Charleston Leader

U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito, Chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, led a hearing to evaluate the implementation of surface transportation policies under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). The session focused on identifying successes and areas needing improvement in the act's execution.

Chairman Capito asked stakeholders about their experiences with IIJA implementation. She inquired, "You've touched on this, all of you have in your statements, but just concisely, what part of the IIJA had the greatest benefit for your experience, and which one has presented the greatest challenge?"

Russell McMurry from the Georgia Department of Transportation, representing AASHTO, highlighted core formula programs as particularly beneficial. "The greatest benefit comes from what we consider the core formula programs," he stated. However, he also pointed out challenges related to new programs under IIJA.

Gary Johnson from Granite Construction emphasized financial benefits. He said, "Chairman, I think obviously the greatest benefit is the amount of money coming down the formula funding." Despite initial delays between authorization and appropriation in 2021 and 2022, he noted an increase in funds reaching states.

The efficiency of specific programs like NEVI was also discussed. Johnson remarked that $1.8 billion allocated for NEVI resulted in only 58 chargers built across 15 states over three and a half years. He questioned if this demonstrated efficient federal government action: “I'm not sure that that program is a good example of the best way.”