2002 NCSL Annual Meeting
Transportation Sessions Agenda
Denver, Colorado
July 23-27, 2002
 =Audio Taped Session
Tuesday, July 23, 2002
1:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Rail Working Group
Adam's Mark Hotel --
The group will examine various state approaches to implementing rail projects. It also will review the rail policy statement, which is under the jurisdiction of the AFI Energy and Transportation committee.
Moderator: Representative Joan Bray, Missouri
2:00 pm - 4:30 pm
Context Sensitive Transportation Design: Bringing it all Together
Adam's Mark Hotel --
This session will provide a brief overview of context sensitive transportation design and how it can be used as a tool to incorporate an entire transportation system--including mass transit and trails--into the existing environment. After the briefing, join us on an urban hike through downtown Denver via the 16th Street Pedestrian Mall (on the free shuttle) and into the Central Platte Valley to see an example of context sensitive transportation design in practice.
Moderator: Meg Mcguire, President, Scenic America, Washington, D.C.
Speaker: Mark Fenton, Editor at Large, Walking magazine, Scituate, Massachusetts
Wednesday, July 24, 2002
10:45 am - 12:00 pm
Communications and Information Policy Committee (ASI)
Energy and Transportation Committee (AFI)
Colorado Convention Center -- C205
Intelligent Transportation Systems: Saving Lives, Time and Money
States are using a broad range of diverse technologies-including information processing, communications and advanced electronics-to develop intelligent transportation systems that can make the most out of existing highways and transit systems and promise to save lives, time and money. This session will focus on new developments in transportation technology and the potential benefits for states.
Moderator: Senator Steve Kelley, Minnesota
Speakers: Fred Daly, Assistant Vice President for Legislation & Regulat, Intelligent Transportation Systems of American, Washington, D.C.
Mike Freitas, Travel Manager Coordinator, Federal Highway Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation, Washington, D.C.
John Nelson, ITS Branch Manager, Colorado Department of Transportation, Denver, Colorado
1:30 pm - 5:00 pm
Energy and Transportation Committee (AFI)
Colorado Convention Center -- C106
TEA-21 Reauthorization
1:30 pm - 3:00 pm
Congress is currently holding hearings on renewal of the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century, which is scheduled to be expire in 2003. The committee will discuss the benefits and drawbacks of the current law. Committee members will have a chance to highlight TEA-21 success stories, as well as ways the law could be improved.
Federal Issues Update
3:00 pm - 3:30 pm
An update on NCSL's lobbying efforts regarding reauthorization of TEA-21, Amtrak, state driver's licenses and national energy legislation.
Speaker: Eileen Doherty, Committee Director, Energy & Transportation, NCSL
Consideration of Policy Resolutions
3:30 pm - 5:00 pm
Thursday, July 25, 2002
9:15 am - 11:45 am
Energy and Transportation Committee (AFI)
Colorado Convention Center -- C104
Consideration of Policy Resolutions
9:15 am - 9:45 am
The committee will update its policy statement on rail issues.
Presiding: Senator Lori Daniels, Arizona
Technology and Driver Distraction: How Much Is too Much?
10:45 am - 11:45 am
Cell phones, fax machines, televisions and computers are making their way into cars. As many as 115 million people use their wireless phones and other technology while driving. This session will review the findings of a 2002 NCSL report on the effects of technology on driving safety, including detailed analysis of state, federal and local laws and regulations.
Panelists: Representative Richard Roy, Connecticut
Steve Skinner, Director, External Affairs, Cingular Wireless, Atlanta, Georgia
Matt Sundeen, Program Principal, Environment Energy Transportation, NCSL
2:15 pm - 4:15 pm
Improving Transportation Security and Safety: Are We Better Off?
Colorado Convention Center -- A109
Concern about the safety of transportation in the United States has grown in the wake of the September 11 terrorist attacks. The states and the federal government have scrambled to strengthen aviation security, hazardous materials transportation safety, port and rail security, and the driver licensing process. This session will address the practices federal agencies have in place and the role the states play in ensuring that transportation will be safe in the future.
Moderator: Representative Ellen Bard, Pennsylvania
Speakers: Admiral Tom Collins, Commandant, U.S. Coast Guard, Washington, D.C.
Steve Ernst, Structural Engineer, Federal Highway Administration, Washington, D.C.
Speaker invited, Transportation Security Administration, Washington, D.C.
Robert F. Proferes, Office Director, Bus and Truck Standards, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, Washington, D.C.
Jeffrey Runge, Administrator, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Washington, D.C.
Curt Secrest, Railroad Security Specialist, Federal Railroad Administration, Washington, D.C.
4:30 pm - 5:30 pm
Electric Vehicles
Colorado Convention Center -- C206
Americans love their cars, but what are the alternatives to the gasoline-burning internal combustion engine? Electric vehicles have continued to develop, and state and federal policies play a key role in bringing these vehicles to market. This session will explore the current state of the industry and the state policies that influence electric vehicles' development.
Speakers: Greg Dana, Vice President, Environmental Affairs, Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, Washington, D.C.
Gail Hendrickson, Associate Director, Electric Vehicle Association of the Americas, Washington, D.C.
Friday, July 26, 2002
9:45 am - 11:45 am
The Road to Yucca Mountain May Be Getting Shorter
Colorado Convention Center -- A112
The Yucca Mountain, Nevada, site recently was recommended by the secretary of energy and approved by President Bush as suitable to store the tons of nuclear waste from the production of nuclear power. In April, the governor of Nevada issued the first-ever veto of a president's decision. In early May, the House voted 306-117 to overturn the veto. The Senate must act by the end of July. Hear not only from the Department of Energy and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, but also from states--such as Nevada--that oppose this central storage site and from those that support it.
Speakers: Margaret S.Y. Chu, Director, Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management, U.S. Department of Energy, Washington, D.C.
Robert Loux, Executive Director, Agency for Nuclear Projects, Carson City, Nevada
Representative Richard Perkins, Speaker of the Assembly, Nevada
Martin Virgilio, Office of Nuclear Materials Safety and Safeguards, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Rockville, Maryland
2:15 pm - 3:45 pm
Effective State Transportation Finance Tools
Colorado Convention Center -- C102
Budgetary uncertainty, a slow economy and rapidly growing transportation needs have combined to create nightmares for state legislatures that are trying to fund critical transportation improvements. New and emerging finance tools are helping legislatures cope. This session will examine financing alternatives, issues related to credit ratings, state, federal and industry roles, and some specific state experiences.
Moderator: Representative Bruce Starr, Oregon
Panelists: Jack Basso, Director of Management and Business Development, American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, Washington, D.C.
Claire Cohen, Vice Chairman, Fitch Ratings, New York, New York
Rhonda Faught, Adjutant Secretary, State Highway and Transportation Department, Santa Fe, New Mexico
Kimberly Swain Pierce, Manager of Surface Transportation, J. P. Morgan, Denver, Colorado
4:00 pm - 5:30 pm
Design-Build: An Innovation for Better Delivery of Transportation Projects
Colorado Convention Center -- C102
"Design-Build" is an innovative approach to transportation construction that allows expeditious completion of large projects and less risk for the state, while saving taxpayer dollars through potential funding by private sector interests. Legislatures are key players in authorizing the use of design-build for transportation projects. An expert panel will explain design-build, discuss its pros and cons, and share the experiences of states that are using it. A tour of Colorado's T-Rex project and a reception will follow the session.
Moderator: Tom Norton, Executive Director, Colorado Department of Transportation, Denver, Colorado
Panelists: Greg Henk, Vice President, HPG Flatirons Company, Rancho Santa Margarita, California
Randy Pierce, Associate Principal, Carter & Burgess, Denver, Colorado
Jiri Vitek, Senior Division Manager, PBS&J, Phoenix, Arizona
Tom Warne, President, Tom Warne & Associate, South Jordan, Utah
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