Statements on Introduced Bills and Joint Resolutions

Floor Speech

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Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, improving public safety, growing our economy, increasing energy independence, and protecting the environment have always been among my top priorities as a Senator. Today, the very first bill I am introducing in this new Congress will advance all of those goals by allowing the heaviest trucks to travel on our Federal interstate highways in Maine rather than being forced to use secondary roads and downtown streets.

I am delighted to have the senior Senator from Vermont, Patrick Leahy, as my Democratic cosponsor, and my good friend and colleague from Maine, Olympia Snowe, also as an original cosponsor. Vermont has the same problem as we do in Maine. Thus the bill I am introducing applies to our two States.

In 2009, I authored a law to establish a 1-year pilot project that allowed trucks weighing up to 100,000 pounds to travel on Maine's Federal interstates--I-95, 195, 295, and 395. According to the results of a preliminary study by the Maine Department of Transportation, this pilot project, which ran until mid-December of last year, helped to preserve and create jobs by allowing Maine's businesses to receive raw materials and to ship their products more economically.

Also important, the pilot program improved safety, saved energy, and reduced carbon emissions. Let me give a specific example. On a trip from Hampden to Houlton, ME, the benefits are obvious. A truck traveling on I-95 rather than on Route 2 avoids more than 270 intersections, 9 school crossings, 30 traffic lights, and 86 crosswalks. In addition, the driver also saves more than $30 on fuel. Given the cost of diesel, it is probably even higher than that now. Additionally, 50 minutes is saved by traveling on Interstate 95 rather than on the secondary road of Route 2.

Unfortunately, despite the clear success of this pilot project and the strong support of the administration and many of my colleagues in the Senate, the House of Representatives failed to include my provision making the pilot permanent in the Federal funding bill. As a result, for both Maine and Vermont, the program expired on December 17 and the heavy trucks are once again unable to use our most modern, safe, and efficient highways.

It is important to emphasize that our legislation does not increase the size or the weight of trucks in our States. Maine law already allows trucks weighing up to 100,000 pounds to operate on State and municipal roads. Heavy trucks already operate on some 22,500 miles of non-Interstate roads in Maine, in addition to the approximately 167 miles of the Maine turnpike. But the nearly 260 miles of non-turnpike interstates that are the major economic corridors in my State are off limits. This simply makes no sense.

Furthermore, trucks weighing up to 100,000 pounds are already permitted on many Federal interstates in New Hampshire, Massachusetts, New York, and the neighboring provinces in Canada. So that puts Maine and Vermont at a distinct competitive disadvantage.

All around us, the States and our Canadian counterparts allow the heavier trucks to use the Federal interstates, but unfortunately Maine and Vermont have been excluded. That is why my friend from Vermont, Senator Leahy, has joined me in this effort to help provide a level playing field for our States.

Here are a few more important points about our bill.

The 100,000-pound trucks are no larger or wider than 80,000-pound trucks. This change would remove an estimated 7.8 million truck miles from our local roads and streets. Increasing the truck payloads by 35 percent would reduce the overall number of trucks needed. In addition to saving fuel by traveling fewer miles, the steady pace of interstate driving improves the fuel economy of trucks by 14 to 21 percent. And the Maine Department of Transportation's engineers say they are confident our interstate bridges are safe and can handle the additional weight in the State of Maine.

Countless Maine small business owners have told me how this change would improve their competitiveness. For example, at a recent press conference, Keith Van Scotter discussed the savings his company accrued under the pilot project. Under the pilot project, his company Lincoln Paper and Tissue was able to save 1.1 million billable truck miles, a 28 percent decrease from the year before. These savings are the equivalent of the company being 220 miles closer to its primary market. Also, the owner-operator of a logging business in Penobscot County said that being able to transport his pulpwood to the mill on I-95 rather than on secondary roads would save his company at least 118 gallons of fuel each week. That benefits not only this small business but also our Nation as we seek to reduce our overall fuel consumption and reduce carbon emissions.

The pilot program has also made a dramatic improvement for some of our communities. According to the Maine DOT, before the pilot program began last December of 2009, more than 200 heavy trucks heading north on Route 201 crawled through downtown Vassalboro a small town of about 4,000--each day even though I-95 runs parallel just a few miles away. During the span of the pilot program, the number of northbound trucks on Route 201 decreased by roughly 90 percent. These trucks were using the interstate where they belong.

I will tell you that since the pilot project expired, so many of my constituents have talked to me about the return of these heavy trucks to the residential neighborhoods in which they live, to downtown Portland, Orono, Brewer, Freeport, and other towns throughout our State. The fact is, this kind of road congestion caused by diverting these heavy trucks into downtowns and along secondary roads can lead to tragedy. A study conducted by a nationally recognized traffic consulting firm found that the crash rate of semitrailer trucks on Maine's secondary roads were 7 to 10 times higher than on the turnpike. It estimated that allowing these trucks to stay on the interstates could result in three fewer fatal crashes each year. Public safety agencies in Maine, including the Maine State Police, have long supported my efforts to bring about this change. In fact, Bangor's police chief joined me at a press conference last week where he spoke eloquently about the safety implications for downtown Bangor.

In 2010, as a result of this pilot project, people throughout our State saw their roads less congested, our States safer, our air cleaner, and, most important, our businesses more competitive. That is why I am so committed to ensuring that these improvements are allowed to continue and are made permanent.

This legislation simply is common sense. It will benefit our economy as well as lower fuel costs and make our roads safer for most tourists and pedestrians. Most important, we now have the concrete evidence from this pilot project showing why this bill should become law.

I am grateful for the support and leadership of my colleague from Vermont and the steadfast support from Maine's senior Senator as well. I urge its swift passage. This is the highest priority I have for the State of Maine this year.

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