text: SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
  
      This Act may be cited as the ``Transportation Efficiency Act''.
  
  SEC. 2. NATIONAL INTERMODAL TRANSPORTATION PLANNING TASK FORCE.
  
      (a) Establishment of Task Force.--The President shall create a 
  National Intermodal Transportation Planning Task Force (referred to in 
  this Act as ``Task Force'') with the Secretary of Transportation, or 
  designee, acting as chairperson and compromised of representatives of 
  the Departments of Commerce, Energy, Labor, and Housing and Urban 
  Development, the Environmental Protection Agency and other government 
  agencies the President considers necessary to conduct the study and 
  complete the Plan required by this Act.
      (b) Duties of Task Force.--The Task Force shall--
              (1) conduct a study on transportation needs, a draft of 
          which shall be completed not later than 12 months after the 
          date of enactment of this Act and the final study shall be 
          completed not later than 15 months after the date of enactment 
          of this Act;
              (2) sponsor a conference on National Transportation 
          Planning not later than 6 months after the completion of the 
          draft study;
              (3) make recommendations to the President for possible 
          invitees to the conference on National Transportation Planning 
          described in section 3;
              (4) use the study and the input of attendees of the 
          conference under section 3 to draft a National Intermodal 
          Transportation Plan (referred to in this Act as ``Plan'') not 
          later than 24 months after the date of enactment of this Act 
          and publish it in the Federal Register and place it on the 
          Department's Web site for public comment; and
              (5) transmit to Congress, and place on the Department of 
          Transportation's Web site, a National Intermodal Transportation 
          Plan not later than 24 months after the date of enactment of 
          this Act.
  
  SEC. 3. NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION STUDY.
  
      In developing the study established pursuant to section 1, the Task 
  Force shall consider all aspects and all modes of transportation, 
  public, private, and commercial, including air, rail (passenger and 
  freight), road, port, waterway, bicycle, and pedestrian. The study 
  shall project for the next 30 years and examine and identify for such 
  period of time the following:
              (1) National transportation priorities.
              (2) The anticipated demand, steps currently being taken to 
          address anticipated demand, how successful these steps are 
          anticipated to be, the most advantageous allocation of 
          shipments of goods and travel among the various capacities of 
          various modes, connectivity of those modes, and comparative 
          costs. Comparative costs shall take into account past public 
          investments in currently existing infrastructure for each 
          transportation mode.
              (3) Deficiencies in the current and currently planned 
          transportation systems to meet current and anticipated demand 
          and the appropriate level of redundancies.
              (4) How intermodal transportation planning may help address 
          anticipated transportation demand, social impacts of 
          transportation, and the impact of the transportation sector on 
          the environment, particularly global warming.
              (5) What obstacles exist to enhance and improve intermodal 
          transportation planning to meet national priorities so that the 
          national Plan provides suggestions on policy and legislative 
          recommendations to such obstacles.
              (6) Transportation   purposes, systems operational 
          requirements and capacities, comparative long-term costs, and 
          revenue sources.
              (7) How different agencies and levels of government may be 
          better incorporated and coordinated to improve transportation 
          planning.
              (8) Obstacles to potential benefits from, and current 
          efforts in mega-region planning at the national and regional 
          level.
  
  SEC. 4. NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION PLANNING CONFERENCE.
  
      (a) In General.--The Task Force shall convene a National 
  Transportation Priorities Conference (referred to in this Act as the 
  ``Conference'') not later than 6 months after the completion of the 
  draft National Transportation Study.
      (b) Conference Mission.--The mission of the Conference shall be--
              (1) to review the draft of the study conducted pursuant to 
          section 2 and comment on the draft's findings;
              (2) to discuss ways to improve transportation planning;
              (3) to suggest short-term and long-term goals to be 
          incorporated into the Plan;
              (4) to examine and evaluate how environmental priorities 
          and economic planning are integrated into transportation 
          planning;
              (5) to identify obstacles to meeting those goals and 
          suggestion measures to reduce or eliminate those obstacles; and
              (6) to perform other tasks that the Task Force considers 
          helpful to complete the Study and the Plan.
      (c) Conference Representatives.--The Conference shall be comprised 
  of representatives appointed by the President of the following:
              (1) State Departments of Transportation.
              (2) State legislatures.
              (3) Municipal leaders.
              (4) Metropolitan planning organizations.
              (5) Transportation nonprofit and advocacy groups.
              (6) Bike and pedestrian and other transportation safety 
          organizations.
              (7) Transportation trade associations.
              (8) Small and large transportation companies.
              (9) Environmental organizations.
              (10) Labor unions.
              (11) Academia.
              (12) And other groups the Task Force considers helpful in 
          achieving the conference's mission.
  
  SEC. 5. NATIONAL INTERMODAL TRANSPORTATION PLAN.
  
      (a) In General.--The Plan developed under this Act shall include 
  all aspects and all modes of transportation, both public and private, 
  including rail, aviation, waterways, roads, ports, bicycle, and 
  pedestrian and shall include the following:
              (1) Summary of the findings of the study.
              (2) Short-term and long-term goals.
              (3) A description of how each short-term goal will lead to, 
          or at least not preclude, achieving long-term goals.
              (4) Incremental steps and performance measures to achieve 
          such goals.
              (5) What public and private resources will be required to 
          implement the Plan.
              (6) Any recommended legislative changes that are necessary 
          to meet national priorities and the short-term and long-term 
          goals, including better intermodal transportation and mega-
          region planning.
              (7) An exploration of potential alternatives to what is 
          proposed in the Plan.
      (b) Long-Term Goals.--The long-term goals in the Plan shall take 
  into account the following:
              (1) Accessibility, including how best to reasonably ensure 
          that the various parts of the country have access to the 
          national transportation system (road, rail routes, air routes, 
          and water routes), including how and when public subsidies or 
          regulation may be needed.
              (2) Mobility, including the ease and expense of getting 
          people and goods to their desired destination in order to meet 
          economics and societal needs.
              (3) National security, including addressing moving people 
          and goods by alternative routes and modes in the face of either 
          a natural or man-made disaster or intentional act.
              (4) Economic prosperity, including addressing how a vibrant 
          economy requires timely and cost-effective movement of goods 
          and services and how various national transportation policies 
          can positively and negatively effect local and regional 
          economies.
              (5) Social equity, including addressing the fact that 
          transportation decisions have different costs and benefits on 
          differing segments of our society and how goals may be 
          established to help minimize those differences and ensure that 
          vulnerable segments of society do not pay a disproportionate 
          percentage of the cost.
              (6) Evaluate the environmental protection, including 
          addressing the fact that transportation issues will have 
          varying impacts on the environment from its contribution to 
          green house gasses and other emissions to short-term economic 
          costs that may lead to a decision that is counter to a long-
          term environmental benefit.
              (7) Energy consumption, including addressing how to 
          minimize overall transportation sector energy needs and 
          utilizing cost-benefit analysis based upon full-cost 
          accounting.
  
  SEC. 6. FUNDING AUTHORIZATION.
  
      There are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be 
  necessary to carry out this Act.
target: Transportation Efficiency Act - Directs the President to create a National Intermodal Transportation Planning Task Force to: (1) study the nation's transportation needs and priorities for the next 30 years; (2) convene a conference on National Transportation Planning; and (3) draft a National Intermodal Transportation plan that includes short- and long-term goals for meeting those priorities and improving intermodal transportation planning for all modes of the national transportation system.
feat_title: To require the Secretary of the Department of Transportation to conduct a study and develop a national intermodal transportation plan, and for other purposes.