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Focusing on freight.

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M2 PRESSWIRE-29 October 2004-US DEPT OF TRANSPORTATION: Focusing on freight(C)1994-2004 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD

RDATE:10292004

Remarks of Jeffrey N. Shane Under Secretary for Policy 15th Annual Breakbulk Conference & Exhibition New Orleans, LA October 28, 2004

Thank you for the opportunity to speak before this 15th Annual Breakbulk Conference and Exhibition hosted by the Journal of Commerce and the Port of New Orleans. I appreciate the invitation, and am grateful for the opportunity to join you here today on behalf of President Bush and Secretary of Transportation Norm Mineta. My remarks today will focus on some of the things we at the Department have done over the last few years to put trade and logistics issues at the heart of our agenda, but perhaps more importantly on what we can do together in the years ahead.

Transportation in a Global Economy The global economy in which we now find ourselves profoundly impacts each and every one of us, often in ways that we do not even realize. Few Americans, for example understand how much we really are a maritime nation relying on maritime transportation for so much that we consume and for so much that we sell to the rest of the world. This ineluctable transition to a globally driven economy presents special challenges, particularly when it comes to having the port, highway and rail capacity necessary to keep these goods moving.

It is important to understand what drives the need for more robust transportation infrastructure and services. Global trade liberalization has been a major pursuit of President Bush and this Administration. Over the last three years, the Bush Administration has negotiated a dozen new free trade agreements, opening markets for a wide range of American exports and giving consumers access to a wider range of competitive options that engender significant economic benefits all across the country. We have also breathed new life into the World Trade Organizations Doha Round of multilateral negotiations and pursued regional trade agreements in places closer to home like Central America.

While our successful trade agenda will bring enormous economic benefits to consumers and economies both here and abroad, it forces us, especially those of us at the Department of Transportation, to remain focused on the need for transportation infrastructure sufficient to handle the increased flow of commerce that these agreements will bring about....

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