PNWER Summit Press Release
Pacific NorthWest Economic Region Establishes Regional Infrastructure Accelerator
New program to accelerate multi-jurisdictional transportation projects
Pacific NorthWest Economic Region (PNWER) is proud to announce the establishment of the Regional Infrastructure Accelerator (RIA) program in the U.S. Pacific Northwest. PNWER is one of five organizations awarded the Build America Bureau’s Regional Infrastructure Accelerator Grant announced by the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) earlier this year. With an initial grant of $1.2 million, the RIA will operate under the umbrella of PNWER in collaboration with regional partners and various state and local departments of transportation.
The PNWER RIA’s purpose is to serve as a convener for transportation projects in the region, specifically multistate and multi-jurisdictional initiatives that are needed, but lack funding for completion. The PNWER RIA will bring public and private sector stakeholders together to examine projects with region-wide benefits to reduce transportation-related CO2 emissions while increasing economic and environmental justice for historically underserved communities.
“This is a big win for the region and for PNWER,” says PNWER President and Transportation Co-Chair, Idaho Senator Chuck Winder during the PNWER Annual Summit in Calgary, AB. “The Pacific Northwest region of the U.S. and Canada needs to invest in our transportation infrastructure to support continued economic growth and ease supply chain concerns so we can share the agricultural and natural resource blessings of this region with the rest of the world. The PNWER RIA is an important platform to help states work together to help the region reach those goals.”
When fully realized, the PNWER RIA will be a critical tool for developing Public-Private Partnerships to streamline and expedite infrastructure projects that impact regional supply chains and community safety.
“While we’re delighted by the $1.2 trillion infrastructure investment from the U.S. federal government, grant dollars alone are not enough to address the infrastructure challenges we face in the Pacific Northwest,” notes Matt Morrison, PNWER Executive Director. “We need public and private sector cooperation and investment in infrastructure to keep our region competitive.”
U.S. federal financing tools are currently underutilized, including the Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA), Railroad Rehabilitation and Improvement Financing (RRIF), and Private Activity Bonds (PABs). Working closely with U.S. DOT's Build America Bureau, the PNWER RIA seeks to increase the awareness and understanding of these federal financing resources, and to identify revenue sources necessary to use these programs.
The PNWER U.S. member states of Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington will be able to access the RIA's services. PNWER serves as a collaborative forum drawing on the engagement between policymakers and private sector stakeholders to strengthen the regional economy of member states and provinces in the Pacific Northwest and Western Canada. By working closely with state departments of transportation and local constituents, the PNWER RIA can convene multi-state stakeholders in the public and private sectors to coordinate in updating the region's infrastructure to ensure safety, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, all while improving livability and promoting economic growth well into the 21st century.
In its first iteration, the RIA will focus on highway-rail grade separation and port drayage truck electrification. Moving forward, the RIA will continue addressing multimodal choke points that span the five-state PNWER member region. While the PNWER RIA does not directly finance infrastructure projects, it convenes key leaders through its roster of policy, finance, and transportation experts to help states, tribes, and local communities identify traditional and innovative methods of financing to get these projects over the finish line.
For more information on the RIA, visit pnwer.org/ria.
ABOUT PNWER
The Pacific NorthWest Economic Region (PNWER) is a public/private non-profit organization created by statute in 1991. Member jurisdictions include Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, Montana, and Washington, and the Canadian provinces and territories of British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, the Northwest Territories, and Yukon. PNWER's mission is to increase the economic well-being and quality of life for all citizens of the region; identify and promote "models of success; and serve as a conduit to exchange information. For more information on PNWER, visit www.pnwer.org.
ABOUT PNWER RIA
Initiated in 2021, the PNWER RIA serves as a convener for transportation projects in the region, specifically multistate and multi-jurisdictional initiatives with multi-modal and region-wide benefits. Funded through U.S. DOT’s Build America Bureau, the PNWER RIA helps identify Public-Private Partnerships (P3s) and federal financing opportunities to accelerate the delivery of transportation projects with region-wide benefits that ease supply chain disruptions, reduce transportation-related pollution, and increase economic and environmental justice, especially for historically underserved communities. For more information, visit www.pnwer.org/ria.