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State of Logistics 2016: Pursue mutual benefit Talking transportation infrastructure with Katie Thomson, former general counsel for DOT STB issues final rule requiring railroads to submit service performance metrics Fitch Ratings’ 2017 outlook report reflects shippers’ concerns Interlake Mecalux expands distribution with new Dallas facility More News Logistics Management’s Jeff Berman recently talked about the current state of transportation infrastructure and various related issues in an interview with Katie Thomson, head of the Transportation Industry Group at Washington, D.C.-based law firm Morrison & Foerster. Thomson is the only person to serve as both general counsel at the U.S. Department of Transporation and chief counsel at the Federal Aviation Administration. A transcript of the conversation follows below. Logistics Management (LM): What is your take on the incoming administration’s goals for infrastructure development in the United States? Is freight likely to get a seat at the table? Katie Thomson: The freight piece of this is critical for the economy. President-elect Trump has talked about spending $1 trillion over the next ten years on infrastructure, not all transportation-related but it certainly sounds like transportation would get a significant portion. But no specifics have been offered up on how it would be funded. There has been some talk about repatriation and a little about public-private partnerships. All of that should be in the mix but having spent the last seven and a half years at DOT, I am keenly aware of what the transportation system needs: a long-term funding solution that meets the needs of the country as a whole. LM: And what does that entail? Thomson: It cannot be a one-off, one-time injection of a lot of money for certain big projects in limited parts of the country. An initial infusion for that could be good, but it needs to be a […]