Tester meets with Transportation Secretary to discuss a long-term Highway Bill

Senator: Montana’s infrastructure needs are great

(U.S. Senate) – Senator Jon Tester today sat down with Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx to discuss Montana’s infrastructure and the need to pass a long-term Highway Bill.

Tester, who has actively been pushing for a long-term Highway Bill, pointed out that one in five Montana bridges and 40 percent of Montana’s roads are in need of repair.

“Montana’s infrastructure needs are great, but they’re part of a pattern we’re seeing across the country,” Tester said. “By making investments in our roads and bridges, we’ll give our businesses the support they need to succeed while setting up our kids and grandkids to inherit the world’s strongest economy.”

Tester also told Foxx that construction projects in Montana and across the country are being shelved or delayed as state transportation officials and road crews wait for Congress to pass a long-term bill.

Tester and Foxx also discussed the open director position at the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), which oversees the safety of the nation’s 2.6 million miles of pipeline. Tester successfully urged President Obama to nominate a permanent director who is expected to come before the Senate for confirmation in the coming months.

Tester also recently amended a Senate Appropriations bill to require PHMSA to report on pipeline safety measures along America’s major rivers, an effort that will help avoid another disastrous oil spill.