania ALBIO SIRES, New Jersey
RODNEY DAVIS, Illinois JOHN GARAMENDI, California
JOHN KATKO, New York HENRY C. ``HANK'' JOHNSON, Jr.,
BRIAN BABIN, Texas Georgia
GARRET GRAVES, Louisiana ANDRE CARSON, Indiana
DAVID ROUZER, North Carolina DINA TITUS, Nevada
MIKE BOST, Illinois SEAN PATRICK MALONEY, New York
RANDY K. WEBER, Sr., Texas JARED HUFFMAN, California
DOUG LaMALFA, California JULIA BROWNLEY, California
BRUCE WESTERMAN, Arkansas FREDERICA S. WILSON, Florida
BRIAN J. MAST, Florida DONALD M. PAYNE, Jr., New Jersey
MIKE GALLAGHER, Wisconsin ALAN S. LOWENTHAL, California
BRIAN K. FITZPATRICK, Pennsylvania MARK DeSAULNIER, California
JENNIFFER GONZALEZ-COLON, STEPHEN F. LYNCH, Massachusetts
Puerto Rico SALUD O. CARBAJAL, California
TROY BALDERSON, Ohio ANTHONY G. BROWN, Maryland
PETE STAUBER, Minnesota TOM MALINOWSKI, New Jersey
TIM BURCHETT, Tennessee GREG STANTON, Arizona
DUSTY JOHNSON, South Dakota COLIN Z. ALLRED, Texas
JEFFERSON VAN DREW, New Jersey SHARICE DAVIDS, Kansas, Vice Chair
MICHAEL GUEST, Mississippi JESUS G. ``CHUY'' GARCIA, Illinois
TROY E. NEHLS, Texas ANTONIO DELGADO, New York
NANCY MACE, South Carolina CHRIS PAPPAS, New Hampshire
NICOLE MALLIOTAKIS, New York CONOR LAMB, Pennsylvania
BETH VAN DUYNE, Texas SETH MOULTON, Massachusetts
CARLOS A. GIMENEZ, Florida JAKE AUCHINCLOSS, Massachusetts
MICHELLE STEEL, California CAROLYN BOURDEAUX, Georgia
KAIALI`I KAHELE, Hawaii
MARILYN STRICKLAND, Washington
NIKEMA WILLIAMS, Georgia
MARIE NEWMAN, Illinois
TROY A. CARTER, Louisiana

Subcommittee on Highways and Transit

ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON, District of
Columbia, Chair
RODNEY DAVIS, Illinois EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON, Texas
DON YOUNG, Alaska ALBIO SIRES, New Jersey
ERIC A. ``RICK'' CRAWFORD, Arkansas JOHN GARAMENDI, California
BOB GIBBS, Ohio HENRY C. ``HANK'' JOHNSON, Jr.,
THOMAS MASSIE, Kentucky Georgia
SCOTT PERRY, Pennsylvania SEAN PATRICK MALONEY, New York
JOHN KATKO, New York JULIA BROWNLEY, California
BRIAN BABIN, Texas FREDERICA S. WILSON, Florida
DAVID ROUZER, North Carolina ALAN S. LOWENTHAL, California
MIKE BOST, Illinois MARK DeSAULNIER, California
DOUG LaMALFA, California STEPHEN F. LYNCH, Massachusetts
BRUCE WESTERMAN, Arkansas ANTHONY G. BROWN, Maryland
MIKE GALLAGHER, Wisconsin GREG STANTON, Arizona, Vice Chair
BRIAN K. FITZPATRICK, Pennsylvania COLIN Z. ALLRED, Texas
JENNIFFER GONZALEZ-COLON, JESUS G. ``CHUY'' GARCIA, Illinois
Puerto Rico ANTONIO DELGADO, New York
TROY BALDERSON, Ohio CHRIS PAPPAS, New Hampshire
PETE STAUBER, Minnesota CONOR LAMB, Pennsylvania
TIM BURCHETT, Tennessee JAKE AUCHINCLOSS, Massachusetts
DUSTY JOHNSON, South Dakota CAROLYN BOURDEAUX, Georgia
MICHAEL GUEST, Mississippi MARILYN STRICKLAND, Washington
TROY E. NEHLS, Texas GRACE F. NAPOLITANO, California
NANCY MACE, South Carolina JARED HUFFMAN, California
NICOLE MALLIOTAKIS, New York SALUD O. CARBAJAL, California
BETH VAN DUYNE, Texas SHARICE DAVIDS, Kansas
CARLOS A. GIMENEZ, Florida SETH MOULTON, Massachusetts
MICHELLE STEEL, California KAIALI`I KAHELE, Hawaii
SAM GRAVES, Missouri (Ex Officio) NIKEMA WILLIAMS, Georgia
MARIE NEWMAN, Illinois
STEVE COHEN, Tennessee
PETER A. DeFAZIO, Oregon (Ex
Officio)

CONTENTS

Page

Summary of Subject Matter........................................ vii

STATEMENTS OF MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE

Hon. Eleanor Holmes Norton, a Delegate in Congress from the
District of Columbia, and Chair, Subcommittee on Highways and
Transit, opening statement..................................... 1
Prepared statement........................................... 2
Hon. Rodney Davis, a Representative in Congress from the State of
Illinois, and Ranking Member, Subcommittee on Highways and
Transit, opening statement..................................... 3
Prepared statement........................................... 5
Hon. Peter A. DeFazio, a Representative in Congress from the
State of Oregon, and Chair, Committee on Transportation and
Infrastructure, prepared statement............................. 53
Hon. Sam Graves, a Representative in Congress from the State of
Missouri, and Ranking Member, Committee on Transportation and
Infrastructure, prepared statement............................. 54
Hon. Eddie Bernice Johnson, a Representative in Congress from the
State of Texas, prepared statement............................. 54

WITNESSES

Patty Rubstello, P.E., Assistant Secretary, Washington State
Department of Transportation, Ferries Division, oral statement. 6
Prepared statement........................................... 8
Seamus Murphy, Executive Director, San Francisco Bay Area Water
Emergency Transportation Authority (WETA), oral statement...... 13
Prepared statement........................................... 15
Hon. Frank J. Principi, Chairman, M-495 Fast Ferry Stakeholder
Group, Northern Virginia Regional Commission, oral statement... 18
Prepared statement........................................... 20
Kyle Godar, County Engineer, Calhoun County, Illinois, oral
statement...................................................... 21
Prepared statement........................................... 23

SUBMISSIONS FOR THE RECORD

APPENDIX

Questions to Patty Rubstello, P.E., Assistant Secretary,
Washington State Department of Transportation, Ferries
Division, from:
Hon. Jenniffer Gonzalez-Colon................................ 55
Hon. Stephen F. Lynch........................................ 57
Hon. Eddie Bernice Johnson................................... 57
Questions to Seamus Murphy, Executive Director, San Francisco Bay
Area Water Emergency Transportation Authority (WETA), from:
Hon. Rodney Davis............................................ 58
Hon. Jenniffer Gonzalez-Colon................................ 58
Hon. Stephen F. Lynch........................................ 59
Hon. Eddie Bernice Johnson................................... 60
Questions to Hon. Frank J. Principi, Chairman, M-495 Fast Ferry
Stakeholder Group, Northern Virginia Regional Commission, from:
Hon. Jenniffer Gonzalez-Colon................................ 60
Hon. Stephen F. Lynch........................................ 61
Hon. Eddie Bernice Johnson................................... 61
Questions to Kyle Godar, County Engineer, Calhoun County,
Illinois, from:
Hon. Jenniffer Gonzalez-Colon................................ 62
Hon. Stephen F. Lynch........................................ 63
Hon. Eddie Bernice Johnson................................... 63
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]

September 28, 2021

SUMMARY OF SUBJECT MATTER

TO: Members, Subcommittee on Highways and Transit
FROM: Staff, Subcommittee on Highways and Transit
RE: Subcommittee Hearing on ``Examining the Role of
Ferries in Improving Mobility''

PURPOSE

The Subcommittee on Highways and Transit will meet on
Tuesday, September 28, 2021, at 10:00 a.m. EDT in 2167 Rayburn
House Office Building and virtually via Zoom to receive
testimony related to the hearing entitled ``Examining the Role
of Ferries in Improving Mobility.'' The purpose of this hearing
is to examine the role of ferry transportation in reducing
congestion and contributing to clean mobility alternatives, and
to examine the federal programs that support this mode of
transportation. The subcommittee will hear from representatives
of the Washington State Department of Transportation, M-495
Regional Commuter Ferry Group, San Francisco Bay Area Water
Emergency Transportation Authority (WETA), and the Calhoun
County, Illinois Engineering Department.

BACKGROUND

FEDERAL INVESTMENT IN FERRIES

FEDERAL HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION (FHWA)

Under current law, the Highways and Transit Subcommittee
authorizes two programs that provide federal funds to support
ferry transportation. The Ferry Boat Discretionary (FBD)
Program is a formula-based program for the construction of
ferry boat and ferry terminal facilities administered by FHWA.
The program, created under the Intermodal Surface
Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991, was most recently
reauthorized in 2015 in the Fixing America's Surface
Transportation (FAST) Act (P.L. 114-94) which provided $80
million per year over five years in contract authority from the
Highway Trust Fund (HTF), and was continued in the Continuing
Appropriations Act, 2021 and Other Extensions Act (P.L. 116-
159). In fiscal year (FY) 2020, the program provided funds to
more than 100 public recipients in 37 states and
territories.\1\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/specialfunding/fbp/200820.cfm
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
In July 2021, the House passed the Investing in a New
Vision for the Environment and Surface Transportation (INVEST)
in America Act (H.R. 3684), which reauthorized the FBD program
and provided increased funding of $600 million over five years
($120 million per year) in contract authority. In August 2021,
the Senate passed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act
(IIJA; Senate amendment to H.R. 3684), which included $912
million over five years in total guaranteed funding. Of that
total, $570 million is contract authority from the HTF and $342
million is guaranteed additional spending over the next five
years. The $570 million is provided as follows:
FY22: $178,400,000
FY23: $180,400,000
FY24: $182,400,000
FY25: $184,400,000
FY26: $186,400,000

FEDERAL TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION (FTA)

Administered by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA),
the Passenger Ferry Grant program (49 U.S.C. 5307(h)) provides
grants on a competitive basis to improve the condition of
public ferry systems in urbanized areas. The program was
authorized at $30 million annually in the Fixing America's
Surface Transportation (FAST) Act (P.L. 114-94) and was
continued at $30 million in FY 2021 under the Continuing
Appropriations Act, 2021 and Other Extensions Act (P.L. 116-
159). Funds are provided as a takedown from the Urbanized Area
Formula Grant program. In FY 2020, FTA awarded grants under
this program to public transportation entities in 12 states.\2\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\2\ https://www.transit.dot.gov/grants/grant-programs/passenger-
ferry-grant-program-2020-selected-projects
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
The House-passed INVEST in America Act provided $245
million for FY23 through FY26 for passenger ferries and would
authorize the Secretary to make grants for zero- or reduced-
emission passenger ferries. The IIJA does not include an
increase in funding for this account.

OTHER PROPOSED PROGRAMS

The IIJA included $1.25 billion in additional guaranteed
general fund funding for ferry programs. Of the total, $1.0
billion is for a Ferry Service in Rural Areas program, and $250
million is for an Electric or Low-Emitting Ferry Pilot program
to support alternative fuel ferry service.

FERRY RIDERSHIP

Ferries operate in diverse areas of the United States,
including in some of the nation's most congested urban areas--
such as New York City and San Francisco--to provide an
alternative to crowded roadways and transit lines.\3\ Likewise,
coastal regions--including along the coast of Washington State
and Alaska--rely on ferries for connectivity between island and
mainland communities. Federal funds also support ferry service
in a wide range of non-coastal, predominantly rural states,
including Kentucky, Montana, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Utah.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\3\ https://www.apta.com/wp-content/uploads/APTA-2021-Fact-Book.pdf
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ferry data is collected under a national ferry database
overseen by the Department of Transportation's Bureau of
Transportation Statistics (BTS). Conducted biennially, the
National Census of Ferry Operators (NCFO) is a survey of all
ferry operations in the United States and territories, and
includes information on operators, route segments, terminals,
and vessel data.
Due to the impact on ridership from the COVID-19 pandemic,
the collection of data for the 2022 NCFO has been postponed and
will begin on April 1, 2023.\4\ According to the most recently
available data from the 2020 NCFO, a survey of 246 ferry
operators found that in 2019, 131.6 million passengers were
carried on ferries in the United States and territories. Data
from the census showed that 66.7 percent of operators reported
that commuter transit was one of the purposes of their trip,
with pleasure/recreation coming in second at 58.6 percent.\5\
Census data further showed that 22.4 percent of operators
reported emergency services as one of the purposes of the
trip.\6\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\4\ https://www.bts.gov/NCFO
\5\ https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/USDOT/bulletins/
2ea3186
\6\ https://www.bts.gov/NCFO

Note: Operators may choose multiple responses so percentages do not add
up to 100%.
Source: 2020 National Census of Ferry Operators

CONGESTION AND EMISSIONS IMPACTS

Our nation's ferry systems quickly and efficiently
transport millions of passengers, which reduces congestion and
wear and tear on our nation's roads. Ferry service provides a
transportation alternative to congested roadways in some of
America's largest urbanized areas. Although ferries represent a
small percentage of the total transit ridership, according to
data from the American Public Transportation Association, the
New York City Department of Transportation saw ferryboat
ridership grow by nearly 3 percent to 25,222 unlinked passenger
trips in 2019, totaling 131,154.3 passenger miles travelled.\7\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\7\ ``2021 Public Transportation Fact Book'' American Public
Transportation Association, (May 2021) https://www.apta.com/wp-content/
uploads/APTA-2021-Fact-Book.pdf.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a significant reduction
in traffic congestion and transit ridership across the United
States. Early 2021 data suggests rebounding traffic congestion
levels, and points to a continued need to find solutions to
reducing delay, including through the provision of alternate
modes of travel.\8\ Where feasible, ferries have the potential
to serve a role in reducing roadway congestion.\9\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\8\ ``2021 Urban Mobility Report'' Texas A&M Transportation
Institute, (June, 2021) https://static.tti.tamu.edu/tti.tamu.edu/
documents/mobility-report-2021.pdf.
\9\ 2015 National Transit Summary and Trends (National Transit
Database). Federal Transit Administration Office of Budget and Policy.
Oct. 2016. https://www.transit.dot.gov/sites/fta.dot.gov/files/docs/
2015%20NTST.pdf
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Improvements in battery technology hold the potential for
expanding electrification in public ferry systems. Ferries in
particular are well suited for electrification, compared to
other maritime applications, due to short travel distances and
sufficient space for battery packs onboard.\10\ In recognition
that ferries generate the most carbon and other greenhouse gas
emissions of any Washington State government source, Washington
has emerged as a leader in ferry electrification, following the
signing of an Executive Order (EO 20-01) by Governor Jay Inslee
in 2019 to transition the state's ferries to be a zero-carbon-
emission fleet.\11\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\10\ https://connect.ncdot.gov/projects/research/Pages/
ProjDetails.aspx?ProjectID=2022-01
\11\ 20-01 SEEP Executive Order (tmp).pdf (wa.gov) [https://
www.governor.wa.gov/sites/default/files/exe_order/20-
01%20SEEP%20Executive%20Order%20%28tmp%29.pdf]
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

WITNESS LIST

Patty Rubstello, Assistant Secretary for Ferries,
Washington State Department of Transportation
Seamus Murphy, Executive Director, San Francisco
Bay Area Water Emergency Transportation Authority (WETA)
The Honorable Frank J. Principi, Chair, M-495
Regional Commuter Ferry Group
Kyle Godar, County Engineer, Calhoun County
Highway Department (Illinois)

EXAMINING THE ROLE OF FERRIES IN IMPROVING MOBILITY

----------

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2021

House of Representatives,
Subcommittee on Highways and Transit,
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure,
Washington, DC.
The subcommittee met, pursuant to call, at 10 a.m. in room
2167 Rayburn House Office Building and via Zoom, Hon. Eleanor
Holmes Norton (Chair of the subcommittee) presiding.
Members present in person: Ms. Norton, Mr. Garamendi, Mr.
Lynch, Mr. Auchincloss, Mr. Rodney Davis, and Mr. LaMalfa.
Members present remotely: Ms. Johnson of Texas, Mr. Sires,
Mr. Johnson of Georgia. Ms. Wilson of Florida, Mr. DeSaulnier,
Mr. Delgado, Mr. Lamb, Ms. Bourdeaux, Ms. Strickland, Mrs.
Napolitano, Mr. Huffman, Mr. Carbajal, Ms. Davids of Kansas,
Mr. Moulton, Ms. Williams of Georgia, Mr. Massie, Mr.
Balderson, Mr. Johnson of South Dakota, Mr. Guest, Mr. Nehls,
Ms. Mace, Ms. Malliotakis, Mr. Gimenez, and Mrs. Steel.
Ms. Norton. The subcommittee will come to order.
I ask unanimous consent that the chair be authorized to
declare a recess at any time during today's hearing.
Without objection, so ordered.
I also ask unanimous consent that Members not on the
subcommittee be permitted to sit with the subcommittee at
today's hearing and ask questions.
Without objection, so ordered.
As a reminder, please keep your microphone muted unless
speaking. Should I hear any inadvertent background noise, I
will request that the Member please mute his or her microphone.
To insert a document into the record, please have your
staff email it to [email protected].
So let me begin.
I want to welcome all to today's hearing, ``Examining the
Role of Ferries in Improving Mobility.''
While the Subcommittee on Highways and Transit currently
oversees two ferry programs--one under the Federal Highway
Administration and one under the Federal Transit
Administration--this is the first hearing the subcommittee has
ever held on ferry transportation. This is a historic hearing
and, given climate control issues, it could not be more apt.
Our transportation system is facing significant challenges:
traffic gridlock that wastes time and money; inequality and
lack of accessibility; a changing climate that causes severe
storms and increasing flooding; and serving as the number-one
source of greenhouse gas emissions. There is no silver bullet
to solving these problems. But providing more transportation
choices is a step in the right direction.
One of my priorities as subcommittee chair has been
ensuring that we consider innovative and varied modes of
transportation, whether improved public transit, new approaches
to micromobility, such as scooters, or utilizing our waterways
to move people.
Here in the DC metropolitan area, we face some of the worst
traffic congestion in the country. A 2017 study by the traffic
data firm INRIX found that the worst traffic hotspot in the
country was along Interstate 95 between the Fairfax County
Parkway and Fredericksburg, Virginia. One of our witnesses,
Frank Principi, represents a coalition looking to expand ferry
service along that very corridor, which could help to improve
that traffic bottleneck and provide more transportation
options.
We know that we cannot solve congestion by simply building
more highway lanes--in many congestion areas, more roads simply
mean more traffic. That means we need to pursue alternatives,
including expanded ferry service.
Ferries also have the potential to help us reduce carbon
pollution. While passenger cars and light-duty trucks account
for 58 percent of U.S. transportation greenhouse gas emissions,
ships and boats account for just 2 percent. Shifting more trips
from highways to waterways holds great promise for reducing our
carbon footprint. It can also reduce other forms of air
pollution, including smog that causes asthma attacks, heart
attacks, and other adverse health outcomes.
While maritime modes of transportation like ferries are
among the cleanest transportation options already, their
emissions can be reduced even further, as operators begin
converting their fleets to hybrid, electric, or alternative
fuels. I look forward to hearing from witnesses today about
their efforts toward fleet conversion.
Ferry service not only provides an important transportation
option, it also represents an investment in our communities. It
can be a catalyst for revitalization, expanding access to small
businesses and community centers, and bolstering the local
economy.
As we work to build a transportation system that is better,
more innovative, sustainable, and equitable, we must ensure
that the Federal Government is a strong partner for those
operating ferry service, and those who wish to launch new
routes. That means providing funding options through our
Federal programs and doing the research and data collection
needed to guide these investments.
I thank each of our witnesses for joining us today and look
forward to your testimony.
[Ms. Norton's prepared statement follows:]

Prepared Statement of Hon. Eleanor Holmes Norton, a Delegate in
Congress from the District of Columbia, and Chair, Subcommittee on
Highways and Transit
Welcome to today's hearing examining the role of ferries in
mobility. While the Subcommittee on Highways and Transit currently
oversees two ferry programs--one under the Federal Highway
Administration and one under the Federal Transit Administration--this
is the first hearing the subcommittee has held on ferry transportation.
Our transportation system is facing significant challenges--traffic
gridlock that wastes time and money; inequality and a lack of
accessibility; a changing climate that causes severe storms and
increased flooding; and serving as the number one source of greenhouse
gas emissions.
There is no silver bullet to solving these problems--but providing
more transportation choices is a step in the right direction. One of my
priorities as subcommittee chair has been ensuring that we consider
innovative and varied modes of transportation--whether improved public
transit, new approaches to micromobility such as scooters, or utilizing
our waterways to move people.
Here in the D.C. metropolitan area, we face some of the worst
traffic congestion in the country. A 2017 study by the traffic data
firm Inrix found that the worst traffic hotspot in the country was
along Interstate 95 between the Fairfax County Parkway and
Fredericksburg, Virginia. One of our witnesses, Frank Principi,
represents a coalition looking to expand ferry service along that very
corridor, which could help to improve that traffic bottleneck and
provide more transportation options.
We know that we cannot solve congestion by simply building more
highway lanes--in many congested areas, more roads simply means more
traffic. That means we need to pursue alternatives, including expanded
ferry service.
Ferries also have the potential to help us reduce carbon pollution.
While passenger cars and light-duty trucks account for 58 percent of
U.S. transportation greenhouse gas emissions, ships and boats account
for just 2 percent. Shifting more trips from highways to waterways
holds great promise for reducing our carbon footprint. It can also
reduce other forms of air pollution, including smog, that cause asthma
attacks, heart attacks, and other adverse health outcomes.
While maritime modes of transportation like ferries are among the
cleanest transportation options already, their emissions can be reduced
even further as operators begin converting their fleets to hybrid,
electric, or alternative fuels.
I look forward to hearing from our witnesses today about their
efforts toward fleet conversion.
Ferry service not only provides an important transportation option,
it also represents an investment in our communities. It can be a
catalyst for revitalization, expanding access to small businesses and
community centers and bolstering the local economy.
As we work to build a transportation system that is more
innovative, sustainable, and equitable, we must ensure that the federal
government is a strong partner for those operating ferry service, and
for those who wish to launch new routes. That means providing funding
options through our federal programs and doing the research and data
collection needed to guide these investments.
I thank each of our witnesses for joining us today and look forward
to the testimony.

Ms. Norton. I am pleased to ask our ranking member, Mr.
Davis, for an opening statement.
Mr. Davis. Thank you, Madam Chair. Great to see you. Great
to be here, and a really great issue to address.
I do want to welcome everybody to today's hearing on the
role of ferries in improving mobility. I especially want to
welcome Kyle Godar, the county engineer from Calhoun County,
Illinois. Mr. Godar is my constituent and has been working with
my office to resolve an issue that Calhoun County, which is a
county that is a peninsula that sits between the Illinois and
Mississippi Rivers, but they have a problem utilizing its ferry
boat program funding. My hope at this hearing is to draw
attention to this problem, so that we can finally get the
Federal Highway Administration and the Army Corps of Engineers
to come together to find a solution.
At this time, Madam Chair, I would ask unanimous consent to
submit for the record my letter that I sent to both agencies
5\1/2\ months ago, requesting coordinated technical assistance
in resolving this issue.
Ms. Norton. So ordered.
[The information follows:]

Letter of April 21, 2021, from Hon. Rodney Davis, a Representative in
Congress from the State of Illinois, to Stephanie Pollack, Acting
Administrator, Federal Highway Administration and Vance F. Stewart III,
Acting Assistant Secretary of the Army (Civil Works), Army Corps of
Engineers (Civil Works), Submitted for the Record by Hon. Rodney Davis
April 21, 2021.
Stephanie Pollack,
Acting Administrator,
Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), 1200 New Jersey Ave., SE,
Washington, DC 20590.
Vance F. Stewart, III,
Acting Assistant Secretary of the Army (Civil Works),
Army Corps of Engineers (Civil Works) (Corps), 108 Army Pentagon,
Washington, DC 20310-0108.

Dear Acting Administrator Pollack and Acting Assistant Secretary
Stewart:
I write to request technical assistance from both the Federal
Highway Administration (FHWA) and the Army Corps of Engineers (Corps)
to resolve an issue my constituent, the Calhoun County Highway
Department, currently faces. Additionally, I respectfully ask that your
agencies coordinate in assisting me to successfully resolve this issue.
At issue is the inability of the Calhoun County Highway Department
to utilize FHWA Ferry Boat Program (FBP) funding to make improvements
to the Golden Eagle Ferry landing. Calhoun County is in Illinois along
the Mississippi River. The Golden Eagle Ferry landing is located across
the Mississippi River in St. Charles County, Missouri. The needed
improvements would occur on land owned by the Corps and leased to the
ferry operator hired by Calhoun County, and on private land on which
the ferry operator owns a private easement.
This issue has been separately raised with your respective
agencies, though never at the same time. Your respective agency staff
were responsive, and I appreciate their assistance.
On March 4th, 2019, my staff raised this issue with FHWA. At that
time, FHWA determined that FBP funds could not be used, nor could
Surface Transportation Block Grant Program (STBG) funds because a
portion of the improvements would occur on a private road.
Additionally, even if the road were public, FBP funds could not be used
because FHWA determined the improvements would occur on an approach
road. Alternatively, if it were a public road, STBG funds could be
utilized to make improvements.
On July 13th, 2020, my staff raised this issue with the Corps. The
purpose of the email was to see if it would be possible for the Corps
to purchase the private land connecting the Corps' property to the
public highway system, and if the Corps could obligate funds to improve
the road on the Corps' property. At that time, it was determined the
Corps could not purchase the private land because the land was not
necessary to the authorized flood control project. Additionally, it was
determined that the Corps could not obligate funding to improve the
road because it was not part of the Corps' authorized project.
My goal in seeking coordinated technical assistance from FHWA and
the Corps is to find a solution that allows the Calhoun County Highway
Department to improve the safety and mobility of ferries utilizing the
Golden Eagle Ferry landing. I appreciate your consideration of this
request and am happy to provide further details as needed.
Sincerely,
Rodney Davis,
Member of Congress.

Mr. Davis. And 5\1/2\ months is a long time, and it is
pretty frustrating when we don't get responses from the Federal
agencies that we send letters to.
I would ask, if we continue to not get responses, Madam
Chair, if you and I can maybe do a joint letter to let these
agencies know we would just appreciate a response.
Ms. Norton. I would be happy to join the ranking member in
such a letter.
Mr. Davis. Thank you. Thank you very much.
Under current law this subcommittee authorizes two programs
that provide Federal funds for ferry transportation. The Ferry
Boat Discretionary Program is administered by the Federal
Highway Administration, and the Passenger Ferry Grant Program
is administered by the Federal Transit Administration.
The Senate's bipartisan infrastructure bill includes two
new ferry boat programs and grows ferry program funding levels
from $550 million to $2.3 billion.
Ferries serve diverse areas of our country, much like our
highway and bridge network, from urban and coastal areas to
rural America. As I mentioned earlier, I have a ferry in my
district--actually, multiple ferries--that operate from
Illinois across the Mississippi River to Missouri. And also, we
have ferries that operate intrastate between Greene County and
Jersey County, Illinois, over to Calhoun, and that is what Mr.
Godar is here to discuss.
The importance of that ferry to the community it serves
cannot be understated, which is why it is so important to
resolve Mr. Godar's issues. While ferry service certainly is
not a solution for each State, it is important to understand
the role ferries play in quickly connecting people and
communities through water crossings.
It is also important to understand the needs of ferry boat
and facility owners and operators. Addressing these needs, as
those here before us today will testify, is critical to
improving our ferry operations.
I look forward to hearing about ferry ridership,
technological innovations, challenges ahead, and proposed
solutions identified in implementing ferry boat programs.
With that, I want to thank our witnesses for joining us
this morning, and I look forward to hearing their testimony.
[Mr. Davis's prepared statement follows:]

Prepared Statement of Hon. Rodney Davis, a Representative in Congress
from the State of Illinois, and Ranking Member, Subcommittee on
Highways and Transit
Thank you, Chair Norton. I want to welcome everyone to today's
hearing on the role of ferries in improving mobility. I especially want
to welcome Kyle Godar, the County Engineer from Calhoun County,
Illinois. Mr. Godar is my constituent and has been working with my
office to resolve an issue Calhoun County has with utilizing its Ferry
Boat Program funding. My hope at this hearing is to draw attention to
this problem, so that we can finally get the Federal Highway
Administration and the Army Corps of Engineers to come together and
find a solution. At this time, I'd ask unanimous consent to submit for
the record my letter I sent to both agencies in April of this year
requesting coordinated technical assistance in resolving this issue.
Under current law, this subcommittee authorizes two programs that
provide Federal funds for ferry transportation. The Ferry Boat
Discretionary Program is administered by the Federal Highway
Administration (FHWA), and the Passenger Ferry Grant Program is
administered by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA). The Senate's
bipartisan infrastructure bill includes two new ferry boat programs and
grows ferry program funding levels from $550 million to $2.3 billion.
Ferries serve diverse areas of our country, much like our highway
and bridge network, from urban and coastal areas to rural America.
As I mentioned earlier, I have a ferry in my district that operates
across the Mississippi River between Illinois and Missouri that Mr.
Godar is going to discuss. The importance of that ferry to the
community it serves cannot be understated, which is why it is so
important to resolve Mr. Godar's issues.
While ferry service certainly is not a solution for each state, it
is important to understand the role ferries play in quickly connecting
people and communities through water crossings. It also is important to
understand the needs of ferry boat and facility owners and operators.
Addressing these needs, as those here before us today will testify, is
critical to improving our ferry operations.
I look forward to hearing about ferry ridership, technological
innovations, and challenges and proposed solutions identified in
implementing ferry boat programs. With that, I want to thank our
witnesses for joining us this morning, and I look forward to hearing
their testimony.

Mr. Davis. I yield back.
Ms. Norton. I thank my good friend for his opening
statement.
I would now like to welcome our witnesses on our panel: Ms.
Patty Rubstello, assistant secretary for ferries, Washington
State Department of Transportation; Mr. Seamus Murphy,
executive director of the San Francisco Bay Area Water
Emergency Transportation Authority; the Honorable Frank
Principi, chair, M-495 Regional Commuter Ferry Group; and Mr.
Kyle Godar, county engineer, Calhoun County Highway Department.
I thank each of you for being here, and I look forward to your
testimony.
Without objection, our witnesses' full testimony will be
included in the record.
Since your written testimony has been made a part of the
record, the subcommittee requests that you limit your oral
testimony to 5 minutes. Let us proceed with Ms. Rubstello.
You may proceed.

TESTIMONY OF PATTY RUBSTELLO, P.E., ASSISTANT SECRETARY,
WASHINGTON STATE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION, FERRIES
DIVISION; SEAMUS MURPHY, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, SAN FRANCISCO BAY
AREA WATER EMERGENCY TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY (WETA); HON.
FRANK J. PRINCIPI, CHAIRMAN, M-495 FAST FERRY STAKEHOLDER
GROUP, NORTHERN VIRGINIA REGIONAL COMMISSION; AND KYLE GODAR,
COUNTY ENGINEER, CALHOUN COUNTY, ILLINOIS

Ms. Rubstello. Chairwoman Norton, Ranking Member Davis, and
distinguished members of the subcommittee, thank you for the
opportunity to testify today to share information about
Washington State's ferry system. My name is Patty Rubstello,
and I serve as assistant secretary at Washington State
Department of Transportation, leading the Ferries Division.
WSDOT operates Washington State Ferries, the Nation's
largest ferry system, which is a transit system, a part of the
Washington State highway system, and a vessel and terminal
operator. We work with many Federal agencies, including the
Federal Highway Administration, Federal Transit Administration,
U.S. Maritime Administration, and U.S. Coast Guard. We value
our Federal partnerships and want to thank the committee for
the critical funding support that allows us to provide this
critical service.
I would like to share a graphic of our system.
[Slide shown.]
Ms. Rubstello. We transport nearly 24 million customers per
year on 10 routes, served by a fleet of 21 vessels. We operate
and maintain 20 terminals.
We also have agreements with two counties, who provide
passenger-only ferry service utilizing our facilities.
Ridership on Washington State Ferries is expected to grow
by 30 percent by 2040, climbing to nearly 32 million passengers
a year.
For western Washington, ferries play an important role in
mobility, connecting urban areas with rural and affordable
communities, and our islands that are completely dependent on
our service. Often the ``drive-around'' option for many
travelers means several hours on highways and local roads,
compared to a relatively brief ferry trip. One of our busiest
commuter routes, the ferry between Bainbridge Island and
downtown Seattle, transports over 3 million walk-on passengers
a year. Many of these customers connect to other forms of
transit on each side of the water, reaching their destination
without the use of single-occupant vehicles.
While Federal funding, which comprises approximately 25
percent of our capital and operating budget, has been critical
to maintaining and operating our services and facilities, we
need additional resources to preserve and modernize our aging
fleet and infrastructure. Over the next 20 years, 13 of
Washington's ferries will need to be replaced. Additionally, an
increased number of relief or standby vessels are required to
ensure reliable service. The estimated cost of all of this over
the next 20 years is $14.6 billion. Dedicated State tax revenue
and fare collection would cover $7.7 billion of these costs.
Given that so many of our older diesel vessels are due for
replacement in the near future, this is an opportune time to
electrify our fleet. Washington State Ferries' diesel fuel
consumption makes it the largest generator of carbon and other
greenhouse gas emissions from Washington State government
sources, so we are moving toward a zero-emission fleet. Our
near-term plan is to convert our three largest vessels to
hybrid electric. Their hybridization, coupled with installation
of shoreside charging, will reduce fleetwide emission by 27
percent, the equivalent of taking more than 10,000 cars off the
road. We estimate the fully hybrid fleet would reduce our
energy consumption by 30 percent, saving us $19 million per
year in operating costs.
I want to acknowledge and thank Congressman Larsen for his
longstanding support of Washington State Ferries. In
particular, his commitment to the ferry electrification. We are
pleased to see electric ferry programs in both the INVEST Act
and in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
Operating a ferry system has its challenges. The impact of
the pandemic and the global shortage of mariners has led to
extraordinary service challenges. At the lowest point of the
pandemic, our ridership had fallen 75 percent, with walk-on
riders down nearly 90 percent. As nearly 75 percent of our
operating budget is derived from fares, our budget was
significantly impacted.
I want to thank Congress for the Federal relief funding we
received via the FTA transit programs to help cover some of
those operating losses. This funding ensured that we could
maintain our critical services, including getting essential
workers to their jobs and lifeline access to island
communities.
We are slowly seeing ridership increase. While some routes
over the summer returned to pre-pandemic levels, others are
still lagging.
The pandemic also exacerbated workforce shortages.
Retirements, limited training class size due to social
distancing requirements, and global shortage of mariners has
made hiring enough qualified staff even more difficult. We are
working diligently to provide the right level of service, while
constantly communicating with our customers about the impact.
As the Nation's largest ferry system, we strive to be a
leader for sustainable growth, reducing congestion on roads and
embracing new, greener technologies while providing safe and
reliable service. We appreciate and depend on Congress' support
for this work.
Thank you again for the honor and opportunity to testify
today, and I am happy to answer any questions. Thank you.
[Ms. Rubstello's prepared statement follows:]

Prepared Statement of Patty Rubstello, P.E., Assistant Secretary,
Washington State Department of Transportation, Ferries Division
Introduction
Chairman Norton, Ranking Member Davis, and distinguished members of
the subcommittee, thank you for the opportunity to testify today to
share information about the Washington State Ferries system. My name is
Patty Rubstello, and I serve as Assistant Secretary of the Washington
State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) leading the Ferries
Division.
WSDOT operates Washington State Ferries (WSF), the nation's largest
ferry system, which is a transit system, a part of the Washington State
highway system and a vessel and terminal operator. This affords us the
opportunity to work with many federal agencies including the Federal
Highway Administration, Federal Transit Administration, U.S. Maritime
Administration, and the U.S. Coast Guard. We value our federal
partnerships and want to thank the committee for the critical funding
support we receive.
We transport 23.9 million customers per year on 10 routes served by
a fleet of 21 vessels. We operate and maintain 20 terminals. Ours is
the second largest ferry system in the world for vehicles carried,
transporting nearly 10.5 million vehicles in 2019. We provide service
to both rural and urban areas, and we are a critical lifeline service
to our San Juan Islands and Vashon Island communities, for which
driving around is not an option. We also operate a popular
international route to Vancouver Island in British Columbia. Our Eagle
Harbor Maintenance Facility is the largest state-owned shipyard in the
United States. Currently celebrating 70 years of service, Washington's
ferries have become as iconic as the majestic waterways and landscapes
they sail through. In addition, WSF has an impeccable safety record
that makes the system a model for ferry operators around the globe.
My remarks today will center around the following key points:
An overview of the critical services we provide and the
role we have in improving mobility.
The continued need for strong federal support for public
ferry systems.
Our initiative to electrify our fleet to ensure system
reliability.
Current challenges including the effects of the COVID-19
pandemic and workforce shortages.
Washington State Ferries Overview and Role in Improving Mobility
More than just a transportation system, the ferries mean many
things to many people: a link in their multimodal journey connecting
regional transit systems; a connection to work or school; a popular
attraction for visitors and connection to recreation; a mainland
connection for island communities; and a fundamental link for freight
mobility and economic prosperity. The ferry system is both a critical
component of the state highway system and the third largest transit
system in Washington state. In 2019, WSF published its Long-Range Plan
reflecting the extensive and robust engagement of more than 7,000 ferry
riders, community members, tribes, government agencies and officials,
businesses, transit partners and others. It serves as a blueprint to
guide our investments and service for the next 20 years while
considering the changing needs of ferry system users and associated
funding opportunities and challenges.
Ridership on WSF is expected to grow more than 30 percent by 2040,
climbing to nearly 32 million passengers a year. Our traditional
weekday commute patterns and demographics are changing (even before the
COVID-19 pandemic dramatically shifted ridership patterns and volumes),
recreational and other discretionary trips are increasing, and an aging
population requires more special transportation services. The heart of
our service lies in and around Puget Sound connecting communities to
each other and to the city of Seattle, one of the fastest growing
metropolitan areas in the nation.
For Western Washington, ferries play an important role in reducing
congestion, connecting urban communities on the east side of Puget
Sound with the Olympic and Kitsap Peninsulas and island communities.
The Central Puget Sound area, including Seattle, experiences some of
the worst congestion in the United States. As the Seattle area grows
and real estate prices soar, ferries play an essential role in
connecting jobs in urban cores with more affordable housing outside the
metro area without adding to cars on the road. Often, the ``drive-
around'' option for many travelers means several hours on highways and
local roads compared to a relatively brief ferry trip. The cost to
drivers of a single missed sailing ranges from $36-137 for each of
WSF's routes based on distance and the amount of time it takes to drive
around. In addition, we have agreements with two counties who provide
passenger only ferry service utilizing our facilities. We partner with
local passenger-only ferry operators and transit systems to adjust
service when needed or to work together to provide mobility options for
our customers.
One of our busiest commuter routes, the ferry between Bainbridge
Island and downtown Seattle, transports nearly 3.3 million walk-on
passengers a year. During busy commute times, we routinely see
thousands of walk-on customers on each sailing. Many of these customers
connect to other forms of transit on each side of the water, connecting
to their destinations without the use of single occupancy vehicles.
WSF is also working to incorporate new technologies that will allow
customers to access more up-to-date information about the ferry system
and connect with the rest of the region's transportation network in
innovative new ways. For example, many ferry customers already plan
trips and pay for tickets via smartphone apps, regional fare programs
and other tools, which allows them to make a more seamless door-to-door
trip.
The Continued Need for Strong Federal Support of Public Ferry Systems
We greatly appreciate the federal support we receive for our ferry
system. Approximately 25 percent of our capital and operating budget
comes from federal sources. We depend on the FHWA Ferry Boat Program to
support vessel preservation and terminal facilities and the FTA
Passenger Ferry Grant Program for preserve our vessels. As the third
largest transit provider in the state, we receive urban transit funding
to support ferries operations. These funds are suballocated through the
Puget Sound Regional Council, our state's largest Metropolitan Planning
Organization.
Federal formula and discretionary grant funds were critical for two
major terminal projects. In 2020, WSF completed construction of a new
replacement terminal at Mukilteo--our first new terminal in over 40
years. Approximately 38 percent of funding for this $187 million
project came from federal sources. The project embodies our commitment
to addressing climate change and equity. WSF consulted with 11
federally recognized tribes to design and construct the project in a
way that was consistent with treaty reserved fishing rights and
sensitive cultural resources in the project area. It was designed and
built to LEED Gold standards, and removed an abandoned U.S. Air Force
fueling pier comprised of over 4,000 creosote-soaked timber piles from
Puget Sound. This project also improved multimodal connections to an
adjacent transit center and commuter rail station.
Our Seattle Multimodal Terminal at Colman Dock Project on the
Seattle waterfront is replacing an aging and seismically-vulnerable
dock in order to maintain its critical role as a regional multimodal
transportation hub. Serving freight customers and passengers for 140
years, the routes serving this terminal carry 10 million passengers and
over 2.4 million vehicles annually. Approximately 52 percent of funding
for this $438 million project comes from federal sources. Construction
on this project is expected to be completed in 2023.
While federal funding has been critical to maintaining and
operating our services and facilities, we need additional resources to
preserve and modernize our aging fleet and infrastructure. Over the
next 20 years, WSF needs a coordinated set of investments in its fleet,
terminal infrastructure, workforce and technology. In addition, WSF's
retiring vessels should be replaced with those that are strategically
designed to more easily accommodate growing ridership, with flexible
passenger and car-deck space to better serve the particular demands of
a route. A more efficient fleet needs to be supported by resilient
terminals that support vessel charging infrastructure, enhanced
technology for efficient fare collection, and better access to transit
and other modes of transportation. The WSF workforce must be further
strengthened with more active recruitment, development, and retention.
Our needs are great. Over the next 20 years, 13 of Washington's
ferries will need to be replaced. Additionally, an increased number of
relief or ``standby'' vessels are required to ensure reliable service
and adequate time for vessel maintenance and preservation to keep
ferries operating for up to 50 and 60 years, depending on the condition
of the vessel. In addition to the need for more relief vessels to
ensure the fleet receives the maintenance time it needs, over half of
the fleet will be retired over the next 20 years.
The estimated cost of all of this over the next 20 years is $14.6
billion. Dedicated state tax revenue and fare collection, which is
projected to provide nearly 80 percent of WSF's operating costs in
2040, would cover $7.7 billion of these costs. Our farebox recovery is
remarkable when compared to the 20 to 30 percent recovery experienced
by most transit operators. These investments are necessary to ensure
system reliability and resilience, with the added benefit of increased
operating efficiency.
Electrification of the Washington State Ferries System
WSF's diesel fuel consumption makes it the largest generator of
carbon and other greenhouse gas emissions from Washington state
government sources. According to the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency,
diesel exhaust represents 78 percent of the potential cancer risk from
all air toxics in Puget Sound. Diesel exhaust has also been linked to
respiratory problems, cardiovascular problems, and premature death. We
are working on several projects to meet the goals of Governor Jay
Inslee's Executive Order 20-01, which directs WSF to move toward a zero
emissions fleet.
WSF is undertaking this ambitious initiative to electrify the
system with plug-in hybrid-electric vessels and terminal enhancements
to achieve reduced environmental impact and energy costs. We are
focused on building a reliable fleet that has a lighter footprint on
the environment and outperforms CO2 reduction targets. We estimate that
a hybrid fleet would reduce our energy consumption by 30 percent,
saving us $19 million per year in operations cost.
In general, nearly every route within the WSF system can be served
by a hybrid-electric vessel. The extent to which each vessel can
maximize the advantage of its electric propulsion technology depends on
a variety of elements, such as route length, vessel size and weight,
amount of time spent at the dock to charge the vessel, and power
availability at the terminal. Converting to a hybrid-electric
propulsion fleet also takes advantage of Puget Sound's clean power
sources including hydroelectric, wind and solar. When fully realized,
we estimate reductions of 53 percent greenhouse gas emissions (CO2e) by
2030, and 76 percent by 2040, from baseline 2005 emissions levels.
This initiative comes at an opportune time given that many of our
older diesel vessels are due for replacement in the near future. While
the complete conversion to a hybrid-electric fleet will take some time,
the benefits will be seen almost immediately with the planned retrofit
and upgrade of WSF's three Jumbo Mark II Class vessels. These ferries,
which each carry 202 vehicles, are the largest source of emissions in
the fleet. Their hybridization will reduce fleet-wide emissions by 27
percent once shore charging is available and will reduce carbon
emissions by 48,565 metric tons/year--the equivalent of taking more
than 10,000 cars off the road. In addition, we are beginning
construction early in 2022 on our first new build hybrid-electric
Olympic Class ferry and it's expected to enter service in 2025.
To fully realize and meet emission reduction targets, terminal
charging infrastructure must be in place. This improvement is required
at nearly every one of WSF's 20 terminals, representing $280 million of
total capital investment over the next 20 years. We have a near-term
plan for terminal electrification capital improvements at three
priority terminals at an estimated cost of $50.2 million.
I want to acknowledge and thank Congressman Larsen for his
longstanding support for Washington State Ferries and in particular his
commitment to ferry electrification. We were pleased to see Electric
Ferry Programs in both the INVEST Act and the Infrastructure
Investments and Jobs Act. The electrification of Washington's ferry
system is an ambitious plan with the opportunity for dramatic emissions
reductions and the potential to exercise leadership within the greater
maritime industry.
Challenges Resulting From COVID-19 Pandemic and Workforce Shortages
The impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and a global shortage of
mariners has led to extraordinary service challenges at Washington
State Ferries. At the lowest point in the pandemic, in March 2020,
total ridership had fallen 75 percent compared to the last week of
February 2020. Vehicle ridership fell by 63 percent, with walk-on
passenger ridership falling by 90 percent. Given that nearly 75 percent
of our operating budget is derived from fares, our budget was
significantly impacted. For example, total farebox revenue in March and
April 2020 was approximately $14M, just half of what was forecast to be
collected. (Farebox revenue for the same time period in 2019 was $29M.)
WSF tried to mitigate the budget impacts by offering reduced service. I
want to thank Congress for the federal relief funding we received, via
the FTA transit programs, to help cover some of our operating losses.
This funding ensured that we could maintain our essential services--
including getting essential workers to their jobs and lifeline access
to island communities. We are slowly seeing ridership increase. While
some routes over the summer returned to pre-pandemic levels, others are
still lagging.
As businesses and operators across the country are experiencing,
COVID-19 safety restrictions impacted WSF's ability to conduct vessel
maintenance and preservation work. At the beginning of the pandemic,
all work was suspended as state and private shipyard employees were
directed to work from home. We continue to experience supply chain
interruptions affecting vessel parts and equipment. As guidelines
changed and supply lines improved, WSF reorganized its state-owned
Eagle Harbor Maintenance Facility to allow it to reopen in April 2020
and worked with shipyard contractors to allow work to resume on vessels
in their yards.
The pandemic also exacerbated workforce shortages. All WSF vessels
are crewed by maritime professionals credentialed by the U.S. Coast
Guard. The WSF workforce is experiencing the same pressures felt by
other employers nationwide, as a wave of people born during the post-
World War II population boom start to retire. As of January 2019,
slightly more than 30 percent of the vessel workforce, 37 percent of
the terminal workforce, and 24 percent of the Eagle Harbor maintenance
facility staff were eligible for retirement within the next five years.
Hiring enough qualified deck officers presents a challenge. Earning a
Master's license requires many years of training, testing and
preparation, including piloting 16 round trips on each of WSF's 10
routes and successfully drawing pilotage maps from memory during
testing. Most of this work must be accomplished on an employee's own
time. Approximately 75 percent of WSF's Masters and Staff Masters will
be retirement-eligible in the next five years. Retirements due to the
pandemic, limited training class sizes due to COVID social distancing
requirements, and a global shortage of mariners has made hiring enough
qualified staff even more difficult.
The continued spread of COVID-19 in Washington state results in
ongoing staff absences due to positive COVID-19 cases and quarantine
requirements. For example, on a recent weekend, we had dozens of staff
out with COVID-19 related issues--whether active cases, in quarantine,
or receiving vaccinations. Over two days, we had 85 cancelled sailings
systemwide due to 41 employees calling out sick. Canceled sailings have
far-reaching impacts for customers that rely on ferry service to reach
island communities and connect to parts of Washington state where the
detour option often means hours of highway driving, added road miles
and delays to freight mobility.
We have increased our recruitment and workforce development efforts
and are embarking on a systemwide service reset to determine what
levels of service we're able to provide with the resources available.
Sailing schedules continue to be reduced and our messaging to customers
about cancellations and disruptions has significantly increased in
recent months.
Conclusion
As the nation's largest ferry system, we strive to be a leader for
sustainable growth, reducing congestion on roads and embracing new,
greener technologies while providing safe and reliable service. But,
like much of America's aging infrastructure, the preservation and
maintenance needs are significant to address aging vessels and
terminals and to maintain reliable ferry service for those that depend
upon it. We appreciate and depend on Congress' support as we continue
our systemwide electrification efforts to reduce carbon emissions,
preserve our fleet and terminals, and increase workforce recruitment
and development to become an employer of choice. We hope we can serve
as a leader for ferry systems across the U.S. and around the world,
providing an example for other jurisdictions to use as they consider
ferries as an alternative to land-side congestion.
Thank you again for the honor and opportunity to testify today, and
I am happy to answer any questions.

Ms. Norton. Thank you, Ms. Rubstello.
Next, Mr. Seamus Murphy.
Mr. Murphy. Thank you, Chair Norton, Ranking Member Davis,
and members of the subcommittee. I am Seamus Murphy, executive
director of the San Francisco Bay Area Water Emergency
Transportation Authority. Thank you for the opportunity to
speak about San Francisco Bay Ferry service, our efforts to
recover from the pandemic, plans for expansion, and our
transition to zero-emissions technology.
WETA is a regional public transit agency in the bay area
that carries over 3 million passengers a year aboard 15 high-
speed passenger-only ferry vessels. Prior to the pandemic, San
Francisco Bay Ferry was the region's fastest growing transit
service. Between 2013 and 2019, demand for ferry service
increased over 160 percent, including 35 percent growth from
2019 to 2020.
Of course, like every other travel mode, all of that
changed with COVID. WETA's ridership is historically commute-
based, and most of them were able to transition immediately to
remote work. Ridership initially dropped by 98 percent and
remained between 7 percent and 12 percent of pre-COVID levels
for the next 16 months. WETA reduced service to reflect that
demand, but the system is highly fare dependent, so our ability
to maintain even a minimum service level for essential workers
is extremely limited.
Thankfully, Congress took action. On behalf of our riders,
deckhands, pilots, and countless Americans who depended on
essential workers to get us through the darkest days of the
pandemic, thank you for everything Congress did to maintain
transit as an essential service. Without that support,
thousands of nurses, teachers, grocery clerks, construction
workers, and others not able to work from home would have been
stranded without a mobility option.
We used funding from those programs to invest in saving
jobs, preserving services, and protecting the most vulnerable
members of our communities. We are incredibly grateful. Thanks
to these funds, in July, WETA became the first regional system
in the bay area to fully restore service. In addition to
relaunching service, we also lowered fares to align with other
transit modes, and we shifted more service to the off peak to
accommodate the needs of lower income, transit-dependent
workers.
After implementing these changes, WETA ridership nearly
doubled overnight, and it significantly outpaced other regional
carriers. Congestion has fully returned to regional highways,
and based on job and population growth in the area, there is a
high likelihood that our system will eventually return to the
level of growth we saw pre-COVID.
Before the pandemic, we were working with communities
throughout the region to aggressively plan for expansion. As
congestion has returned, communities are once again calling for
more service. New neighborhoods are rapidly emerging along the
bayfront. These are vibrant population and job centers with
extremely congested access via surface streets. Water-based
transit will be critical.
Our expansion plans will ensure that these emerging
economic centers are connected, reducing regional congestion,
and providing people of all income levels with access to jobs,
healthcare, entertainment, and other opportunities.
As we prepare to grow, we are also advancing plans to grow
sustainably, with an eye towards reducing greenhouse gas
emissions. WETA has always been an environmental leader in
developing clean vessel technology. From the beginning, WETA
pushed for new diesel engine technology that exceeded EPA
standards, but we believe we can go even further. With that in
mind, WETA is developing plans that will transition about 50
percent of our fleet to zero emissions.
The cost of these improvements is being evaluated. We know
that, aside from the cost of the vessels themselves,
significant investment will be needed to equip our terminals
with shoreside charging infrastructure that supports a high-
volume, high-frequency system.
All of these objectives--making ferry service more
accessible, expanding our service to other parts of the bay,
and converting our fleet to zero emissions--will require new
investment. Our agency has access to local, regional, and State
matching funds, but a robust Federal program is essential. The
current level of funding available through the FTA program that
supports ferries pales in comparison to the needs that exist
around the country, let alone in the bay area.
This committee has long recognized this, and we have
appreciated the committee's leadership on making more funding
available for public ferry systems. There was bipartisan
support for increasing the level of funding for the FTA program
to $1.25 billion over 5 years, as a part of the infrastructure
bill in the Senate. That funding increase was set to be added
to the bill before it was rushed out of the Senate.
That level of investment would provide the resources needed
to support this essential mode of transit around the country,
and it would allow us at WETA to fulfill a very ambitious and
necessary set of plans for growing ferry service in a
sustainable way. We encourage you to find a way to add that
funding to the program moving forward. Doing so will allow us
to meet the goals that we know are shared by so many on this
committee.
Again, thank you for the opportunity to testify before you
today. I look forward to answering any questions you may have.
[Mr. Murphy's prepared statement follows:]

Prepared Statement of Seamus Murphy, Executive Director, San Francisco
Bay Area Water Emergency Transportation Authority (WETA)
Thank you Chair Norton, Ranking Member Davis, and members of the
Subcommittee for the opportunity to speak about San Francisco Bay Ferry
service, our efforts to recover from the pandemic, our plans for
expansion, and our transition to zero emission technology.
WETA is a regional public transit agency that carries over three
million passengers annually utilizing a fleet of 15 high-speed
passenger-only ferry vessels. San Francisco Bay Ferry currently serves
the cities of Alameda, Oakland, Richmond, San Francisco, South San
Francisco, and Vallejo \1\.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ See attached ferry route map.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Prior to the pandemic, WETA's system was the Bay Area's fastest
growing transit service. Between 2013 and 2019, demand for ferry
service increased over 160 percent, or an average of 23 percent every
year. In the year before the pandemic, ridership increased a whopping
35 percent. In response to this surging demand, and in anticipation of
future demand growth, we added seven new high capacity (400-445
passenger) vessels to our fleet, and we currently have four additional
vessels under construction.
Of course, like every other travel mode, all of that changed during
the pandemic. WETA's historic ridership is commute-based, and almost
all these riders were able to transition immediately to remote work.
Ridership initially dropped by 98 percent and remained between 7
percent-12 percent of pre-covid levels for the next 16 months. WETA
immediately reduced service to the minimum level needed to maintain a
travel option for essential workers.
Before the pandemic, 60 percent of WETA's operating costs were
covered by fares. In the transportation space, that is very high, and
it was a point of pride for the agency. But as a fare dependent system,
WETA's ability to maintain even a minimum service level in the face of
dramatic ridership decline is extremely limited. Thankfully, Congress
took action.
On behalf of our riders, workers, deck-hands, pilots, and the
countless Americans who depended on essential workers to get us through
the darkest days of the pandemic, thank you for everything Congress did
to maintain transit as an essential service. Without the support
provided in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES)
Act, the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations
Act (CRRSAA) and the American Recovery Plan Act (ARPA), thousands of
nurses, teachers, grocery clerks, construction workers, and others not
able to work from home would have been stranded without a viable
mobility option. We used funding from those programs to invest in
saving jobs, preserving services, and protecting the most vulnerable
members of our communities. We are incredibly grateful.
These funds are now being invested in expediting regional recovery.
COVID relief funds have helped WETA become the first Bay Area transit
system to fully restore service. WETA began implementing a Pandemic
Recovery Program in July. The Program is a year-long series of fare and
service changes focused on incentivizing ridership; testing the market
for new travel patterns; and maximizing the relevance of our service
for a new, more equitable post-pandemic ridership base.
So far, the Program is yielding very positive results. Before the
pandemic, riders paid a premium for ferry travel. Customer satisfaction
ratings were at 95 percent. Boats operated at maximum capacity. The
higher fares reflected the high demand. But WETA operates service to
some of the Bay Area's most disadvantaged communities, and as a public
transit operator, price should not be a factor in riders' decision
about which mode to choose. Through our Pandemic Recovery Program, WETA
was able to lower fares and align those fares with other transit modes.
We also added a significant amount of off-peak service to accommodate
the needs of lower-income, transit-dependent workers who could not work
from home and who did not follow traditional commute patterns.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Allocated by MTC/
Rcvd Expended Balance
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CARES Act.............................................. 18,756,857 18,756,857 -
CRRSAA................................................. 18,353,738 914,492 17,439,246
ARPA................................................... 14,133,854 - 14,133,854
--------------------------------------------------------
Total................................................ 51,244,449 19,671,349 31,573,100
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After implementing these changes, WETA ridership nearly doubled
overnight. Systemwide ridership is approaching 40 percent of pre-
pandemic levels and weekend ridership is over 60 percent of pre-
pandemic levels. The off-peak service that we thought might attract new
riders has proven to be very popular. While ridership on WETA services
during the beginning of 2021 was consistent with other regional
systems, since we made our July changes, WETA's ridership has
significantly outpaced other regional carriers.
We are well ahead of our fiscal year ridership projections.
Congestion has fully returned to regional highways and based on job and
population growth in the area, there is a high likelihood that our
system will eventually return to the level of growth we saw pre-COVID.
Before the pandemic, we were working with communities throughout the
region to aggressively plan for expanded ferry service. While those
plans are being updated to reflect post-pandemic realities, the fact is
that we need to prepare for future increases in ridership.
New neighborhoods are rapidly emerging along the San Francisco
bayfront. These are vibrant population and job centers with extremely
congested access via surface streets. Alternative transportation
options will be critical. Fortunately, plans are in place to build
ferry infrastructure that will make water transit a major travel mode
for thousands of new workers and residents. Our expansion plans will
ensure that these emerging economic centers are connected to our
current system, providing people of all income levels living throughout
the Bay Area with access to jobs, health care, entertainment and other
opportunities.
In addition to accounting for connectivity and accessibility, our
expansion plans are aimed at reducing congestion in the region. To that
end, new, congestion-reducing routes are planned for Berkeley and
Redwood City. Additional new markets for ferry expansion are being
created as population shifts from the urban core to outlying areas in
the North Bay and East Bay subregions.
As we prepare to grow, we are also advancing plans to grow
sustainably, and with an eye toward reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
WETA has always been an environmental leader in developing clean vessel
technology. From the beginning, WETA pushed for the development and
implementation of new diesel engine technology that exceeded
Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) standards, proving to the
industry that increasingly stringent Federal emissions requirements
were achievable. WETA's newest vessels are the first passenger vessels
in the country to achieve EPA's Tier 4 emissions standards. We are
proud of the fact that these vessels will reduce an estimated 10 tons
of GhG emissions annually.
But we believe we can go even further. With that in mind, WETA is
continuing our focus on emission reductions with plans that would
transition about 50 percent of our fleet to zero emissions. The cost of
these improvements is being evaluated. We know that aside from the cost
of the vessels themselves, significant investment will be needed to
equip our terminals with shoreside charging infrastructure to support a
high-volume, high-frequency system.
All these objectives: making ferry service more accessible,
expanding our service to other parts of the Bay Area, and converting
our fleet to zero emission, will require new investment. Our agency has
access to local, regional and state matching funds, but a robust
federal program is essential.
The current level of funding available through the FTA 5307(h)
program that supports ferries pales in comparison to the needs that
exist around the country, let alone in the Bay Area. This committee has
long recognized this, and we have much appreciated the committee's
leadership on trying to make more funding available for public ferry
systems. The 2020 MOVING Forward Act and this year's INVEST in America
Act both boosted funding for the FTA program.
There was bi-partisan support for increasing the level of funding
for the FTA program to $1.25 billion over 5 years as part of the
bipartisan infrastructure bill in the Senate, and this funding increase
was set to be added to the bipartisan infrastructure bill before it was
rushed out of the Senate. That level of investment would provide the
resources needed to support this essential mode of transit around the
country, and allow WETA to fulfill a very ambitious, albeit necessary,
set of plans to grow ferry service in the Bay Area in a sustainable
way. We encourage you to find a way to add that funding to the program
moving forward, thereby ensuring that adequate resources are available
to meet the goals we know are shared by so many on this committee.
Again, thank you for the opportunity to testify before you today. I
look forward to any questions you may have.
ATTACHMENT--Route Map
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]

Ms. Norton. Thank you for your testimony, Mr. Murphy.
Next, the Honorable Frank Principi.
Mr. Principi. Good morning, Madam Chairman, Ranking Member,
and members of the committee. My name is Frank Principi, and I
am a former local elected official from Prince William County,
Virginia, and serve as the chairman of the Northern Virginia
Regional Commission's M-495 Fast Ferry Stakeholder Group.
The NVRC is a regional planning council of 13 local
governments in the northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, DC.
And the Fast Ferry Stakeholder Group is comprised of more than
60 public, private, and military organizations that have come
together to support the launch of fast ferry service in the
national capital region.
Today, people in this region waste an average of 102 hours
stuck in traffic annually, translating into $4.6 billion in
lost time and fuel.
Our transit services in this region are time- and place-
limited and/or at capacity. Diversification is key to improving
mobility in this region. The ability to move goods and people
at relatively low cost represents a substantial benefit for
both our economy and our quality of life.
Our vision is to provide safe, reliable, and efficient
passenger ferry transit service on the Occoquan, Potomac, and
Anacostia Rivers. These waterways, designated as the ``M-495
Marine Highway'' by MARAD, will meet the needs of residents,
tourists, and small freight. The system would be supported with
a local commercial vessel maintenance and repair facility, as
well. Rider amenities will be substantial, and passenger fares
are expected to be competitive with existing transit service,
and less than the cost of our toll lanes.
The envisioned service will serve both the north-south and
cross-river commutes, with a fleet of 149 passenger vessels.
The service will enhance fairness in mobility and will provide
critical transportation links for areas currently underserved
by transit to connect residents to new job centers. The service
will include destinations in Virginia, like the Pentagon,
National Airport, and Amazon HQ2 at National Landing; and in
Maryland at Indian Head, National Harbor, and MGM Grand Hotel;
and in the District of Columbia at Joint Base Anacostia
Bolling, the new headquarters for the Department of Homeland
Security, the Wharf, and, in the future, Poplar Point.
At full development, our system could provide mobility for
10,000 daily regional trips with shorter travel times. Given
the significant and growing waterfront population densities and
recent efforts to provide customers with near real-time package
delivery, the service has the potential to improve freight
mobility, and provide revenues to support passenger service.
The fleet of vessels could also provide the region with
expanded emergency management capacity, including water rescues
and evacuations.
We estimate primary job creation in the range of 100 to 200
jobs, initially.
The stakeholder group has endorsed the principle that the
construction and operation of this new transit service should
be conducted through a public-private military partnership. All
partners would be expected to help finance the startup costs
and participate in the governance structure. It is important to
include the military, as their personnel make up 24 percent of
our daily commuters in this region.
Starting this new service requires substantial upfront
investment. Despite our best efforts, the $17 million of
Federal funds that were in the pipeline for this project have
not materialized. We are asking the committee to reconsider our
$13 million earmark request sponsored by Madam Chair. The
stakeholder group was willing to finance a 40-percent match of
this amount, and our FTA grant of $4.2 million was awarded and
later rescinded. This amount, together with an operating
subsidy that was authorized in H.R. 2, would have enabled us to
launch.
Given that the M-495 fast ferry service would
quantitatively improve our throughput and provide long-term
congestion relief, ferry service would be a great example of
building back better here, in the national capital region.
Thank you again for your continued leadership on our
country's infrastructure needs. I respectfully ask the
committee to consider support of M-495. Thank you.
[Mr. Principi's prepared statement follows:]

Prepared Statement of Hon. Frank J. Principi, Chairman, M-495 Fast
Ferry Stakeholder Group, Northern Virginia Regional Commission
I. Introduction
Good morning, Chairman, Ranking Member, and Members of the
Committee. My name is Frank J. Principi. I am a former local elected
official from Prince William County, Virginia and serve as the Chairman
of the Northern Virginia Regional Commission's M-495 Fast Ferry
Stakeholder Group. The Northern Virginia Regional Commission (NVRC) is
a regional planning council of thirteen local governments in the
Northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, DC. The Fast Ferry Stakeholder
Group is comprised of 60+ public, private, and military organizations
that support the launch of fast ferry transit service in the National
Capital Region.
I'd like to take this opportunity to thank the Chairman and Ranking
Member for their leadership in these policy and budget matters and
conducting this hearing. I would also like to thank Madam Chairman
Norton on her continued support and leadership of our efforts.
II. Mobility in The National Capital Region
Today people in the National Capital Region waste an average of 102
hours stuck in traffic, translating into $4.6 billion in lost time and
fuel. I would add that we have some of the most reliably, unreliable
commutes in the nation. While we have a transit system, we are proud of
in the region, transit services are often time or place limited and/or
at capacity. Diversification is key to improving mobility in the
region. The ability to move goods and people at relatively low cost
represents a substantial benefit for both our economy and our quality
of life.
III. Vision
Our vision is to provide safe, reliable, and efficient passenger
ferry vessel transit service on the Occoquan, Potomac, and Anacostia
Rivers. These waterways were designated as the ``M-495 Marine Highway''
by the US Department of Transportation's Maritime Administration. The
service is intended to meet the needs of residents, tourists, and small
freight. The system would be supported with a local commercial vessel
maintenance and repair facility.
Rider amenities will be substantial and passenger fares are
expected to be competitive with existing transit and toll lanes in the
region. The envisioned service will serve both the north-south and
cross-river commutes with a fleet of 149 passenger vessels to provide
links connecting residents to work, medical appointments, school,
shopping, and tourist destinations. The service will enhance fairness
in mobility and will provide critical transportation links for areas
currently underserved by transit to connect people directly to job
centers. Service focal points include locations in Virginia (Prince
William County, Fort Belvoir, Pentagon, National Airport, National
Landing); Maryland (Indian Head, National Harbor and MGM Grand Hotel)
and the District of Columbia (Joint Base Anacostia Bolling, Department
of Homeland Security, Wharf, Poplar Point). At full development, the
system could provide mobility to accommodate about 10,000 daily
regional trips.
Given the significant and growing waterfront population densities
and recent efforts to provide customers with near real-time package
deliveries, the service has the potential to improve freight mobility
and provide revenue to support passenger service. The fleet of vessels
could also provide the region with expanded emergency management.
The ferry system will support job creation and job training
opportunities and be a source of revenue creation for the three states
and local governments. Once the system is launched, it will provide
substantial labor income from direct, indirect, and induced jobs as
well as opportunities for job training in maritime skills that are in
high demand nationally. We estimate primary job creation in a range of
100 to 200 jobs, with the ability to offer training opportunities on an
on-going basis.
IV. Public-Private-Military Partnership
The Stakeholder Group has endorsed the principle that the
construction and operation of this new transit service should be
conducted through a public-private-military partnership. All partners
would be expected to help finance the initial start-up costs--capital
and operating expenses--and participate in the governance structure.
While the military is challenged to finance off-site transportation
projects, their personnel make-up 24 percent of daily commuters in this
region and these federal facilities would contribute through adaptation
of existing shuttle bus services as well as technical support for
installation of ferry terminals at military installations.
V. Request To Congress
Starting this new service requires substantial up-front investment.
Despite our best efforts we have had up to $17 million in federal grant
funds in the pipeline but have not been able to finalize any of those
grants or that level of funding.
We are asking Congress to consider a $13 million earmark for the M-
495. Congresswoman Norton earlier sponsored an earmark request in that
amount, but it was not awarded. The Stakeholder Group has been willing
to create up to a 40 percent match. The earmark and the local match,
together with a time-limited operating subsidy--something included in
the House version of the infrastructure bill--would provide the upfront
financial ``bow wave'' and allow us to launch this regional service.
We also request that the final version of the infrastructure bill
include the House provision entitled, ``Projects of National and
Regional Significance,'' projects that cannot be funded through annual
apportionments or other discretionary sources. Given that the M-495
fast ferry transit service would quantitatively improve throughput and
provide long-term congestion relief this ferry service would be a great
example of ``building back better.''
VI. Conclusion
Thank you again for your continued leadership on our country's
infrastructure needs and respectfully ask the Committee consider
support of the M-495 Fast Ferry Service. I would be pleased to take any
questions.

Ms. Norton. Thank you, Mr. Principi.
Finally, we will hear from Mr. Kyle Godar.
Mr. Godar. Hello, and I would like to thank the committee
for the opportunity to testify today, to represent my
community, the surrounding region, and similar communities
across the country.
As you said, my name is Kyle Godar, and I am the county
engineer for Calhoun County, Illinois. As a county engineer, I
manage the county highway department, as well as the county
unit road district. I oversee 300 miles of roadway, including
two ferry terminals.
Calhoun County's unique geographical location between the
Mississippi River and the Illinois River at the confluence of
the rivers leaves the county nearly surrounded by water.
Calhoun County lies between Alton, Illinois, which is part of
the St. Louis metropolitan area, and Louisiana, Missouri. This
is an 80-mile section of the Mississippi River without a bridge
crossing to the west, and with the Illinois River to the east.
The surrounding area relies on four ferry operations to provide
mobility through the region.
Although Calhoun County is in very close proximity to the
St. Louis metro area, it remains a rural community because it
is isolated by the rivers from the urban sprawl and expansion
of the metro area. This barrier between urban and rural
communities that the river creates has historically provided a
natural barrier, which has preserved the entire area's natural
resources and historic sites. This has protected the area's 20
wildlife management areas, 18 public access areas, 40,000 acres
of protected enhanced wildlife habitat managed by Pere
Marquette State Park, Two Rivers National Wildlife Refuge, and
the Mississippi River State Fish and Wildlife Area, in addition
to the area encompassed by the rivers themselves, and all of
the privately owned farms, orchards, and wineries that provide
locally grown produce to the metro area.
The four ferries that operate at Grafton, Golden Eagle,
Brussels, and Kampsville provide the connection that allows
those from the metropolitan area to visit, enjoy, and learn
about the natural resources in the area. The four ferries not
only serve to support tourism, but the majority of the
passengers carried by the ferries are commuters who utilize the
ferry system to drastically reduce the number of miles traveled
during their commute. At the Golden Eagle location alone,
nearly 600 riders each day are commuters.
By utilizing the ferry, these commuters are able to reduce
their commute from a one-way, 80-mile trip on some of the most
congested roads in the area, to a 30-mile average trip across
some of the least-traveled roads in the area. Using ferries
greatly reduces the congestion and the miles traveled. The
Golden Eagle Ferry alone results in an annual reduction of
nearly 8 million miles traveled.
Two of the ferries have also been repowered by CMAQ funds,
helping reduce emissions.
And although the topic of the hearing is mobility, I think
it is important to understand the life, health, and safety
needs that the ferries provide, as well. Access to healthcare
is an intrinsic need, and is only accessible to some by way of
ferry. The absence of reliable ferry service could deny
residents in this area life needs, even access to food at
times.
All four of the ferry services in Calhoun County have had
funding made available through allocation through the Ferry
Boat Program. Unfortunately, guidance provided by FHWA, and
some of the eligibility requirements associated with those
funds, has rendered the county unable to use the funds as
needed. Specifically, in one case, the ineligibility of
``approach roadways'' becomes a major issue for us.
Given the wide range of ferry service characteristics and
ownership structures that exist, a one-size-fits-all approach
to the ferry boat funding guidance has resulted in many ferry
services allowing allotted funds to expire, including ours.
Eliminating some of these eligibility issues, especially when
associated with, for instance, the one-time discretionary funds
that I believe are included in the current Senate bill, would
help secure public ownership of associated facilities, and
secure public control of these facilities would greatly improve
the reliability of the ferry service and the Federal-aid system
of highways.
I thank you again for the opportunity to bring these issues
to your attention, and I am open to answering any questions you
may have.
[Mr. Godar's prepared statement follows:]

Prepared Statement of Kyle Godar, County Engineer, Calhoun County,
Illinois
Chairman DeFazio, Ranking Member Graves, Chair Norton, and Ranking
Member Davis:
I would like to thank you for the opportunity to testify before the
subcommittee. I am honored to represent my community, the surrounding
region and similar communities across the Country as the Committee
Examines the Vital Role Ferries play in not only Improving Mobility but
also providing access to essential services for many communities
similar to my own.
My name is Kyle Godar and I am the County Engineer for Calhoun
County, Illinois. As the County Engineer I manage the County Highway
Department as well as the County Unit Road District and oversee
approximately 300 miles of roadway. Calhoun County's unique
geographical location between the Mississippi River and the Illinois
River at the confluence of the great rivers leaves the county nearly
surrounded by water. Calhoun County lies along the Mississippi River
between Alton, Illinois (part of the St. Louis Metropolitan area) and
Louisiana, Missouri. With this over 80-mile section of the Mississippi
River without a bridge crossing to the West and the Illinois River to
the East, Calhoun County and the surrounding area is reliant on four
ferry operations to provide mobility through the region.
Although Calhoun County is in very close proximity to the St. Louis
Metropolitan area it remains a very rural community isolated from the
urban sprawl and expansion of the Metropolitan area by the Great
Rivers. Over 120 years ago Calhoun County earned the nick name the
``Apple Kingdom'' as much of the County was covered with orchards that
supplied locally raised produce to the St. Louis area. Over 100 years
later the County still embraces that name as the ferries carry many
visitors from the St. Louis area across the Great Rivers to visit the
many orchards and farms that provide locally grown produce to the area.
The barrier between the urban and rural communities that the Great
Rivers create has coincidentally provided a natural barrier which has
preserved the entire areas natural resources and historical sites. The
unique geographic characteristics of the area have provided the perfect
setting for the 20 wildlife management areas, 18 public access areas,
and over 40,000 acres of protected and enhanced wildlife habitat
actively managed as part of Pere Marquette State Park, Two Rivers
National Wildlife Refuge, and the Mississippi River State Fish and
Wildlife Area. This all, in addition to the area encompassed by the
Rivers themselves, as well as the privately owned farms, orchards, and
wineries in the area. The four ferries that operate at Grafton, Golden
Eagle, Brussels, and Kampsville provide the connection that allows
those from the Metropolitan area to visit, enjoy, and learn about these
natural resources. Due to its proximity to the Metropolitan area the
Two Rivers National Wildlife Refuge earns its designation as an Urban
Wildlife Refuge and as such is frequented by school bus loads of
children, at times multiple school groups a day get the chance to cross
the river on the ferries and come learn about the wildlife and natural
resources preserved in this area. Many of the ferries across the
country provide this same type of connection to national parks,
historical preservation areas, and the great outdoors.
The four ferries that operate in Calhoun County and the surrounding
area not only serve to support tourism and transport visitors to the
area, but the majority of the passengers carried by the ferries are
commuters who utilize the ferry system to drastically reduce the number
of miles traveled by automobile, as those living in the rural areas
make their daily commute to the Metropolitan area. The ferries also
reduce the miles traveled by freight carriers. During harvest farmers
in the region transport grain across the ferries to port facilities in
the Metropolitan area. Without the ferries, marketing grain at these
port facilities would not be an option for the area farmers. At the
Golden Eagle location alone nearly 600 riders each day are commuters.
By utilizing the ferry these commuters are able to change their route
from a one-way, 80 mile average trip across some of the most congested
routes in the Metro area to a 30 mile average trip across some of the
least traveled routes in the area. As such, these ferries greatly
reduce congestion and the miles traveled by these commuters. Based on
the numbers provided above the Golden Eagle Ferry operation results in
an annual reduction of nearly 8,000,000 miles traveled by commuters
alone.
Although the topic of this hearing is ``Mobility,'' the important
role that of the Nation's ferry system plays as it relates to life,
health, and safety needs to be understood. Access to health care is an
intrinsic need that is only accessible to some by way of ferry. The
residents of Calhoun County, Illinois, being a medically underserved
area, are reliant on the ferry system to access basic health care.
Without the Golden Eagle Ferry in operation, for example, the distance
traveled to receive basic health care at times could be increased by 50
miles. When these ferries are not in operation during emergent
situations, essential services such as ambulatory evacuation are only
available by helicopter air transport. The absence of reliable ferry
service could deny many residents basic life needs and access to food.
This happens during times of major flooding such as during the spring
and summer of 2019. During that time many residents simply had to
relocate and move to temporary housing outside of the area.
The Ferry Boat Program (FBP) authorized under Title 23, United
States Code (U.S.C.), Sections 129(c) and 147 has provided a funding
source that provides assistance to many of these ferry boat operations.
All four of the Ferries servicing Calhoun County have had funding made
available for allocation through the Ferry Boat Program. Unfortunately,
guidance provided by FHWA and some of the eligibility requirements
associated with the FBP funds has rendered Calhoun County unable to use
the funds as needed. The ownership characteristics of these ferry
operations vary widely as most of the ferry operation in our area began
as privately owned operations in the 1800s or earlier. As the
importance of these ferry operations has become ever more apparent,
they have slowly, in different ways, become publicly controlled. Given
this relationship between public owners and private operators there are
needs that the ferry operations rely on that are determined ineligible.
At the Golden Eagle Ferry location for instance, it has been determined
that acquisition and improvement to the access road that connects the
Ferry terminal to the nearest federal-aid-route is not eligible for
funding. This roadway has been maintained by the ferry operator to
service the ferry terminal and is public by prescriptive rights only,
as no federal fund or other locally collected tax funds have been used
in the past to improve the road. The maintenance on this road has been
performed by our Highway Department and paid for out of the tolls
collected by the ferry operator with Calhoun County controlling the
toll rates. At this time improvements to the road could potentially
keep this ferry in operation for an additional 60 days per year on
average as protections for minor flooding could be provided.
The ineligibility of ``Approach Roadways'' for FBP funds is
understandable as other funds could be used on the public roadways once
they have been acquired and built by the local highway authorities.
However, in this situation the FBP funds are needed to acquire the
necessary right of way to construct the ``Approach Roadway'' that could
then be added to the Federal-Aid-System of highways for which it is
currently not a part of. Once acquired, constructed, and made part of
the federal aid system, then it would be understood that it would
qualify for other funds and the FBP funds would no longer be eligible.
It is my belief that the first acquisition and construction of public
access roadways to these ferry terminals should qualify to get these
sections of ``Approach Roadway'' initially 44 added to the Federal-Aid-
System of highways.
Additionally, other local ferry operations have had maintenance to
major components of their publicly owned vessels determined ineligible.
Maintenance on many of these vessels required to meet United States
Coast Guard (USCG) requirements can be very costly and involve nearly
reconstructing portions of the barges and push boats. This along with
the very high cost associated with dry docking facilities has made it
apparent that some operations need these funds for maintenance of their
vessels.
Given the wide range of ferry service characteristics and ownership
structures that exist, a one size fits all approach to ferry boat
funding guidance has resulted in many ferry services allowing allotted
funds to expire, ours included. Eliminating some of these eligibility
issues, especially when associated with one-time discretionary funds
that could help to secure public ownership of associated facilities,
and secure public control of these facilities would greatly improve the
reliability of ferry services and the Federal-Aid-System of Highways.
[GRAPHICS NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]

Ms. Norton. Thank you very much, Mr. Godar.
We will now move to Member questions. Each Member will be
recognized for 5 minutes, and I will start by asking my own
questions.
Mr. Principi, your testimony noted challenges in this very
region, the national capital region, with drivers spending 100
hours more each year stuck in traffic.
Now, we are fortunate in the DC metropolitan region to have
waterways. Not every region has such waterways. Can you provide
more detail on the level of ridership you anticipate the M-495
ferry system could serve, and what the corresponding impact on
traffic congestion might be?
Mr. Principi. Yes. Thank you, Madam Chair. As I said in the
testimony, we would expect, at startup, to be able to carry
about 10,000 daily passengers, which would equate to a little
over 3 million passengers annually, and be able to grow from
there.
The network--you know, it is amazing. This region has so
many military bases on those river systems. We have so many
transit-oriented developments on those regions that the sky is
the limit, with the ability to be able to use our last unused
blue highways to accommodate the--and vis-a-vis traffic
congestion, I don't think we will ever get to pandemic levels
on the interstates. I think we are going to go back to what it
was before in large measure.
But congestion, it would, in effect, be able to slow down
the large amount of money being invested in roads and other
transit systems, because I believe very strongly that
investments in ferry service is much more efficient than
perhaps bus or even commuter rail.
Ms. Norton. Yes, I anticipate when people know that they
can get on a boat and get here just as fast, that you will find
those alternatives increasingly thriving.
Mr. Principi, one of our goals here, in the District of
Columbia, is to invest in and revitalize our waterfront
communities. We are very fortunate to have one of my bills that
passed, the Southwest Waterfront, another the Southeast
Waterfront. So we are already revitalizing our waterfronts.
Mr. Principi, how would the M-495 ferry service help our
region build a thriving and accessible waterfront community?
Mr. Principi. Well, by definition, successful waterfront
communities require transit, that it be transit-oriented
development. And while there may be bus service and perhaps
rail in a few areas in those centers, all of them are connected
by our three rivers. And so, being able to move individuals--
either it be commuters or tourists--between and among those
transit-oriented developments would be huge, from an economic
development standpoint, here in our region, not only on jobs,
but on tax revenue for Government and, in fact, quality of life
issues for the riders.
There is nothing better than to be sitting in a reclining
leather seat with a beautiful, stress-free view of the waterway
system, as my colleagues are able to accomplish. We would like
to do that here, in the national capital region, as well.
Ms. Norton. Thank you.
Ms. Rubstello, your testimony highlights the workforce
challenges the Washington State ferry system faces, with a
staggering number of your highly skilled employees eligible for
retirement. In the INVEST in America Act, the committee
dedicated significant resources to ensure transit workers will
be well trained to keep up with that changing sector. Are there
Federal resources you can draw upon, as you tackle your
workforce needs?
Ms. Rubstello. Well, we are currently already using those
resources that we have. Part of the challenge is attracting new
talent, and then being able to train them quickly enough to get
them onto the vessels and part of the operations team. So it is
really about bringing that attraction, that these are good-
paying wages, good family-wage jobs. And then, of course, our
service. So we are utilizing everything that we already have.
Ms. Norton. Well, that is very pleasing to note, and I
thank you.
And now I ask my good friend, the ranking member, for his
questions.
Mr. Davis. Thank you again, Madam Chair, and thank you
again to the witnesses. Great to hear your opening testimony. I
want to start with my witness, Mr. Godar.
We have heard a lot today about the need for increased
funding, but you have an issue where you actually don't need
any more funding. You just need Government to do their job and
to be able to use the Federal funds you have for a specific
purpose. Can you explain in more detail the project you are
attempting to complete, and would complete, if it weren't for
pushback from the Federal Government?
Mr. Godar. Yes, and I don't know that we would turn down
extra funding, as we would appreciate that. But if you give me
funding I can't use, it doesn't help.
So in this situation, our local ferry operation at Golden
Eagle started out, like many, as a private operation, how most
of these river ferries in our area began. And over time, these
ferries have either been replaced by bridges, or in strategic
locations, have slowly been modified from private ownership to
public ownership, or a combination public-private partnership,
which is the case in this situation.
At this location in, I think, 1969, IDOT eminent-domained
the terminal on the Illinois side, as there were some conflicts
with property owners there and bestowed the power of managing
the ferry onto the county. No such issue has ever taken place
on the Missouri side of the Mississippi, and the terminal is on
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers land. And there is a gap from
there to the next closest Federal-aid route that is managed by
MODOT. And our ferry operator still owns a small piece of
property and the roadway that connects the two.
And, given the ferry boat funds, we were hoping to improve
that section of road, which is in dire need of it, but have
been told that it does not qualify, because it is not in the
system.
Mr. Davis. Can you give us a brief example of some of the
benefits that it would bring if this project were to be
completed, that would come to Calhoun County and southwestern
Illinois?
Mr. Godar. Yes. So improvement to this road, and it is--it
would be a simple fix to improve the road, and raise a section
of it from 2 feet to 6 inches [sic]. That would offer an
additional 60 days of operating time on average, per year,
where the road is inundated by floodwaters. Route B is still
open, we just cannot make the connection. That closes this
ferry operation down, which reduces traffic, increases
congestion.
The ferry company has repowered two of their tugs with
lower emission engines through CMAQ funds in the past. I think
they would be greatly interested in looking into purchasing new
tugs they need to right now that they don't have the funding to
purchase. But with electrification and these other changes, I
think that they would be interested in pursuing that.
But here, with this smaller operation, we are lacking the
funds to match those type of Federal investments. So I think at
our smaller operations like that, they are going to need
additional support just to be able to do those things, even if
allotted Federal funds, because of a lack of matching funds.
And back to the road issue, I think I need to have FHWA,
IDOT, and MODOT come together and provide Calhoun County with a
funding source that will allow us to utilize--to acquire what
needs to be a public right-of-way to solidify this very
important ferry connection.
And I think that wraps up most of our issues we are having.
Mr. Davis. Great, thank you. And I would be interested in
hearing from any of the other witnesses at some point if you
have any permitting issues, with how long permitting takes.
But I do want to briefly say something to Ms. Rubstello.
Ms. Rubstello, you mentioned workforce. You may not be
aware--a lot of folks aren't aware--as part of the CARES Act,
Congress actually passed a provision that allows employers to
pay down student debt, just like they were able to do with a
tax--with a $5,250 limit for the employee not to have to pay
taxes on during--that is the same thing that exists with
tuition reimbursement. Employers can now pay down student debt
up to that level, tax free, for their employees or future
employees. It is a great recruitment, great retention tool.
I would urge--and you don't have to fill out a grant
program to get the money. It is utilizing our tax code to help
encourage employers to attack the student loan debt problem in
this country, and a voluntary, private-sector approach. So I
would urge you to reach out to our office. We will get you the
information on it. I think it can really help address some of
the workforce issues right now in your industry.
And I yield back, Madam Chair.
Ms. Norton. Well, I thank the ranking member for his
questions, and I now recognize Mr. Sires for 5 minutes.
Mr. Sires, you are recognized.
Mr. Sires. Well, thank you very much for holding this
hearing.
My district, being one of the most congested districts in
the country, being so close to New York, having the Hudson
River, we have a number of ferry stations. And quite frankly,
if it wasn't for the assistance of the Federal Government, we
would be even more congested.
We have tied the ferry ports to our light rail, where the
light rail brings people to the ferry, and the ferry goes into
New York, obviously. It only takes about 7 minutes to get
across the river, but people save quite a bit of time.
But the most important part is that you have all those cars
taken off the road. Between the light rail and the ferry, there
are a number of cars that are taken off the road every single
day.
The other part that helps with the ferry is, when 9/11
happened, the only people that could get out of New York,
because everything else was closed, was through the ferry.
Every time there is an emergency, the ferries are there to
assist. If you remember when Captain Sully landed on the Hudson
River, the first people who were there to assist in that
accident was the ferry system. So that is another plus for the
ferries in areas--hopefully, that you won't need them. And 9/
11, obviously, they were ferrying people out of New York into
New Jersey.
But we have just about every single mode of transportation
you can think of in my district, from ferry to light rail to
cars, tunnels, bridges, you name it. But the ferry has been a
very, very successful endeavor here in this district.
My question is what else can we do to improve ferry systems
in other areas of the country, or in my area, also? To anyone
that wants to answer that question.
[Pause.]
Ms. Norton. I think the question is addressed to any member
on the panel.
Mr. Sires. Can you hear me?
Mr. Murphy. Thank you, Congressman, I can tackle that one.
I think that it is essential that we look at increasing
funding. The ferry, as a travel mode, doesn't necessarily get
the appreciation that it deserves. Mr. Principi pointed out
that it can oftentimes be a much more efficient investment in
terms of moving people, reducing congestion, addressing
emissions, than some other modes. So I think that it is worth
exploring, increasing funding opportunities.
I also want to respond to the question about permitting
issues. I think there are opportunities that we can look at to
streamline permitting for projects and their expansion
opportunities that all of us are looking at. There is a
sequential approach to permitting between agencies these days,
instead of an approach that lets different regulatory agencies
look at permits at the same time. That would really speed
things up. We know time is money, and so that is another area
that I think could be improved, probably not just for ferries,
but infrastructure generally.
Mr. Sires. Just like--because of the development that we
have on the New Jersey side of the river, more and more people
are coming from New York who live in New Jersey, and take the
ferry into New York, which is, compared to all the other modes
of transportation, it really saves a great deal of time for
these people, because they could be home in half an hour, and
that is unheard of in this area. Anybody who has ridden the New
Jersey Turnpike and gone on the Lincoln Tunnel or the Holland
Tunnel would know. We have the tunnels, obviously.
So I am all for trying to help not just my area, but other
areas, because I have seen the success of the ferry that it has
brought to this area. So let's keep funding, let's keep
improving, because it is not only clean, it is an alternate
way, other than cost, the cost of the road, all those good
things that ferries provide.
For many years, there was a lot of ferry activity here, and
then it died off. But since all the development has happened,
people are more and more interested in having ferries in their
own towns, which takes them right into New York City. That is
where the jobs are in this part of the State.
Thank you. I don't have any further questions.
Mr. Principi. Congressman, Congressman, let me just briefly
respond to your question.
We sympathize. Our commuters here sympathize with the
commuters in New York and New Jersey. We have very much the
same type of traffic congestion as you do. And my hat is off to
the committee for the passage of H.R. 2.
H.R. 2 would have done great things for our ferry system
here, in the national capital region, including an increased
amount of funding opportunities and the ability to utilize some
of that funding for operational purposes.
The large drawback to the launch of ferry service, I
believe, in this country is the inability to secure or
guarantee an operating subsidy for, say, labor and fuel: the
two largest expenses. And so, without the ability to have an
operating subsidy, it is difficult to attract the private
sector to make that initial risk and take that initial
responsibility of being able to start service.
And then the other provision that we really liked in H.R. 2
was the projects of national and regional significance, a
separate pot of money for regional transportation systems that
would benefit both of our areas.
Ms. Norton. Thank you very much. The next question will be
from Mr. LaMalfa.
You are recognized for 5 minutes, Mr. LaMalfa.
Mr. LaMalfa. Thank you, Madam Chair. I appreciate the
hearing here.
We don't have a great amount of ferry activity in my
district here, although I see my colleague, Mr. Garamendi--
maybe we could reach an agreement on getting that one at
Princeton to get service going between Butte and Colusa County
going again. That helps save a lot of mileage for our farmers
moving their machinery, as well as just a general commute, you
would say, in that area. It was pretty handy back in the day,
so we understand the need, the importance.
And I wanted to direct some questions towards Mr. Murphy on
the bay area, where--that is fairly proximate to our area.
And what you are looking at, you know, we have used some of
that service in the past, as a tourist, mostly, in the area. So
when you talk about--there is ridership currently on the
system. It is about 40 percent of pre-COVID, and seeking to
restore service. How long do you think--that is probably pretty
unpredictable, but to get back to 100 percent service?
And also parallel that with what do you see, what do you
know on bridge traffic for automobiles? What is the level of
traffic for automobiles versus the--in--you know, in bouncing
back from the COVID era? Has it responded much more so than
ferry service at a higher number than 40 percent?
Mr. Murphy. Yes, thank you, Congressman. It is a good
question.
We are seeing ridership levels at about 40 percent now.
That is ahead of where we projected to be right now, even with
the Delta variant impacts, which have had a significant impact
on travel, generally, in the bay area. We think that we can get
to 50 percent. That is what we budgeted for the current fiscal
year, 50 percent of pre-COVID ridership by the end of June
2022. Our goal is to get back to somewhere in the area of 75
percent by the end of fiscal year 2023. So we are looking at a
2- or 3-year recovery cycle before we can get back to 100
percent.
There are still--job and population growth is happening in
the bay area----
Mr. LaMalfa. Let me jump in, I am sorry, as time is limited
here.
Mr. Murphy. Yes.
Mr. LaMalfa. What do you see--do you have numbers for what
bridge traffic is for automobiles?
Mr. Murphy. They are back to pre-COVID levels. They are not
focused on the commute period, necessarily. They are spread out
more across the day, which is what we are seeing on transit
service, as well. Off-peak service is more resilient than it
was pre-COVID. But bridge traffic is back to 100 percent of
pre-COVID levels.
Mr. LaMalfa. What do you think the barrier is between
people--you know, it is not a lot of fun to go across the
bridges during peak traffic there. Why isn't the ferry bouncing
back more quickly? Why isn't it already at, say, 75 percent?
Not pointing fingers at you, but just in general, why are not
users jumping at that opportunity to have a shorter distance or
a straighter travel?
Mr. Murphy. Yes, I think it is hard to say. But because the
traffic is spread out over the day, we are not seeing the peak
congestion time constraints, the travel times that we saw
previously in the--that were focused on the peak period. We
know those are coming, but it is going to take downtown San
Francisco largely reopening office-based jobs and employers
that are welcoming those commuters back to the office, which is
looking like a January timeframe for the bay area.
Mr. LaMalfa. Oh, OK. That will be tough. All right.
So talk about the retrofitting. Are we talking about
brandnew boats, or are we talking about refitting current boats
with the different propulsion system when you are talking about
going to--I guess is it diesel engines to zero-emission
electric?
Are you utilizing--do you see them utilizing the current
craft, or as a brandnew craft?
Mr. Murphy. We are looking at doing both. We are looking at
buying some smaller vessels that are battery-electric, that
would be able to operate some of our shorter routes, and we are
looking at repowering our existing diesel vessels to be able to
use zero-emissions battery-electric technology.
Mr. LaMalfa. What do you think would be a projected cost on
an average, full-sized diesel retrofit?
And then how is that going to reflect in the price of the
ticket, let's say?
Mr. Murphy. We are assessing that now. We--there are some
options for doing that. I can get back to you with more detail
on the cost ranges for the retrofits.
Our goal is to have it not affect the cost of a ticket at
all. We would like to be able to use our local and regional
matching funds to leverage Federal programs that would be
sufficient to be able to accommodate those costs, and not have
that trickle down to our fares at all.
Mr. LaMalfa. Well, that would be a taxpayer expense, then,
unless somehow it was paying for itself.
Is this a mandate, or is this something that you seek as a
goal in order to, you know, better public relations?
Mr. Murphy. There is a mandate in California to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions for commercial harbor craft. We are
subject to that. There are a few ways to go about it. It
doesn't require zero-emission technology for any routes that
are longer than 3 miles. Routes less than 3 miles are required
to be zero emission. We are doing a little bit more on the
zero-emissions side than what would be required by that
regulation.
Mr. LaMalfa. OK. Well, hopefully, the one over to Oracle
Park from across the bay is in that category of not having to
retrofit, because I would like to go over there and root for
the Giants against the hated southern California franchise.
Anyway, so thank you.
Mr. Murphy. Thank you.
Ms. Norton. Thank you, Mr. LaMalfa.
Mr. Huffman, you are recognized for 5 minutes.
Mr. Huffman. Madam Chair, thanks for this important
hearing, which comes, obviously, on the eve of the House
potentially taking a vote this week on the Senate's
infrastructure bill.
As Chairman DeFazio has said, this bill was not written the
right way. It came together in a back room, written by a dozen
pro-fossil-fuel Senators, and it has the oil industry's
fingerprints all over it. Critical investments in tackling
carbon emissions in the transportation sector were gutted from
the House's INVEST Act.
And unfortunately, even when this bill tries to do
something right, the Senate bill manages to get it wrong. So
they included $1.2 billion for public ferries. But the bill
dedicates $1 billion of that to rural ferry services, excluding
the rapidly growing ferry systems in California and other
places. In fact, the FTA estimates that only four ferry
services in the entire country would be eligible for the
funding under this bill, as it is currently written.
But what came out of that backroom Senate deal is
apparently sacred and unchangeable. We are told that we just
have to live with what is in it, including the errors. There
was a last-minute attempt to correct an error, increasing
funding by $1.25 billion for the passenger ferry program. But
the bill was rushed through without it, and here we are this
week voting on a bill that not only includes giveaways to the
fossil fuel industry, that not only underfunds critical climate
priorities, but also just has errors and mistakes in it that we
are told we cannot fix.
And because of the double dipping promise that was made
without any of us being party to it, it was impossible,
unfortunately, even for this committee's reconciliation package
to address the inequity in ferry funding.
So, Mr. Murphy, I want to ask you about this. The Senate
bill does increase funding nominally for the ferry formula
program by about $30 million out-years. How much does this
actually increase funding for WETA?
Mr. Murphy. Yes, it is not much, Congressman. Thank you for
the question. Thank you for your support of our system,
historically, as well.
But it is less than $1 million a year from that FHWA
program. So the increase----
Mr. Huffman. And remind me, how much does a new ferry boat
cost you?
Mr. Murphy. A new ferry boat is expensive. A small ferry
boat is in the neighborhood of $4.3 million. The large ferry
boats that we operate, our 400-passenger, those are upwards of
$25 million.
Mr. Huffman. Right. My understanding is that 35 percent of
the allocation formula on this program is based on the number
of vehicles carried by each ferry, the result being that
funding is not as focused on helping remove vehicles from
congested areas, as that is what our bay area ferries actually
do, but actually has a discriminatory effect on ferries like
ours that move people, rather than vehicles. Is that fair to
say, Mr. Murphy?
Mr. Murphy. That is correct. It is tough to make it easier
to move cars on a boat in the bay area. We are more interested
in moving people, and this program is focused on ferry vessels
that move cars over longer distances.
Mr. Huffman. And unlike the ferries in the bay area and
other metropolitan areas, ferry service in Alaska, though, will
do very well under this backroom deal that came out of the
Senate. They will get an additional $12 million annually under
the Senate bill, because they cover very long distances, and
they move cars. And that is the way the deal was cooked.
So, I tell you, I want to see support for rural
communities. I want to see support for ferry service in rural
communities, but not at the expense of major successful
metropolitan area ferry programs like the one we have in the
bay area.
In fact, I look at this windfall to Alaska, and I see it on
top of the new LNG facility that Senator Murkowski has achieved
for herself, with a $25 billion tax credit. And it sure looks
like--you know, they have said they are getting rid of
earmarks, but this sure feels like a pretty generous earmark,
at least a windfall, and we just shouldn't be doing that at the
expense of urban communities, in my opinion.
Ms. Rubstello, I want to ask you about your efforts to
electrify, or to go to hybrid-electric and full-electric
vessels. What impact would the availability of those FTA urban
ferry funds have on your system's ability to purchase these
cleaner vessels, and refurbish your fleet?
Ms. Rubstello. Well, we take full advantage of it. You
know, as I mentioned, we have a convergence plan, so three
existing boats that we want to convert. So we would utilize to
the greatest extent possible on that, and then look at our
shoreside infrastructure. That is a huge component to get the
full benefit of going electric. And so we would focus a lot of
the funding in that area, as well.
Mr. Huffman. Great. We have just got to make sure the
formula makes those funds available to you, and we have got
some work to do to get that fixed.
So with that I yield back. Thank you very much, Madam
Chair.
Ms. Norton. Thank you very much, Mr. Huffman. I am pleased
to recognize now Mr. Burchett for 5 minutes.
Mr. Burchett. Thank you, Chairlady. And I am--I guess,
technically, I am the ranking member right now, so your side
has had adequate leadership. Ours has been woefully underserved
up to this point, especially since my buddy, Rodney Davis, was
sitting up here.
But Mr. Murphy, prior to the pandemic, 60 percent of WETA's
operating costs were covered by fares. What percent of funding
was provided by the State and local governments, and what
percent came from Federal sources?
Mr. Murphy. Our operating budget, the remaining subsidy,
was provided largely by bridge tolls collected in the bay area.
Mr. Burchett. OK, thank you.
And this is for anybody and everybody, I guess. Do you have
any suggestions for boosting the ridership, and making ferry
systems more financially independent?
[Pause.]
Mr. Burchett. This is a chance----
Mr. Principi. Well, Congressman, I will----
Mr. Burchett. Go ahead.
Mr. Principi [continuing]. Jump in on that. The stakeholder
group has conducted a number of technical studies, including a
market analysis here in this region, and we concluded that the
two most important issues for a rider is time and cost. And to
the extent that a trip takes longer than, say, a single-
occupancy vehicle or another mode of transit, they are not
going to select the ferry service as their way into work.
And then cost, passenger ticket cost. While we have a very
high, high cost of living here in the region, prospective
passengers would be unwilling to pay a ticket cost if it were
costing more than their individual trip, which, in Washington,
DC, requires another $20 or $25 on top of the cost in order to
park.
Mr. Burchett. OK----
Ms. Rubstello. So I would like to add on to that. I agree,
the concern about increasing the cost to the point where
somebody doesn't want to take the ferry is of concern.
But the other thing, what we have been able to do in the
urban area, is be able to connect the transit system to our
ferry system, so people have that as an option. In the rural
areas we struggle on that. And so having more support on
funding those first-mile/last-mile connections, I think, will
really help increase that walk-on passenger capacity.
Mr. Burchett. Anyone else?
Ms. Norton. Mr. Burchett, she said funding first--funding
the two systems. I didn't understand how they do that.
Mr. Burchett. OK, ma'am, could you----
Ms. Norton. Connecting the two systems.
Mr. Burchett. Could you explain that to us?
Ms. Rubstello. Sure. You know, in the urban area, where we
have transit systems that are already there, easy connections.
So we have created, essentially, transit hubs at some of our
terminal locations, so someone can walk off our ferry and hop
right on to a bus, or a commuter rail.
In the more rural areas, having that infrastructure is the
only way you are going to increase the ridership on the
vessels, on the ferries for walk-on passengers, is having that
transit component available to the user.
Mr. Burchett. Does that make sense to you, Chairlady?
Ms. Norton. Yes.
Mr. Burchett. All right.
Ms. Norton. Yes. With no new fare? But that is a--but then
they pay a new fare to get onto the new--to another system.
Ms. Rubstello. That is true. However, in our region we have
a one-payment system, so it makes it very streamlined and easy
for a passenger to go from one system to the next.
Mr. Burchett. Are we good?
Ms. Norton. Yes.
Mr. Burchett. All right. Well, thank you all very much. And
where I live in east Tennessee, to be honest with you, the only
ferries that are there are just historic markers. Most of them
were sunk a little bit after the Civil War, or during the Civil
War. So it is--this has been very educational to me.
So thank you, Chairlady.
Ms. Norton. Do you have waterways?
Mr. Burchett. Oh, TVA, we have got them all over. It is
just that we just don't have a lot of ferries there. There is a
lot of roads named after them, and they just end at the lake,
usually, oddly enough, and they pick up on the other side. So
that is kind of--that is the history of it. But thank you,
Chairlady.
Ms. Norton. Thank you very much, Mr. Burchett. I now
recognize Mr. Garamendi for 5 minutes.
Mr. Garamendi, you are recognized.
Mr. Garamendi. Thank you, Madam Chair. Mr. Huffman covered
much of what I wanted to discuss. But I want to carry it a
little bit further, and particularly talk to Mr. Murphy about
the bay area.
The WETA program in the bay area is part of, but not all
of, the ferry system. There are also private ferries operating
in the bay area. Mr. Murphy, could you discuss their role in
providing the transportation needs of the area?
Mr. Murphy. Sure. Yes, there are a number of private
operators. WETA uses one of those operators as our contract
operator, Blue and Gold Fleet. There are some other operators
providing service to employers who contract for that service to
connect their employees, specifically--not a public ferry
system, but connect their employees to their campuses. They
also provide some charter service throughout the bay area, when
needed.
We have been looking for opportunities to partner with
those private operators and explore ways that we can utilize
the infrastructure that they have to be able to pilot different
services that are public. We are in the middle of developing
those plans now.
Mr. Garamendi. Very good. We have also had--so as we
proceed with legislation to correct the problems that the
Senate has given America with their bipartisan infrastructure
plan, we should keep in mind the role of private ferries
throughout this.
There is also something that will come up, I believe, in
the Coast Guard reauthorization having to do with the financing
authority. This is the Capital Construction Fund for ferries.
Presently, it only applies to ferries that carry cars or other
kinds of cargo. It does not speak to passenger ferries alone,
so we need to correct that over in the Coast Guard
reauthorization.
The other issues, Mr. Murphy, we discussed this, but I
don't think thoroughly, and that has to do with the transition
from fossil fuel power to other kinds of power. We discussed
this a little. What do you need in Federal law to complete
that, keeping in mind that we had tried to do that in the House
INVEST Act?
And Mr. Murphy might want to do that, and also Ms.
Rubstello.
Mr. Murphy. Yes, thank you, Congressman, and I appreciate
your support for making our ferry system cleaner in the bay
area. We are looking to do that, to convert a large portion of
our system to battery-electric technology. There may be
opportunities down the road to use hydrogen technology. That is
something we are exploring, as well.
The thing we need is--two things. One is we need robust
Federal funding to support the costs associated with making
that transition to match our local and regional and State
sources which do exist. And the other thing that we need is we
need the industry to continue to innovate in that area, to
compete with diesel technology and the travel times, the trip
links that can be accommodated by diesel fuel. Battery-electric
and hydrogen technology just needs to continue to advance.
Mr. Garamendi. OK. So specifically, we need--you will need
Federal support to achieve that transition.
Just a quick point. We often talk about subsidies here.
Let's keep in mind that the entire highway system for
automobiles and trucks is very heavily subsidized along the
way.
Now, with regard to the question of the Federal formula for
public ferry service, how does the current formula disadvantage
public ferry services in the bay area? And perhaps we have
covered part of that with the passenger ferries being
discriminated against with car ferries.
So Ms. Rubstello, if you would like to, chime in on both of
these questions, the former one as well as the current one.
Ms. Rubstello. Yes, thank you for that. I just echo what
Mr. Murphy mentioned. I mean, certainly having additional
Federal support for the ferry system is necessary, as well as
the innovation on technology, and not just on our vessels
themselves, but also that shoreside power source. It is
important to have those be as cost effective and innovative, as
well.
And I apologize, I forgot your second question.
Mr. Garamendi. That is OK, you basically covered it. And we
are going to run out of time in a few seconds.
Ms. Rubstello. OK.
Mr. Garamendi. The other thing is in the INVEST Act we
purposely connected all transportation programs, whether it be
a truck terminal or a ferry terminal to the land base and to
other transportation systems.
I would note that that is not in the Senate bill. It is
something we are going to have to continue to work with, so
that we make sure that there is the connectivity which several
of you have discussed.
With that my time is expired, and I yield back.
Ms. Norton. Thank you, Mr. Garamendi. I will call on next
Ms. Bourdeaux.
Ms. Bourdeaux, you are recognized for 5 minutes.
Ms. Bourdeaux. Madam--I yield back my--I did not--I did not
prepare 5 minutes of talking points. Great to be here. I
appreciate the chance to be a part of this hearing.
Ms. Norton. Thank you, Ms. Bourdeaux.
Ms. Bourdeaux. I yield back, thank you.
Ms. Norton. Mr. Moulton--wait a minute.
Mr. Carbajal, you are recognized for 5 minutes.
Mr. Carbajal. Thank you, Madam Chair. My question is for
Mr. Murphy.
The transportation sector is one of the largest emitters of
harmful greenhouse gas emissions. In 2019, 29 percent from
modes of transportation. Can you discuss the benefits of
transitioning to zero emissions?
Mr. Murphy. Sure. Yes, it is critical to our climate goals.
Transportation, as an industry, is responsible, as you say, for
a large portion of greenhouse gas emissions. We have to keep
trying to make it cleaner. That has been one of the criticisms
of water transit service in the past, is that the missions are
a challenge to be able to address.
There are ways to clean up diesel fuel. We are the first
passenger ferry agency to install Tier 4 engines, which, on our
system, reduces 10 tons of greenhouse gas emissions every year.
So there are improvements to make in that area. But ultimately,
we need to look at moving to zero-emissions technology to make
sure that our climate goals could be achieved.
Mr. Carbajal. Mr. Murphy, how can Congress better support
programs that move us towards a cleaner future?
Mr. Murphy. Yes, thank you. I think one of the things we
have talked about here is the inequities of the FHWA program,
and the way that it addresses the funding needs for some ferry
systems, but not others. If you are a passenger ferry-based
system like WETA, that doesn't carry cars and operates over
some relatively short routes, still long enough to be able to
accomplish some dramatic greenhouse gas reduction goals, but
not as long as what is rewarded by the FHWA program, we need to
look to the FTA program.
The FTA program is focused on funding systems like ours,
that meet our characteristics, that operate in urban areas over
short distances, carry passengers, and we just need to increase
funding for that program to make sure that resources are
available.
We were happy that a technical corrections amendment was
ready to go in the Senate. We know we couldn't get it done in
reconciliation. And so there are other avenues that we are
hoping the committee can explore to make sure that we add that
funding back in.
Mr. Carbajal. Thank you.
Ms. Rubstello, as we look towards decarbonizing our future,
and begin to tackle the climate crisis, we often focus on
transitioning our fleets towards zero emissions. However,
charging stations and infrastructure are also needed to fulfill
our visions towards lowering our carbon footprint.
Can you discuss your plans further for terminal-charging
infrastructure, and how Congress can help support these
efforts?
Ms. Rubstello. Yes, thank you for that question. Yes, the
shoreside power is very vital to ensuring that we get the most
benefit out of converting our fleet to hybrid electric.
We have been working with our power suppliers in our
region. We are looking at providing at 16 of our terminals the
necessary infrastructure. And so being able to ensure that the
Federal funding supports that is vital for us to get that full
benefit of our conversion program.
Mr. Carbajal. Thank you.
Madam Chair, I yield back.
Ms. Norton. Thank you, Mr. Carbajal, for your questions. I
now recognize Mr. Moulton for 5 minutes.
Mr. Moulton, you are recognized.
Mr. Moulton. Thank you, Madam Chair, and thank you to all
the witnesses who are here.
My district, on the North Shore of Massachusetts, benefits
from some limited ferry service, which is very popular, but we
have also had an experience where we have started some ferry
service on a trial basis that wasn't continued by the State. It
is very much missed in the city of Lynn, for example. The city
of Salem is looking to expand the ferry service it already has.
But we are very concerned about the climate implications.
We also have very good commuter rail service. It is not a
regional rail, but it is very popular. We are looking to
electrify that. As we think about electrifying our ferries, and
moving to a zero-emissions service, how do you have to adapt
the service to accommodate that?
Do you have to provide for charging time at docks?
Do you have to--you know, what sort of infrastructure
investments are you looking at?
How do we need to think about the changes we would have to
make to the existing service to accommodate the zero-emissions
vehicles?
And, I guess, actually, that is a good--sorry, I didn't
direct that to anyone in particular, but I don't know if, Mr.
Murphy, you would like to respond, or Ms. Rubstello, whoever
would like to jump in there.
Mr. Murphy. I can start. It is a big challenge. We are
studying it right now. We have a shoreside infrastructure study
that is looking at all of the technology that is available and
applying different options to our system to see how we might
need to adapt our services.
Our goal is not to have to adapt much at all, in terms of
travel time, and scheduling, and frequency. But the reality is
it might take a little longer to charge, depending on what you
can afford to install at the shoreside. If you can't afford
rapid-charging infrastructure, which is more expensive, then
that slow trickle charge might mean that your boats are parked
at the dock for a little bit longer. Sometimes they might need
to charge overnight, or for a number of hours before they are
ready to operate again. So that is a tradeoff, but there is
technology that exists. It is more expensive, but it can
rapidly charge boats at the dock during dwell time without
sacrificing much in terms of schedule or frequency.
Mr. Moulton. Mr. Murphy, just as a realistic goal, when do
you think you will be able to transition to this new zero-
emissions technology? Is this something that can be
accomplished in the next few years, or is it realistically 10
or 15 years out?
Mr. Murphy. We can begin to phase this technology in in the
next few years. We have a State grant to buy what would be the
region's first high-speed passenger all-electric vessel. That
grant comes with some funding to install some shoreside
infrastructure.
We have just applied for--or will be applying for--the FTA
discretionary program for another couple of vessels to serve
new neighborhoods on the San Francisco Bay front. They will
also be all-electric. So we are starting to move in that
direction.
But if the FTA program was funded at $1.25 billion over the
next 5 years, I would say we would be able to make a really
significant amount of progress over that time period and get to
our 50-percent conversion over that time period if those
funding levels existed.
Mr. Moulton. Assistant Secretary Rubstello, tell me how you
think about balancing your funding priorities between
converting existing vehicles to low emissions, or even adding
frequencies on existing routes, versus starting new routes.
That is something that we are trying to figure out in our
community.
Ms. Rubstello. Well, right now we are really focused on how
we make our current routes as efficient and effective as
possible. So that is where we spend our time, focused on that.
And as it relates to the conversion side, we are just so
happened--at a time with our current vessels, the three that I
mentioned that we are going to do a conversion on, is--it just
so happens they are at their mid-life overhaul for those
engines. And so it is just the right time to make that
conversion happen.
Mr. Moulton. I mentioned the city of Lynn experimented with
ferry service a couple of years ago. It seemed very popular,
but didn't quite have the ridership that they were hoping for.
The proponents said, ``Look, you just need to give it time.''
What are other things that we should think about, in terms
of encouraging ridership and getting people to make the switch,
so that it can be proven?
Ms. Rubstello. Well, I would say it is a couple of
different things. One is, what are those other connections that
are available to them, so that they can get to where they need
to go, if your focus is for them not to be utilizing their
cars.
The other thing is, what is the development around those
terminal locations, and so how does that support those trips
that customers are wanting to take?
Mr. Moulton. Those are great things to think about.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I yield back.
Ms. Norton. I thank you, Mr. Moulton, for those questions.
I now recognize Mr. DeSaulnier for 5 minutes.
Mr. DeSaulnier, you are now recognized.
Mr. DeSaulnier. Thank you, Madam Chairwoman. Thank you for
this hearing.
Mr. Murphy, having had a--or a long history with the
ferries in the San Francisco Bay Area, particularly the
commutes from the East Bay into the ferry building, we made
good progress. But as I remember my time on the metropolitan
planning organization and MTC, the modeling in the I-80
corridor--and for those of you who aren't familiar with it, it
is our most congested part of the San Francisco Bay Area across
the Richmond Bridge in my district, and then across the Bay
Bridge--modeling was always a challenge, and we would like to
be more like Seattle, and get the ridership up.
But maybe you can talk a little bit about how ferries can
make an obvious difference, and particularly to communities
that don't--nontransit-dependent or transit-dependent
communities like the community I represent that now has a ferry
that goes from Richmond into the ferry building. Maybe talk a
little bit about those challenges of the measurability in high-
congested corridors, and moving them off.
And we have a perfect example. The Bay Bridge is the most--
one of--I think it is the second busiest toll bridge in the
United States. How do we move traffic--and we can't build more
infrastructure in there, it is prohibitive, and it costs--we
have got the problem of induced demand.
So we have struggled in this area, and I know other urban
areas have. How do you do the modeling that shows that people
can get off, and it is not just exclusively people of means,
that we also reach out to people who historically have been
transit-dependent, and find it difficult to be able to take
water transport?
Mr. Murphy. Yes, thank you. Yes, and thank you for a long
history of support for public transit in the bay area. It is a
tough question. There are a number of aspects to it.
One thing we know we need to do to address congestion,
though, is that we need to attract choice riders. We need to
make sure that people who have the option to drive are choosing
to take public transit--in this case, ferries--instead. That
means we need to make our service relevant to their needs. We
need to go where they want to go. It needs to be frequent
enough. The convenience factor needs to be very high.
Ms. Rubstello brought up first/last-mile connections a few
times now. That is critical to ferry service. We are a regional
connection, but we can't necessarily solve that first/last mile
unless we work with our partners who run buses, shuttles,
employers to operate dedicated shuttles to first- and last-mile
locations.
We have some transit network company, TNC, partnerships,
where we make it affordable for folks to use TNCs to solve that
first/last-mile commute, ideally with a carpool situation.
For transit-dependent riders, the fact is people paid a
premium for ferry service prior to the pandemic. We were higher
than other transit modes, and that created a ``have'' and
``have-not'' situation. We have addressed that with our
pandemic recovery program. We have lowered our fares to be in
alignment with other transit modes that operate in the same
corridor. We don't want riders to have to choose one system
over another because of price. We want to make sure they are
choosing a system that works best for them, and it is up to us
to make it affordable, and to make sure that it is relevant and
actually does work best for their commute needs.
Off-peak service has been a real boon for our system during
the pandemic recovery. It has been the most resilient part of
our system, and we think that is because transit-dependent
workers are likely to be traveling during the off peak to shift
work, for example.
So those are a few things we need to do, and there are
more, I am certain.
Mr. DeSaulnier. And then you bring up a good point with the
history is--I mean, of course, your agency started with the
idea. I remember then the president of the State senate, after
Loma Prieta, that we couldn't be dependent on our bridges
because we are in a seismic area. And then, of course, we have
learned we have to be more resilient in other regards.
I was wondering if, Ms. Rubstello, if you could comment on
your history, or any of the other panelists, around
performance. It goes a little bit to the air quality issues.
You know, we want to get those tons down, we want to get the
system as good as possible when it comes to traditional
pollutants and carbon, but also the equity issues and the
social justice issues. Ms. Rubstello?
Ms. Rubstello. Yes, definitely on the social justice
issues, it is really about having that reliable service. And we
hear it across the board, that that is what is most important
to people, it is that reliability. Because not showing up to
work is a paycheck you are not collecting, so that is
important.
One thing that we were hoping to start last year, before
the pandemic hit, was a low-income fare option. That is
something we currently don't have, but that is something that
we want to consider, and so that is something we are looking
forward to getting started soon, to see how we can further
support those users that are out there.
Mr. DeSaulnier. Thank you, Madam Chair. I yield back.
Ms. Norton. Thank you, Mr. DeSaulnier. Mr. Garamendi just
mentioned to me hydrogen generation as an important way to fuel
the ferry. We use it in our cars. I have one that uses it now.
So I would like the record, since he didn't get an opportunity
to ask that question, I would like to get his mention of that
in the record. And now I am pleased to recognize Mr.
Auchincloss.
You are recognized for 5 minutes.
Mr. Auchincloss. Thank you, Chairwoman, for holding this
hearing to review the importance of investments in our ferry
system to improve mobility for all people.
And to the witnesses, thank you for participating.
In Massachusetts, commuters rely on MBTA ferries to get to
work in Boston from the South Shore, and to circumvent a
horrendously congested vehicular traffic route. Island
residents rely on ferries, not only for tourism revenue, but
also as a lifeline for emergency services, food, medicine, and
other essential equipment.
Ms. Rubstello, you discussed how Washington State Ferries
is working to comply with Governor Inslee's goal of a zero-
emissions fleet. Transportation in Massachusetts is the largest
single source of carbon emissions. And as you mentioned, the
Washington State Ferries' diesel fuel consumption makes it the
largest generator of carbon and other greenhouse gas emissions
from Washington State government.
How long do you think it is going to take to fully
transition to a hybrid-electric fleet, and what can the Federal
Government be doing to help meet that goal?
Ms. Rubstello. Thank you for that question. Well, part of
our long-range plan looked at how long it would take, and we
think it is going to take 20 years to build out our fleet to be
completely hybrid electric.
So, as our old vessels are coming due, we would just build
new ones to replace them, as well as, as I mentioned earlier,
the conversion of our three larger vessels that are ready for
mid-term overhauls.
So the way the Federal Government can help is the funding
side of it. I mentioned, not only from the conversion side, but
we need, on the shoreside, the funding support to build that
infrastructure that then can fully have those vessels be
electric.
Mr. Auchincloss. Thank you.
And Mr. Garamendi, if you are interested, I am happy to
yield the rest of my time to you if you wanted to ask questions
about hydrogen or make any comments about hydrogen.
Mr. Garamendi. Mr. Auchincloss, that is very generous of
you.
I believe that there is a ferry system in the bay area that
is looking at this hydrogen very seriously, hydrogen being
available from the various refineries in the area, and then
using a fuel cell to generate the electricity for the
propellant for--to propel the ferry.
I believe, Mr. Murphy, you are aware of this, and working
with--is it the Red and White Fleet that is working on this--
and if you would care to comment on the potential for it.
Also in the bay area and, really, around the Nation, there
are fuel cell companies that are rapidly developing very
powerful fuel cells. So, Mr. Murphy?
Mr. Murphy. Yes, thank you, Congressman. There are some
operators who have invested in a hydrogen vessel that would be
a great demonstration project in the bay area. It is called the
Sea Change and would be the first application of its kind. We
are looking forward to seeing what happens with that. We will
be involved in, to some extent, how that vessel is operating,
at least from an analysis standpoint, and maybe more.
But hydrogen has a lot of potential on longer routes to be
a zero-emission mode of choice, a zero-emission propulsion
technology of choice, where electric technology can't quite
provide enough of a charge to achieve a longer route and the
speeds necessary to make the travel time accommodated for a
longer route. Hydrogen is more robust, in terms of being able
to provide that application.
Mr. Garamendi. And it is a technology that is readily
available today. It is a matter of making it applicable to the
ferry system.
I wanted to get this on the record. Once again, the Federal
Government can help with all of these technologies and the
transition from the carbon-based systems that are presently
used to these zero-emission systems. That takes us back to the
INVEST Act, where most of this was already included.
I thank the chairwoman for making it possible in the INVEST
Act. ``If only the Senate,'' which seems to be the mantra that
we are singing so often here.
With that, Mr. Auchincloss, thank you for the time. Thank
you.
Mr. Auchincloss. I appreciate the line of questioning from
my colleague.
And Madam Chairwoman, I yield back.
Ms. Norton. Thank you, Mr. Auchincloss and Mr. Garamendi. I
now recognize Mr. Johnson for 5 minutes.
Mr. Johnson, you are recognized.
Mr. Johnson of Georgia. Thank you, Madam Chair, for holding
this hearing, and thank you to the witnesses for your time and
your testimony. Ferries have long served a historic role in
transportation throughout America, including in my home city of
Atlanta, where they once enabled residents to cross the
Chattahoochee River. Today ferries still provide critical
services in places like Staten Island, New Orleans, and San
Francisco.
What is more, ferries reduce our carbon emissions and
alleviate congestion on roadways. For all of these benefits,
ferries are vital to our efforts to combat climate change and
should be incorporated in our infrastructure modernization
plans.
Ms. Rubstello, you explained how the pandemic led you to
increase recruitment and workforce development efforts for
maritime professionals. What outreach have you conducted to
ensure equal opportunity employment for Black American workers,
people of color, and women?
Ms. Rubstello. Thank you for that question. It has
definitely been a challenge for us. Pre-pandemic, we were much
more engaged in the various communities that you mentioned to
recruit into the industry. We have been just challenged on the
recruitment front with the pandemic, just dealing with all the
challenges of students working--or doing school from home, and
that sort of stuff. But we are ramping that back up again and
looking at every opportunity to get into those communities.
I also note that our region--we have a high school that is
just started up that is focused on the maritime industry. So
students going through high school are learning about what the
industry offers, and getting some training so that they are
ready to step into those roles when they get out of high
school. So that is a good effort that is underway, and we look
forward to additional schools like that to grab students at the
high school level and bring them into our industry.
Mr. Johnson of Georgia. Thank you. How does the cost of
higher education, licensing, and entrant qualifications hinder
equal opportunity, and how can Congress help mitigate the high
costs?
Ms. Rubstello. Yes, there are definitely costs for just
getting in at the lowest level, everything from the security
requirements that they have to go through, training that has to
be done before they even have a job. And so, supporting those
training efforts, subsidizing those expenses so that those who
don't have the means can pay for daycare, and can pay for their
lunches while they are at training, so any program that can
support that is much appreciated.
Mr. Johnson of Georgia. Thank you. As the maritime industry
continues to expand, what plans are in place to ensure
community preservation of minority neighborhoods surrounding
ports?
Ms. Rubstello. Well, I think a big piece for us is around
our going to hybrid electric. Because of the demographics of--
especially in the Seattle area, we know we have lower income
people living closer to our port and marine industries. And so,
the more we can be greener, and lower impact on the
environment, it is best for the communities around us.
Mr. Johnson of Georgia. Well, how about to actually
preserve the presence of those neighborhoods surrounding ports,
to ensure that those people are not displaced?
Ms. Rubstello. We don't have any issues with displacement,
but I think supporting the network, the transportation network,
so that those communities have easy access to good jobs and the
services that they need is really important.
Mr. Johnson of Georgia. Thank you. What immediate
environmental improvements do you anticipate by converting your
fleet's vessels from diesel to hybrid-electric propulsion?
And how does that speak to long-term emissions trends in
the maritime industry? And you just alluded to that.
Ms. Rubstello. Yes, and I will just highlight, just in the
conversion, as I mentioned, our three largest vessels, which
produce the most amount of greenhouse gases, converting those
is going to improve our emissions by 27 percent. And that
equates to removing the equivalent of 10,000 cars off the road.
So just with three vessel conversions we are going to have a
huge impact to greenhouse gas emissions in our region.
Mr. Johnson of Georgia. Thank you. And lastly, your
testimony points to the public-private military partnership for
the construction and operating of new transit service. How are
you incorporating outreach to minority-owned businesses, for
example, those from the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise
program?
Mr. Principi. Sure, Congressman----
Ms. Rubstello. Yes, we are----
Mr. Principi. Go ahead.
Ms. Rubstello. Go ahead. Oh, I was just going to mention
that we, in our State, have a very robust program to do an
outreach and even a peer-to-peer kind of process to grow that
industry for the maritime industry. I apologize.
Mr. Johnson of Georgia. Thank you. And with that I yield
back, I am out of time.
Ms. Norton. Thank you, Mr. Johnson. I now recognize Mr.
Lynch.
Mr. Lynch, you are recognized for 5 minutes.
Mr. Lynch. Thank you, Madam Chair. I really do appreciate
it. I want to thank the panelists for their good work on this
issue.
I represent the Port of Boston, so not quite as bad,
congestion-wise, as Mr. Sires is having in New Jersey, but we
consider our ferry system a real blessing.
This year--well, this past August, I think we are up around
3,000 ferry trips in that month, which is about a 300-percent
increase from last year, when we were really dealing with COVID
in a more serious way.
Ms. Rubstello, I was very interested in your mentioning of
converting the diesel ferries to electric, and I have been
following this pretty closely. I actually had a bill that dealt
with converting diesel buses in the transportation bill and
converting the entire postal fleet to electric. So, I am very
much aware of the obstacles and what that will involve.
But I am also keenly aware of the benefits that that would
bring. And in the Boston area, our port area, I represent the
coast, from the North End of Boston, in the city, all the way
down to Scituate. So that whole area is heavily impacted by the
ferry system. And, as others have said, and you have said
already, it takes tens of thousands of cars off the road. It
opens up the waterfront. We have got an island system that is
pristine off the coast.
And so, I am just wondering how far along is the battery
technology, and are we incorporating that idea in our ferry
manufacturing system? Are we anticipating and moving away from
building more diesel-powered ferries, or are we sort of
anticipating the future, and trying to capitalize on the
opportunity to go electric, if you will?
Ms. Rubstello. Thank you for that question. Yes, I mean, I
think the industry is ripe for it.
Obviously, Norway is kind of leading the charge, so from an
international perspective, it is growing. In our local
industry, there is a lot of emphasis on the innovation around
the battery concept, and we have been working very closely with
our local power provider, Seattle City Light, to find the most
creative ways we can get the energy that we need to deal with
our hybrid vessels.
So, I think it is great timing. I think we are poised for
it. Unfortunately, I think funding keeps us from going faster
and getting it implemented sooner.
Mr. Lynch. Right, thank you.
In closing, I just want to say that we are also grappling
with shore power. So, I know in Red Hook, in Brooklyn, that
they have begun a process of, when they bring in their luxury
liners, they are able to just hook up to shore power, and they
are not blowing diesel out the stack while they are in port to
run their operations. And there seems to be an overlap here,
where bringing shore power to major port cities across the
country, and the idea of going electric with our ferry systems,
there seems to be a certain harmony there.
And I am just wondering if we might be able to piggyback
those efforts, in terms of funding, because you are right, the
gap here has been a lack of resources, not a lack of
imagination or a lack of awareness of the problems that climate
change bring. But there is a reluctance in, I guess,
prioritizing that within the menu of responsibilities that we
have here on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.
But I want to thank the chair, and I want to thank the full
committee chair, Mr. DeFazio, because he has been an
outstanding champion of expanding and improving upon our ferry
systems, not only in the port cities of this country, but also
our riverine communities, as well, where the ferry systems are
equally as important.
So, with that, Madam Chair, I yield back. Thank you.
Ms. Norton. Thank you very much, Mr. Lynch. I now recognize
Mrs. Napolitano.
Mrs. Napolitano, you are recognized for 5 minutes.
Mrs. Napolitano. Well, I really don't have ferries in my
district. Thank you, Ms. Chairman. And I am happy to hear what
the other mode of transportation needs are, and how we can
help. It is important for us.
And I would like to yield time to Mr. Garamendi, if he so
needs it.
[Pause.]
Mrs. Napolitano. I guess not. John?
Ms. Norton. He is not here at the moment.
Mrs. Napolitano. OK. Well, I just wanted to say that it is
important for us to hear what the issues are, and what--the
conversion to electric batteries. We have a [inaudible] buses,
so we have to be sure we include all modes of transportation in
our communities, and that we know what those issues are, so
that we can go ahead and do something to help the rest of the
travelers be able to go to work, or to go to medical
appointments, et cetera.
And I thank you very much. I yield back.
Ms. Norton. Thank you, Mrs. Napolitano.
Let me thank each of the witnesses for your testimony
today. Your comments have been very informative and helpful,
indeed.
I noted in my opening remarks that this was the very first
hearing ever had in the Congress on water transportation. Now
that really says something. I don't know whether the era of
climate change has brought us to understand that we have got to
use every form of transportation, but particularly forms of
transportation that do not contribute or contribute less to
climate change. I think the testimony today has shown that
water transportation has been too unrecognized, and maybe even
unused by the Congress.
I ask unanimous consent that the record of today's hearing
remain open until such time as our witnesses have provided
answers to any questions that may be submitted to them in
writing.
I also ask unanimous consent that the record remain open
for 15 days for any additional comments and information
submitted by Members, or witnesses' responses, to be included
in the record of today's hearing.
Without objection so ordered.
The subcommittee hearing is adjourned.
[Whereupon, at 11:45 a.m., the subcommittee was adjourned.]

Submissions for the Record

----------

Prepared Statement of Hon. Peter A. DeFazio, a Representative in
Congress from the State of Oregon, and Chair, Committee on
Transportation and Infrastructure
Thank you, Chair Norton, for holding this hearing. I commend you
for your leadership of the Subcommittee and for holding hearings on
important topics that have not had a dedicated hearing in this
Committee before--tribal transportation, micromobility, and now the
promise and potential of ferries.
Ferry service operates in diverse areas of the United States and
fills a range of needs, including serving commuters and travelers,
providing emergency services, and maintaining essential connectivity
for communities. Today's witness panel represents ferry operations that
cover all of these perspectives.
In the nation's most populated urban areas, ferries provide an
alternative to crowded roadways and transit lines, helping to relieve
congestion and improve mobility. They provide a transportation option
for those who are unable to drive or unable to afford a car, allowing
more residents to access jobs and essential services and experience an
improved quality of life. In Oregon, development of the Frog Ferry
service on the Willamette River is underway to do exactly this--to
provide an efficient, clean, and enjoyable travel alternative to the
Portland region's clogged roadways.
In other areas, such as Washington State, Maine, and Alaska,
ferries provide essential connectivity between island and mainland
communities. In many non-coastal, predominantly rural areas, including
Kentucky, Montana, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Illinois, and Utah, ferry
service is equally important. These services provide a crucial lifeline
for their communities and make the transportation network more
redundant and resilient, especially when flooding closes roads and
bridges.
I am particularly interested to hear testimony from Ms. Rubstello
regarding Washington State DOT's plans to fully electrify its ferry
operations. As Chair of this Committee, I have focused intently on ways
to reduce carbon and hazardous air pollution from our surface
transportation system. Getting people out of personal vehicles and onto
public transportation is essential in this effort and supporting public
transportation options to become zero-emission was a high priority in
the INVEST in America Act advanced by this Committee.
Given the diverse needs and uses we will hear about today, federal
investment should support ferry service across the country. The INVEST
in America Act boosted by 50 percent the funding for the Federal
Highway Administration's Ferry Boat Discretionary program and more than
doubled the funding provided for the Federal Transit Administration's
Passenger Ferry Grants.
Unfortunately, while the Senate infrastructure bill provided a good
boost in investment for ferry transportation, it was not done in an
equitable manner. The Senate provided $1 billion in guaranteed general
fund appropriations for rural ferry investments. While I certainly
support money for essential rural ferry service, this provision was
crafted to direct money to systems that met a very narrow set of
criteria. As a result, the U.S. Department of Transportation has told
the Committee only four operators nationwide qualify for this $1
billion. So, for example, Mr. Godar's rural ferry operation can't
access these funds.
At the same time, the Senate bill flatlined FTA's Passenger Ferry
grants that provide support to ferry systems in urbanized areas--
meaning the systems that carry large numbers of passengers in congested
areas including those represented by Ms. Rubstello and Mr. Murphy--are
left to compete for funding at 2012 levels. And when we talk about
urbanized area funding, we don't just mean big cities--that includes
hundreds of smaller towns and communities that must compete for the
same dollars.
There's no justification for having hundreds of eligible urban
areas compete for $150 million over the life of the Senate bill, while
splitting $1 billion between four rural systems. That is certainly not
the transformative, once in a generation investment that our nation's
cities, towns, and rural areas desperately need and it's something we
should fix going forward.
I look forward to a robust discussion on this and other topics
related to ferry transportation today and thank our witnesses for
joining the panel.

Prepared Statement of Hon. Sam Graves, a Representative in Congress
from the State of Missouri, and Ranking Member, Committee on
Transportation and Infrastructure
Thank you, Chair Norton, for holding this hearing, and thank you to
our witnesses for participating today.
Generally, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the
Federal Transit Administration (FTA) each administer separate programs
to construct ferry infrastructure, or to establish new service and
improve existing passenger ferry service.
The Senate infrastructure bill provides ferry programs with $2.3
billion, representing an increase of 320 percent.
Ferries serve diverse areas of the country, much like our rural
road and bridge network, and these programs need both dedicated
resources as well as flexibility to address these areas' specific
transportation needs.
Ultimately, we must start working together to sustain our core
highway programs so that they can continue to deliver the resources
needed for our communities and a national system.
I look forward to hearing about ferry ridership, technological
innovations, and challenges identified in implementing ferry boat
programs.
Thank you to our witnesses and thank you again for holding this
hearing.
I yield back.

Prepared Statement of Hon. Eddie Bernice Johnson, a Representative in
Congress from the State of Texas
Thank you, Highways and Transit Subcommittee Chairwoman Norton, and
Ranking Member Davis for holding today's hearing. I also want to thank
our witnesses for your testimony and participation.
We have heard from our witnesses this morning about the numerous
benefits that ferries provide to a variety of areas in the nation. They
have articulated some of the important ways in which ferries provide
great benefit to the nation, since they not only reduce traffic
congestion and contribute to clean transit alternatives, but also
provide an easier means toward accessing critical social services,
while providing an alternative, easier mode of transit in several
communities that are cut off from mobility via highway or rail.
Although the city of Dallas does not operate a ferry system, the
state of Texas benefits from two key ferry programs: one transports
people and automobiles from Port Aransas to Harbor Island near the city
of Corpus Christi, while the other ferry system goes from the port city
of Galveston to Port Bolivar. The ferries in these areas offer benefits
to the residents and tourists in that they allow them to avoid
traveling exclusively on state highways to reach their destination,
which in turn reduces travel time and fuel consumption. In addition,
the ferry routes serve as a critical means of evacuation during
hurricane threats. The Texas ferry system is also the only one in the
country that does not charge a toll for vehicles and passengers, as the
Texas Department of Transportation is required to use funding from the
State Highway Fund for ferry operations.

Appendix

----------

Questions from Hon. Jenniffer Gonzalez-Colon to Patty Rubstello, P.E.,
Assistant Secretary, Washington State Department of Transportation,
Ferries Division

We support this formula distribution as it provides a predictable
and reliable flow of federal support for our system, and we would not
advocate for a change at this time.
Overall federal support for ferry systems is a combination of
formula-driven grants and competitive grants. The mixture of formula-
driven programs that provide predictable, reliable and sustained
funding necessary for strategic investments and competitive grants that
provide flexibility in directing resources to immediate needs. We
believe the overall federal approach to supporting ferry systems
provides for both strategic investment planning and operational
flexibility.

Question 2. Ms. Rubstello, in your testimony you discuss utilizing
technology to access more up-to-date information on ferry service that
also connects with regional transportation networks, specifically using
mobile pays to pay for service through regional fare programs and other
tools.
I was successful in getting language into the INVEST Act that would
require projects to include aspects that would reduce trips of single-
person vehicle trips by giving users the ability to plan, use, and pay
for multimodal transportation alternatives under the Community Climate
Innovation grant program.
Simply put, this language could help ferry terminals bridge the
technological gap to provide critical information such as arrival and
departure time, capacity, and price when someone is trying to plan
their daily commute.
How can communities and entities that operate ferry services like
yours, and those that I represent best utilize technologies to increase
ridership of ferry systems?
Answer. As your Community Climate Innovation grant program
recognizes, the best way to increase ferry ridership and promote
multimodal transportation choices is to make riding a ferry as easy and
convenient as possible. There are several ways technology can promote
this goal:
Provide real-time information to travelers. Washington
State Ferries has a GPS-based real-time map that shows the location of
its vessels. It also provides terminal-by-terminal information on its
website that includes traffic cameras, the availability of space to
drive onto the ferry, and any relevant rider alerts. While WSF's
technology is not completely seamless and has some limitations, the
concept of providing real-time information is central to a positive
customer experience.
To that end, WSF recently submitted a grant proposal to the
U.S. Department of Transportation for implementing a ``terminal wait
time traveler information system'' that would better inform customers
about wait times/queue lengths at its terminals and integrate the
different technologies mentioned above.

Manage transportation demand and congestion. WSF has
implemented a reservation program on two of its most popular tourist-
based routes to help manage customer demand and provide some
predictability for both visitors and residents alike. WSF's Long Range
Plan contemplates expanding the reservation program to other, more
commute-based routes, but this will require investment in the ferry
system's technological and physical infrastructure.

Provide trip-planning and other tools to help facilitate
ferry travel. Transit partners in the Puget Sound region have been
discussing the development of a regional trip planning system that
identifies the best routes for travelers and incorporates all modes of
transportation, including ferries, buses, vehicle/bike share programs,
etc. Ideally this would be done via a regional Mobility as a Service
(MaaS) application that has been successfully deployed in some cities
across the globe. While this is a significant capital investment that
requires extensive coordination between many agencies, such a tool
would promote multimodal travel and the concept of ``door-to-door,
first mile/last mile'' transportation.
Ultimately, investments in technology can be as critical as
investments in vessels, terminals, and other physical infrastructure.
While it may not be as visible as a new ferry or terminal building,
these technologies have a significant effect on the usability of the
system, and therefore on ridership and the customer experience.

Question 3. In your testimony, to implement every terminal with
charging equipment will cost $700,000 annually for the next 20 years,
bringing it to the $280 million total capital investment. How much will
the complete transition from diesel to Low or No Emission ferries cost
your agency and how much of that is expected to be supported by the
Federal government versus state and local taxpayers?
I ask because Puerto Rico has 5 terminals and 11 ferries currently
that would need to be replaced and equipped with charging technology to
achieve similar goals, however there are 478 percent more riders
contributing to that system then the 500,000 riders so far this year in
my district. The Puerto Rico Maritime Transportation Authority states
that it will begin to provide Low-No Emission ferry service in 2026.
Answer. The WSF System Electrification Plan calls for investment of
nearly $4B over 20 years to complete 6 vessel conversions, build 16 new
vessels, and electrify 16 terminals. This investment will enable us to
reduce our GHG emissions by 76 percent from 2005 levels.
Our electrification initiative comes at an opportune time given
that many of our older diesel vessels are due for replacement in the
near future. WSF appreciates the federal funding programs available for
these projects. Full implementation of the System Electrification Plan
will not be possible without substantial federal funding support.
Sources of recent and anticipated funding include FTA, FHWA, MARAD and
EPA.

Question 4. What can this committee and Congress do to ensure that
there is a robust shipping industry in the United States? I'm a strong
supporter of the Jones Act, but what can we do to become a net-exporter
of ferries and ships?
Answer. U.S. shipbuilding is at a competitive disadvantage for two
major reasons: first, it is very labor intensive, placing the US at a
competitive disadvantage worldwide for anything but the smallest
vessels, and second, its productivity is subject to a substantial
learning curve, so shipyards with a steady backlog of orders tend to
become more competitive, while others fall further behind. The Jones
Act ensures we retain the capability to build essential vessels when
needed, despite these market forces.
One example of where the U.S. can be particularly competitive is in
shipboard systems. These systems rely in modern technology and a highly
skilled workforce. The U.S. can support American businesses providing
innovative systems to the shipbuilding market. This includes energy
storage, automation and control systems, and machine learning.

Question from Hon. Stephen F. Lynch to Patty Rubstello, P.E., Assistant
Secretary, Washington State Department of Transportation, Ferries
Division

Question 1. During the INVEST Act, I included language to ensure
our nation's transit system, including ferries, is equipped with the
necessary resources to combat cybersecurity attacks by allowing the
Secretary of Transportation to enhance cybersecurity systems to
mitigate these threats. It will also facilitate the procurement of
cybersecurity experts to assess vulnerabilities and enhance the grant
recipient's ability to secure updated software packages including
firewalls and malware protection.
How have you been protecting your systems from cyberattacks and how
could new assistance better safeguards ensure safety among your assets?
Answer. WSDOT's Information Technology Department has teams focused
on monitoring the WSDOT network and the systems/applications that are
on that network, along with a Cybersecurity Office that provides
agency-wide program management and oversight. Standard processes
include regular scans that identify vulnerabilities, threats, and risks
within the WSDOT enterprise; coordinating with our vendors to deploy
software and systems that meet State security requirements; and,
performing security design reviews for any new software before it can
be placed on our network. We work closely with the state CIO and state
CISO to develop guidelines, policies, and procedures that are then
distributed to our WSDOT employees.
As for ways to better safeguard our assets there are still more
things that could be done:
Additional staffing resources--more staff are needed to
monitor and address the system vulnerabilities that are identified from
software packages; deploy more frequent security patches to software
systems by external vendors as they are constantly trying to address
new threats; respond to malware attempts via phishing scams; constant
development of guidelines based on current mandates and industry
threats; and, focus more time on the increasing internal/external
audits meant to ensure we are complying with mandates.
Marine Cybersecurity evaluation and funding ongoing
needs--thanks to an Urban Areas Security Initiative (UASI) grant we
will be performing a cybersecurity evaluation of our various vessel
classes to see how we can better protect them from a cyber-attack while
opening up the network capabilities to allow our third-party systems to
be accessed both internally and externally to provide real-time data
for best performance. This evaluation will identify best practices and
changes to be made to allow us to advance while maintaining that
security. It is unknown how much funding will be needed to address any
recommendations.
Increased infrastructure funding--additional resources
are needed to be able refresh infrastructure hardware per industry
recommendations. Being able to refresh our infrastructure hardware more
frequently allows us to use procure hardware that incorporated more
security advancements.
Eliminating credit card from our systems--Ideally, we
would like to move our credit card data outside of our systems/
applications that reside at WSDOT through such solutions as
tokenization. Funding is needed to modify the systems/applications that
process credit cards as well as setup relationships with vendors to
manage the tokenization software. This will also require new front-end
hardware at our point-of-sale devices.

Questions from Hon. Eddie Bernice Johnson to Patty Rubstello, P.E.,
Assistant Secretary, Washington State Department of Transportation,
Ferries Division

Question 1. Transportation is undergoing a revolution in
automation. We see it today in automated driving systems for passenger
vehicles, with its eventual potential for full automation. We also have
had auto-pilot features in commercial airlines for quite some time.
Where do each of you envision ferries' place in the future automation
evolution?
Answer. Auto-pilot features have also been in place on marine
vessels for quite some time and track control systems have advanced
significantly over the last decade. The technology exists for a ship to
be able to theoretically `drive itself' from one port to another with
very little human intervention. Technology is also advancing around the
ability to berth a vessel at a dock or terminal which is a key factor
when considering fully autonomous vessels.
Advances in artificial intelligence coupled with automation will
continue to evolve. This will provide much better decision support
tools, reducing human error and increasing efficiency. Automation also
has great potential to improve energy efficiency. The voyage planning
aspect of automation provides for optimal vessel course speed
throughout the voyage to meet schedule, avoiding excessive distances or
power when it is not needed. The same technology applied to future
hybrid electric vessels could reduce the battery sizing requirements as
well as the amount of energy expended with each crossing.
Automation would not likely reduce crewing requirements, as the
main driver for this is passenger safety in the event of an emergency.
We anticipate that the USCG would need to develop regulation around
fully automated vessels.

Question 2. What strategies do each of you believe can be promoted
by this committee to enable greater use of ferries as a transportation
option that would aid in the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions?
Answer. Water transportation has long been proven to be economical
relative to other modes from a total energy consumption per ton
perspective. The addition of clean energy technologies over the past
several years increases this advantage, as vessels can now be fueled
from renewable energy sources. These include clean hydrogen, renewable
diesel, and battery energy storage systems. The short repeatable routes
of most ferry operations generally make battery energy storage systems
the preferred alternative. Some key strategies to implement this
solution broadly include:
Providing federal funding sources and financing options
to support the large capital investments (vessels, terminals, and
utilities) required for this transition. We were pleased to see
Electric Ferry Programs in both the INVEST Act and the Infrastructure
Investments and Jobs Act. Where essential technologies are not
available from US manufacturers, temporary relief from Buy America
should be considered to expedite this transition.
Supporting ferry systems' efforts to increase ridership
and empower people to get out of their cars and take public
transportation. Some of WSF's efforts include improving the customer
experience through technology. We are implementing tools that allow
customers to plan their trip, receive real-time information about ferry
departures and wait times, or have a seamless reservation, ticket-
buying, and payment experience. Investing in technology infrastructure
just as one would invest in a vessel or terminal building would enrich
the customer experience and increase ridership, shifting travel modes
and ultimately lessening the impact on the environment.
Supporting transit, biking and walking infrastructure to
and from terminals thereby allowing passengers to use the ferry system
without a car.
While we recognize that utilities may not be within the
jurisdiction of this committee, we encourage Congressional support to
upgrade shore-based electrical grids to support the large electrical
loads required by ferry vessels. In some cases, this may require shore-
based energy storage. Priority should be given to utilities that source
their electricity through renewable sources. In many cases such
investments can support the electrification of other transportation
modes (electro-mobility hubs).

Question from Hon. Rodney Davis to Seamus Murphy, Executive Director,
San Francisco Bay Area Water Emergency Transportation Authority (WETA)

Question 1. In your testimony, you mention difficulties with
permitting requirements delaying projects.
What streamlining reforms would be most helpful to progressing
ferry infrastructure projects and fleet `greening'?
Answer. Projects in locations where the land meets the water
require permits from over a dozen regulatory agencies. Most of these
agencies conduct their review sequentially even though in many cases
their review can be conducted concurrently. This sequential review
negatively impacts project schedule. Increased project timelines adds
to the overall cost of the project. Reforming the permitting process to
include concurrent review of permits would result in a more efficient
use of time and could lower the overall project cost.

Questions from Hon. Jenniffer Gonzalez-Colon to Seamus Murphy,
Executive Director, San Francisco Bay Area Water Emergency
Transportation Authority (WETA)

Question 1. In the FAST Act, there was a weighted formula that
allocated $80 million in annual funding with the following breakdown:
40 percent for the quantity of passengers, 35 percent for vehicles, and
30 percent for total route miles for the construction of ferries and
ferry terminals. Does this provide enough flexibility or would
something with less restrictions be better such as a block grant?
Answer. There are two programs initially authorized under MAP-21
that are exclusively for the construction of ferry boats and ferry
terminal facilities: the Section 1121 Federal Highway Administration
(FHWA) Ferry Funding Formula Program and the Federal Transit
Administration (FTA) 5307(h) Ferry Discretionary Grant Program. The
FHWA program funding formula prescribed by MAP-21 was weighted towards
car ferries and provided for distributing FHWA funds based on (in order
of importance) the number of vehicles carried, total route miles
serviced, and the number of passengers carried. While the formula was
modified under the FAST Act to put more weight on the number of
passengers carried, the FHWA formula continues to put passenger-only
ferries at a competitive disadvantage.
The inequity inherent in the Section 1121 FHWA Ferry Funding
Formula Program can be offset by FTA 5307(h) Ferry Grant Program if FTA
awards grants to passenger ferry systems in congested urban areas and
if the FTA program is funded at an adequate level. This is why it is
critical that the $1.5 billion that was intended to be included in the
Senate-passed Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act for the FTA
5307(h) Ferry Grant Program is included in whatever final bill is sent
to the President.

Question 2. Mr. Murphy, what are the considerations that WETA is
considering as it prepares to see increased ridership demand after
adjusting schedules to new markets?
Answer. Thanks to the federal COVID relief funds WETA began
implementing a Pandemic Recovery Program in July. The Program is a
year-long series of fare and service changes focused on incentivizing
ridership; testing the market for new travel patterns; and maximizing
the relevance of our service for a new, more equitable post-pandemic
ridership base.WETA lowered fares and aligned those fares with other
transit modes. We also added a significant amount of off-peak service
to accommodate the needs of lower-income, transit-dependent workers who
could not work from home and who did not follow traditional commute
patterns. Since we made our July changes, WETA's ridership has
significantly outpaced other regional carriers and are well ahead of
our fiscal year ridership projections. We will continue to monitor
these trends and will use them to inform longer term fare and schedule
programs designed to maximize ridership among a diverse set of markets
and reorient the service toward fiscal sustainability.

Question 3. Will WETA continue to offer low-cost fares to
neighborhoods and communities that will allow those riders access to
transit systems? Will their fares be offset with high-priced fares in
other communities or with Federal funds?
Answer. WETA continues to monitor the change in ridership trends
and demographics as a result of the WETA's Pandemic Recovery Program.
The intention is to continue to offer low fares and not charge a
premium to ride the ferry. WETA is evaluating what permanent changes
should be made to ferry service post pandemic so that the cost to ride
the ferry is not a limiting factor.
In November 2020, WETA started participating in Clipper START pilot
program, a regional means-based fare program offering discounted
transit rides to eligible low-income adults on participating transit
systems in the Bay Area. The Clipper START pilot allows adults who live
in the Bay Area whose annual earnings are up to 200 percent of the
federal poverty level to qualify for fare discounts at participating
transit agencies. As part of the pandemic recovery program, WETA
increased the Clipper START discount from 50 percent off paper ticket
fares to 50 percent off Clipper fares for eligible adults effective
July 1, 2021. Clipper START is being funded through state funds and
WETA anticipates participating in the program as long as it stays in
effect.

Question from Hon. Stephen F. Lynch to Seamus Murphy, Executive
Director, San Francisco Bay Area Water Emergency Transportation
Authority (WETA)

Questions from Hon. Eddie Bernice Johnson to Seamus Murphy, Executive
Director, San Francisco Bay Area Water Emergency Transportation
Authority (WETA)

Question 2. What strategies do each of you believe can be promoted
by this committee to enable greater use of ferries as a transportation
option that would aid in the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions?
Answer. Providing additional federal funding is the biggest need.
Over the last two years WETA has developed a plan to be a leader for
the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from commercial harbor craft
sector. Our plan commits to transitioning 50 percent of our vessel
fleet to zero emission technology. We are proactively going above and
beyond current federal and state regulations to reduce emissions, but
we need funding to implement it.

Questions from Hon. Jenniffer Gonzalez-Colon to Hon. Frank J. Principi,
Chairman, M-495 Fast Ferry Stakeholder Group, Northern Virginia
Regional Commission

Question 1. In the FAST Act, there was a weighted formula that
allocated $80 million in annual funding with the following breakdown:
40 percent for the quantity of passengers, 35 percent for vehicles, and
30 percent for total route miles for the construction of ferries and
ferry terminals. Does this provide enough flexibility or would
something with less restrictions be better such as a block grant?
Answer. There is a more fundamental barrier to new ferry service--
access to funds in the first place. The federal grant funding programs
such as Federal Transit Administration (FTA); Federal Highway
Administration (FHWA); and Maritime Administration (MARAD) are
distributed primarily to existing service, not new service as we are
proposing in the National Capital Region (NCR). As a result, FTA grant
funds are distributed to existing services primarily operating in New
York, Washington, and California. Congress should direct these federal
agencies to award grant funds to both new and existing services in a
greater number of states. Further, Congress should require the federal
programs to allow these funds to be invested in operations and capital
projects, not just the latter. The private sector is very willing to
launch new service if the federal government shares the operational
risks of a new service.

Question 2. Mr. Principi, how would the military participate in a
public-private-military partnership, would this be done through
existing authorities?
Answer. Yes, existing authorities would be used to allow the
military to participate in public private partnerships, some of the
military bases in the NCR are eager to participate in new ferry service
through existing legal authorities and grant programs. For example,
Joint Base Anacostia Bolling is considering the use of a real estate
agreement with the government entity, enabling our service to drop-off
and pick-up base employees. Our organization has applied (but not
awarded), Defense Community Infrastructure Program (DCIP) funds that
will help offset the cost of JBAB's shore-side infrastructure, e.g.,
terminal enhancements to ensure physical security needs. The Town of
Indian Head, Maryland is considering an Enhanced Use Lease for a piece
of property to use as a terminal site for the ferry service system. The
ferry service would help the bases with parking and provide congestion
relief at the gates during peak rush.
In the NCR, twenty-five percent (25 percent) of the Single Occupant
Vehicles (SOVs) are due to DoD military, civilian, and/or contractors
going to work. However, we are not able to use public funding on a
federal installation. Most bases have very limited transit access and
being able to provide an alternative to SOVs would greatly help the
region with congestion and provide a more stress-free commuting
experience for the people we are depending on to protect our county.
Once our service is operational, we plan for area military bases to
participate in the governance of the service. Most of the military
bases are along the Potomac River and to provide a more comprehensive
transit services for our capital region military, civilians and
contractors working on these bases, we would like to interface with
already existing land transportation systems such as Metrorail and
cross river service connecting the airport and employment centers along
with the Pentagon. Ultimately our longer-term vision is to provide
water links between DC, Maryland and Virginia and military
installations on the Potomac and the Anacostia including the Navy Yard,
JBAB, Fort Leslie McNair, Pentagon, Fort Belvoir, Indian Head and
Marine Corps Base Quantico.

Question from Hon. Stephen F. Lynch to Hon. Frank J. Principi,
Chairman, M-495 Fast Ferry Stakeholder Group, Northern Virginia
Regional Commission

Questions from Hon. Eddie Bernice Johnson to Hon. Frank J. Principi,
Chairman, M-495 Fast Ferry Stakeholder Group, Northern Virginia
Regional Commission

Question 1. Transportation is undergoing a revolution in
automation. We see it today in automated driving systems for passenger
vehicles, with its eventual potential for full automation. We also have
had auto-pilot features in commercial airlines for quite some time.
Where do each of you envision ferries' place in the future automation
evolution?
Answer. The evolution from automated to autonomous ferry vessel
industry is underway in the US and overseas. Vessels are equipped with
sensors, automated navigation and docking, propulsion, and auxiliary
systems to name a few. Crewless vessels on the West coast of Norway (an
area prohibiting emissions) are now being considered for passenger/
vehicle services. While the driver for autonomous vessels is cost
reductions (labor costs are the largest expense of ferry systems),
human factors are typically the primary reason for safety incidents.
While our current efforts are not focused on concepts of autonomous
control or more autonomous assistance for vessel navigation, we are
working to ensure that systems adopted are adaptable to more automated
control as it becomes available. Our present focus has been on
exploration of emission free propulsion systems that could add to the
resiliency of the NCR transportation system without adding to emissions
in the region.

Question 2. What strategies do each of you believe can be promoted
by this committee to enable greater use of ferries as a transportation
option that would aid in the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions?
Answer. Clearly, the Committee must first instruct the federal
agencies to fund new commuter ferry service (current grant programs are
directed to existing services). Further, these federal agencies must be
willing to award grant funds to help subsidize ferry operations--just
as the agency does for bus, rail, and subway services. These two steps
would cause the private sector to also invest in new ferry service and
help make a go of it. The promise of new funding will enable all
parties to put in place a fleet of zero-emission vessels.
The Department of Homeland Security through the United States Coast
Guard is already moving to aggressively consider alternate zero-
emission propulsion in vessel design regulations. But the fact remains
the US is far behind development and investment in this strategy
compared to Norway and Sweden. We would prefer to see funding directed
to the USCG to bolster resources to advance the regulatory framework
for zero emission technology and funding specifically directed to the
National Academy of Sciences, Transportation Research Board to advance
research and development of commercially viable zero emission
propulsion packages for high-speed passenger ferries such as those in
use in the waterways around New York, Puget Sound, and San Francisco
Bay. Presently, this large and growing fleet of passenger ferries all
operate on carbon-based fuels and continue to contribute daily to
greenhouse gas emissions.
Finally, in addition to funding, support, and direction from the
Committee towards the already established and effective federal
financing vehicles will be beneficial to the greater use of ferries as
a transportation option. For example, the Transportation Infrastructure
Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) financing program provides
comprehensive and supportive financing for infrastructure projects
across surface, air, and transit asset classes. We believe that
utilization of this program under the Build America Bureau provides the
kind of lending power critical to project financing, project delivery,
and in this case reduction of greenhouse gas emissions through expanded
ferry transit in the NCR and in the United States and ask that you
continue to support programs like these in providing a critical role
for infrastructure.

Questions from Hon. Jenniffer Gonzalez-Colon to Kyle Godar, County
Engineer, Calhoun County, Illinois

Question 2.a. Can you describe the ownership structure that's
preventing the access road that connects the Golden Eagle terminal with
the nearest Federal-aid highway and what the Federal Highway
Administration's guidance says that prevents Federal funding for you?
Answer. The section of roadway that connects the USACE land and
dock to the Federal-aid highway has only been recorded as a private
easement. It has been used as a public road and the tolls collected
through the contract with Calhoun County have been used to maintain it.
These tolls are considered public funds since they are in control of
the County Board although the private company administers them. The
roadway needs to be properly acquired and the ROW recorded which is
part of what we desire to do with the FBP funds. The issue is also that
there is no Missouri based Highway Authority that is willing to take on
the project and inherit more roadway.
The FAST Act provides funding for Terminal Facilities. I believe
the FHWA then further defines a terminal facility as follows.
``Terminal Facility. A ferry terminal facility includes the structures
and amenities that directly serve the ferry boat operation. These
include passenger parking, ticketing, waiting area, boarding and
disembarking facilities, docks, slips, dolphins and shore improvements
necessary for docking, administrative space specifically for on-site
ferry administration and vessel crew, and ferry vessel maintenance
facilities. It does not include approach roads to the terminal
facility.''

Question 2.b. Follow up: In Puerto Rico, we utilize Public-Private-
Partnerships (P3s) in which the terminal is owned by the Maritime
Transportation Authority and the operation and vessels are contracted
out through a separate company. Is that a similar structure or option
for service in your area?
Answer. At this time our terminal is not covered by the local port
authority. Since my testimony was provided, it has led to various
discussions with other agencies and we are now working with America's
Central Port and investigating a potential expansion of their territory
and how that could help resolve our issues.

Question 3. What would it take for ``approach roadways'' to be
added to the Federal Air highway system? Is this a local decision, does
it require legislation, or can it be done through a rule making at
F.H.W.A.?
Answer. I believe a local Missouri based highway authority could
make the decision to take in this section of roadway. At this time no
Missouri based highway authority is willing to take on the extra
roadway. We are currently looking into getting America's Central Port
involved as mention above. The other possibility would be to get a
determination from the Secretary as the FHWA guidance includes the
following statement. ``Majority publicly owned--Ferry boat or terminal
facility is more than 50 percent owned by a public entity and the
Secretary determines that such ferry boat or terminal facility provides
substantial public benefits.''

Question 4.a. Because of the one-size-fits-all approach to funding
for ferries, how much funding has lapsed because of eligibility issues?
Answer. According to FHWA website $18.6 Million of the $73.4
Million of available funds for 2018 have not been allocated and should
have been withdrawn on September 30th 2021.

Question 4.b. Follow up: How could this committee work to expand
eligibility for the ferries and the service you provide to improve this
for operations across the country?
Answer. Where privately owned operators are involved the local
public agency that controls the tolls is supposed to review the cost
incurred by the private operator and set the toll accordingly. In some
areas where commuters utilize ferries to reduce vehicular miles
traveled each driver decides which option is cheaper for them. If tolls
get too high then commuters just drive. If available funds could be
used to subsidize the private operator to a point that keeps tolls cost
effective for drivers it could keep some of the smaller operations
competitive and in business resulting in fewer vehicular miles
traveled. The current legislation states the funds are for
``Construction'' and are not available for operations. This may not be
applicable to many of the ferry operations across the country but could
benefit our locations.

Question from Hon. Stephen F. Lynch to Kyle Godar, County Engineer,
Calhoun County, Illinois

Questions from Hon. Eddie Bernice Johnson to Kyle Godar, County
Engineer, Calhoun County, Illinois

Question 2. What strategies do each of you believe can be promoted
by this committee to enable greater use of ferries as a transportation
option that would aid in the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions?
Answer. As I stated above in my answers to Congresswoman Jenniffer
Gonzalez-Colon, if available funds could be used to subsidize the
private operator to a point that keeps tolls cost effective for drivers
it could keep some of the smaller operations competitive and in
business resulting in fewer vehicular miles traveled. The current
legislation states the funds are for ``Construction'' and are not
available for operations. This may not be applicable to many of the
ferry operations across the country but could benefit our locations.

Question 3. Mr. Godar, you mention in your testimony that guidance
provided by the Federal Highway Administration and some of the
eligibility requirements associated with the Ferry Boat Program funds
have made it so that your county is unable to use this funding as you
need to. Is there anything in particular that you think the
Transportation and Infrastructure Committee could do to provide
assistance with this issue?
Answer. The current language in the Fast Act provides funding for
``construction of ferry boats and ferry terminal facilities''. Language
could possibly be added to more clearly define the terminal facility to
include any approaches to landings that are maintained by the operator
out of funds derived from tolls collected or that are owned and
maintained by a Port Authority.

Question 4. Mr. Godar, you testified that many ferry operations
have had maintenance to major components of their publicly owned
vessels determined ineligible. Do you have any recommendations as to
how the committee could work jointly with the U.S. Coast Guard to
address this problem?
Answer. Language could be added to allow funding for not only
``Construction'' of ferry boats but also include maintenance of major
components of the boats.

[all]

File and source

File: CHRG_chrg-117hhrg46518_chrg-117hhrg46518.htm
Size: 222,718 bytes
SHA-256: 3e657543d4b2b85d03d3eb6be68c3e35c776bb20d7911a2d67c23ac166fc47c5
Our copy: CHRG_chrg-117hhrg46518_chrg-117hhrg46518.htm
Original: No public link identified.