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1 1 (January 27, 2022)

handle is hein.crs/govefel0001 and id is 1 raw text is: $ Cnressonl ? serc Seric S Updated January 27, 2022 Ferry Programs in the Department of Transportation Ferries provide transportation services in a wide variety of settings and for many purposes. The main types of ferry service in the United States are commuter passenger service in urban areas, and highway vehicle carriage in rural areas where a bridge is unavailable. Coastal and island regions, such as Alaska, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Puget Sound, and New England, can be especially dependent on ferries for both passenger and freight transportation. There are also many ferries that provide service mainly for recreational purposes, including several in national parks. Overall, ferries play a minor role in the U.S. transportation system, providing about 1% of public transportation trips in 2019. The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) supports ferry services through both highway and public transportation programs. Generally, federal funds are eligible for capital projects, including buying and refurbishing ferries, and building and rehabilitating ferry terminals and maintenance facilities. Ferries must be built domestically according to a law dating to 1886 (46 U.S.C. §55103). In certain circumstances, federal funds may be used for operating expenses. The programs discussed here are intended for permanent ferry operations. Temporary ferry operations may be eligible under other programs, such as DOT's highway and public transportation Emergency Relief programs. Ferry Systems According to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, ferries, prior to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, annually served about 126 million passengers and 27 million vehicles. Three states-New York, Washington, and California-accounted for more than half of ferry passenger boardings, and the state of Washington alone accounted for more than 40% of vehicle boardings (Table 1). Ferry operators, reporting one or more reasons for providing service, listed commuter transit most often (67% of operators), followed by transportation for pleasure/recreation (65%), roadway connections (29%), emergency services (27%), island access to mainland (23%), and national park access (23%). Both public and private entities operate ferry service, but the public/private distinction can be complicated. About 40% of ferry operators are public agencies, and about the same share of vessels is owned publicly. A larger proportion of ferry terminals, about 70%, is publicly owned, indicating that many public terminals serve privately owned ferry operators and vessels. Furthermore, publicly owned vessels and terminals are sometimes run privately. In a few cases, privately owned vessels and terminals are run publicly. Table I. Top 10 States for Ferry Passenger and Vehicle Boardings, 201 7 Passengers Vehicles NY 28,348,259 WA 11,488,050 WA 27,493,805 NY 2,164,453 CA 15,657,080 LA 2,021,741 MA 7,784,885 TX 1,778,178 NJ 6,494,024 MI 1,082,962 TX 5,449,355 VA 956,720 LA 3,949,472 MA 876,154 GA 3,857,943 IL 828,052 IL 3,388,347 NC 703,247 VA 2,499,787 CA 505,158 U.S., Total 126,239,031 U.S., Total 27,010,994 Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics, National Census of Ferry Operators, 2018. Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA; P.L. 117- 58) authorized and appropriated funding for surface transportation programs for FY2022-FY2026. The act funds ferries through both dedicated programs and broader highway and public transportation programs. The IIJA more than tripled annual dedicated ferry funding compared with the previous authorization act (unadjusted for inflation). The IIJA provided $2.3 billion specifically for ferries, comprising $0.7 billion in contract authority from the Highway Trust Fund and $1.6 billion in general fund appropriations. The bill also authorized another $1.3 billion specifically for ferries from the general fund, subject to future appropriations (Figure 1). Figure I. Dedicated Ferry Funding in the IIJA FY2022-FY2026 Highway Trust Fund, Authorized a General Fund, Appropriated General Fund, Authorized $ in billions $0. $0.5 $1.0 $1.5 $2.0 $25 $2.0 $3.5 $4.9 FHWA, FeBoat 0.9 FTA, Ferry Boat Di Scretin- 0.2 FTA Electric/tow emitting r 0.5 PTA, Rural Ferry ).- t tue n.6 Source: Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (P.L. 117-58). ittps://crsreports.congress.gov

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