U.S. CODE

U.S. Code

§ 509. National cooperative freight transportation research program

(a) Establishment.— The Secretary shall establish and support a national cooperative freight transportation research program.

(b) Agreement.— The Secretary shall enter into an agreement with the National Academy of Sciences to support and carry out administrative and management activities relating to the governance of the national cooperative freight transportation research program.

(c) Advisory Committee.— The National Academy of Sciences shall select an advisory committee consisting of a representative cross-section of freight stakeholders, including the Department of Transportation, other Federal agencies, State transportation departments, local governments, nonprofit entities, academia, and the private sector.

(d) Governance.— The national cooperative freight transportation research program established under this section shall include the following administrative and management elements:

(1) National research agenda.— The advisory committee, in consultation with interested parties, shall recommend a national research agenda for the program. The agenda shall include a multiyear strategic plan.

(2) Involvement.— Interested parties may—

(A) submit research proposals to the advisory committee;

(B) participate in merit reviews of research proposals and peer reviews of research products; and

(3) Open competition and peer review of research proposals.— The National Academy of Sciences may award research contracts and grants under the program through open competition and merit review conducted on a regular basis.

(4) Evaluation of research.—

(A) Peer review.— Research contracts and grants under the program may allow peer review of the research results.

(B) Programmatic evaluations.— The National Academy of Sciences may conduct periodic programmatic evaluations on a regular basis of research contracts and grants.

(5) Dissemination of research findings.— The National Academy of Sciences shall disseminate research findings to researchers, practitioners, and decisionmakers, through conferences and seminars, field demonstrations, workshops, training programs, presentations, testimony to government officials, the World Wide Web, publications for the general public, and other appropriate means.

(e) Contents.— The national research agenda required under subsection (d)(1) shall include research in the following areas:

(1) Techniques for estimating and quantifying public benefits derived from freight transportation projects.

(2) Alternative approaches to calculating the contribution of truck and rail traffic to congestion on specific highway segments.

(3) The feasibility of consolidating origins and destinations for freight movement.

(4) Methods for incorporating estimates of international trade into landside transportation planning.

(5) The use of technology applications to increase capacity of highway lanes dedicated to truck-only traffic.

(6) Development of physical and policy alternatives for separating car and truck traffic.

(7) Ways to synchronize infrastructure improvements with freight transportation demand.

(8) The effect of changing patterns of freight movement on transportation planning decisions relating to rest areas.

(9) Other research areas to identify and address emerging and future research needs related to freight transportation by all modes.

(f) Funding.—

(1) Federal share.— The Federal share of the cost of an activity carried out under this section shall be up to 100 percent.

(2) Use of non-federal funds.— In addition to using funds authorized for this section, the National Academy of Sciences may seek and accept additional funding sources from public and private entities capable of accepting funding from the Department of Transportation, States, local governments, nonprofit foundations, and the private sector.

(3) Period of availability.— Amounts made available to carry out this section shall remain available until expended.

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