Congressman Alan Lowenthal (CA-47) today was named as a new member of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure (T&I) for the 115^th Congress.

“I am honored to represent not only my district and state, but all Americans as a new member on the T&I Committee,” Congressman Lowenthal said. “From bridges to airports, from ports to mass transit, our nation’s transportation infrastructure is the nervous system of a healthy economy. Congress must do everything it can to ensure that it is strong, efficient, and reliable. I am proud to now be part of that effort in the House and look forward to working hard on the many transportation and infrastructure issues that face our nation.”

The House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure has jurisdiction over all modes of transportation: aviation, maritime and waterborne transportation, highways, bridges, mass transit, and railroads.  The Committee also has jurisdiction over other aspects of our national infrastructure, such as clean water and waste water management, the transport of resources by pipeline, flood damage reduction, the management of federally owned real estate and public buildings, the development of economically depressed rural and urban areas, disaster preparedness and response, and hazardous materials transportation.

Congressman Lowenthal brings over 20 years of experience in elected office working on transportation, infrastructure, and goods movement issues at the local, state, and national level to the committee. During his tenure in the California State Legislature, he served as chair of the California State Senate Transportation Committee for six years and as chair of the California Select Committee on Ports for 14 years, working closely with stakeholders from all sectors of the industry to advance forward-looking transportation policy.

He has also represented the Port of Long Beach, the second busiest container port in the Western Hemisphere, as well as the port’s regional maritime, logistics, and rail sectors, for nearly 25 years at the city, state, and now, federal level. 

The Congressman played a key role in shaping the transition of one of the nation’s largest port complex to an environmentally-conscious, thriving economic engine for the Southern California region and the nation.  The Port of Long Beach also supports more than 300,000 jobs throughout Southern California and generates nearly $16 billion in annual trade-related wages statewide.

His experience and knowledge of the challenges and opportunities faced by the Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles in the movement of goods through the region and beyond led him to author Economy in Motion: The National Multimodal and Sustainable Freight Infrastructure Act.  The bill has been introduced with support from members on both sides of the aisle and from districts across the country. The legislation provides a dedicated and sustainable revenue source to fund multimodal, freight-specific formula grants to states and a multimodal competitive grant program to local, regional, and state governments.

“Congressman Lowenthal’s history of working on transportation policies, as well as his dedication to common-sense, bipartisan solutions have earned him a reputation among his colleagues and constituents as a respected and effective legislator,” Port of Long Beach Harbor Commission President Lori Ann Guzmán said. “The Port of Long Beach is proud to have Congressman Lowenthal as our representative and believes he has the right mix of experience balancing business, environmental and local transportation needs to serve as a key contributing member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.” 

The Congressman is also the Democratic co-chair of the bipartisan House PORTS Caucus, which was founded in 2011 with the mission of promoting the importance of our nation’s ports to the economy and our need to secure them.  The PORTS Caucus has grown to include more than 130 House Members.