National Gateway Shows Public Benefits at NCSL Legislative Summit

WASHINGTON, July 26 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Representatives of the National Gateway will discuss a broad range of environmental, business and economic benefits with legislators, business representatives and government officials this week at the National Conference of State Legislators (NCSL) Legislative Summit 2010. The NCSL Legislative Summit, a major public policy conference featuring thousands of state lawmakers and legislative staff, will be held from July 25-28 in Lexington, Ky.

"The support of many of the legislators at NCSL Legislative Summit 2010 has been critical to helping build awareness of the National Gateway and its benefits, such as increasing the nation's competitiveness in the world market, creating jobs, reducing fuel consumption, and lightening the load and congestion on our nation's highways," said Louis Renjel, vice president of strategic infrastructure initiatives, CSX Transportation.  "We are thankful for the support of our 300 plus member coalition comprised of public sector, private sector, non-profit and individual supporters, and look forward to working together to drive infrastructure solutions for 21st century demands."

The National Gateway will deliver $22 in public benefits for every $1 of public funds invested by reducing highway congestion, lowering carbon dioxide emissions by almost 20 million tons, creating more than 50,000 jobs and alleviating freight bottlenecks that cause delays for companies and consumers shipping or receiving freight.  

Innovation and modernizations within the rail industry have made railroads the most efficient way to transport freight.  Shipping by rail delivers benefits to both consumers and other businesses within the supply chain. Trains can move one ton of freight nearly 500 miles on a single gallon of fuel and one train can carry the load of 280 trucks.

The National Gateway, an $842 million public-private sector initiative, will rail make transport even more efficient by linking Mid-Atlantic ports and Midwestern markets with the use of double-stack trains.  Double-stack trains deliver twice as many goods on one trip, resulting in improved efficiency and cost saving.  

In February 2010, the National Gateway was awarded $98 million in funding from the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) Discretionary Grant program, part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Today, the National Gateway is supported by over 70 public officials of both parties, including six governors, 39 Members of Congress and 28 state elected officials.

Founded in 1975, NCSL (www.ncsl.org) promotes policy innovation and communication among state legislatures.  The 36th annual NCSL Legislative Summit features more than 150 sessions providing information, ideas and solutions to critical public policy issues.

To learn more about the National Gateway, visit www.nationalgateway.org. Be sure to follow the National Gateway on Twitter (http://twitter.com/Nat_Gateway) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/NationalGateway).

SOURCE National Gateway