Greetings from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. I am a member of Allegheny County Council, it is an honor and a privilege to participate on this panel. Western PA, home of the Steelers and steel making, is primed to build back best. Although meds and eds have become an important part of our local economy, steel runs through our veins and the prospect of creating family sustaining jobs as foreshadowed by the Keystone East-West High-Speed Rail Study is exciting.

I’ve been hearing from my constituents and local elected state officials how long it takes to travel from Pittsburgh to Harrisburg and from Pittsburgh to New York. Not only does it take an inordinate of time, but the trips are limited to once a day. 

Now, Keystone East offers high speed, electrified passenger rail service from Harrisburg to Philadelphia. Granted the infrastructure is older than the infrastructure between Philadelphia and Harrisburg, but why should we be left behind? If service was enhanced, I’m sure ridership would go up, who does not want to visit our exceptional city. 

Just think of the regional economic development that could be spurred by improving the connection between Pittsburgh and other parts of the state and all the jobs improving, aligning and straightening the curves of our challenging topography. Less cars on the turnpike will improve the air quality. We should prioritize moving people in the least environmentally damaging way possible. Increasing services between Harrisburg and Pittsburgh would increase opportunities for employment, expand travel options for students and residents in rural areas, and increase options to explore Pennsylvania tourist destinations. This is a wonderful opportunity for the National Infrastructures Bank to help build back better and increase economic impact for every industry, community and Pennsylvanian resident.

In addition to rail, a 2018 study conducted by 24/7 Wall Street that ranked the country’s infrastructure and identified the most distressed states. In order, the top five are:

1. Rhode Island 

2. Hawaii 

3. West Virginia 

4. Pennsylvania 

5. California 

The analysis took into consideration the number of bridges, roads and dams that are in a “state of despair or potentially hazardous.” Pennsylvania ranked fourth overall due to a combination of poor roads, deficient bridges and dams at a high hazard risk. The commonwealth was among the top 15 worst states in each infrastructure category.

Here are some specific projects that my district needs:

• High quality affordable broadband is foundational for the growth of the Western Pa. Businesses, schools, health care institutions require broadband. Universal broadband is also necessary for a modernized electric grid, often referred to as a smart grid, thus making our electric system more secure, resilient and less subject to catastrophic failures.

• The global pandemic has laid bare the problems in our supply chain for PPE, medical devices and pharmaceuticals. If we are serious to have these companies reshore their factories here, we have to provide the proper transportation infrastructure (modern rails system) and skilled workers or they will not find the move in their best interest. Reliable broadband is also essential for technologies, AI, Robotics, 3-D printing, IoT and additive manufacturing.

• COVID has wreaked havoc with the Allegheny County Budget including the Port Authority's budget. Ridership revenue is down, so unfortunately, plans for more electric buses and mass transit development has been put on hold. Such projects however could be put back on the table with an infrastructure bank. $750 million extension of the MLK Jr. East Busway to Monroeville and $1.03 billion extension of the West Busway to the airport are existing unfunded projects.

• Our aging housing stock, public buildings, and old water pipelines also threaten our drinking water. Leakage of lead into our drinking water is creating a public health problem in communities across the Commonwealth. Pennsylvania is ranked among those states with some of the highest risk for lead-contaminated water. Lead in the water can have devastating impacts on young children.     

• Sewage and Stormwater - Pennsylvania has the most combined sewage overflows in the country. In Southwest Pennsylvania, more than 800 public authorities, municipalities, and private companies make up this fragmented system. The region suffers from numerous water and sewer issues, including severe flooding exacerbated by suburban development, aging infrastructure, and climate change. As a whole, the system has fallen significantly out of compliance with federal laws but lacks the necessary funding to address these concerns. Upgrading it requires billions of dollars in investments, many of which are legally mandated under environmental regulations and consent orders. With tightening budgets, local authorities have been forced to prioritize existing projects and defer much-needed maintenance. Together, these factors have produced one of the most complex infrastructure challenges facing the region today.

Mayor Peduto recently proposed a Marshall Plan for Middle America. Due to the effects of COVID and the downturn of the economy, funding of this ambitious bill is challenging, both the County and the City are experiencing a revenue loss. Thus an infrastructure bank could be one of the funding mechanisms. Middle American communities have shared needs and challenges in facing the crisis of aging infrastructure, economic obsolescence, ineffective public policy and the need for up-skilling and re-skilling of the workforce.

There is an ancient Greek proverb, “A society grows great when old people plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in.” It is only through an adequately-sized national infrastructure bank- a bank that could provide direct loans and financing for infrastructure projects to be enjoyed by our children and grandchildren.

Therefore, I strongly endorse HR 6422 to create a $5 trillion National Infrastructure Bank to finance projects in my district, and all of America. 

Thank you.