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Session II: Freight: Trucks Ports Rail and Air

July 19, 2007

Session II

Session II: Freight: Trucks, Ports, Rail & Air
Thursday July 19, 2007 2:30PM

By land, sea and air
Posted By: txdot_amz at July 19, 2007 5:15:17 PM

Session II of the 2007 Texas Transportation Forum was moderated by kickoff speaker John Esparza, president of the Texas Motor Transportation Association. Esparza discussed new technologies being developed for the trucking industry, including clean-burning diesel engines that will "take in dirtier air than they will be exhausting." EPA has set a deadline of 2010 to produce the cleaner engine.

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Nathan Asplund, general director of Public/Private Partnerships for Burlington-Northern-Santa Fe, stressed the need to increase annual rail expansion capital from $2 billion to $4 billion to meet the increased demand for freight rail capacity.

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Tom Kornegay, executive director for the Port of Houston Authority, noted that the growing congestion in West Coast seaports has made the Panama Canal an attractive alternative for shippers. With the proposed expansion of the canal, Texas ports could see a windfall of economic opportunity.

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Jose Flores, director of the Laredo International Airport, advocated for increased funding of Texas airports statewide. Additional funding would make airports safer and more secure, more competitive for federal grants, and more competitive for passenger and international cargo.