November 14, 2018 Honorable Congressman Michael Capuano Member, Transportation & Infrastructure Committee United States House of Representatives 2165 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, D.C. 20515 Dear Congressman Capuano: As leadership has observed, the House’s bipartisan efforts with infrastructure development may play the key role for 2019 Congress by dealing with America’s deteriorating transportation system. Not only are our roads and bridges becoming less reliable, but we are less competitive worldwide. China is now economically and militarily challenging us for the financial loyalty of the nations of the world. Their Silk Road project is a major element of their strategy, an interconnection uniting China, Russia, northern Middle-East, Europe, SE Asia, and parts of Africa. The winner of this challenge will be awarded the title of world reserve currency, with all the preferential benefits such position affords. How do we respond? With the greatest concentration of effort we can muster. Our loss would transform the DOLLAR from being in worldwide demand to our becoming a typical debtor nation. We would be at the mercy of others to help carry our enormous debt burden. So to confront China’s $900 billion Belt & Road Initiative (Silk Road) transportation/trade project challenge we must become more efficient internally. Our transportation system: highways, ports and airports, must process more people and units of commerce more quickly and less expensively. Our electric grid must become more sustainable while using less carbon producing fuels. One such efficient transportation project is proposed for South Florida, moving up to 85% of the freight traffic off our clogged coastal arteries onto a dual freight rail line traveling from Miami intersecting with the Tampa/Orlando rail line. There are over 100 million visitors to this corridor each year; in addition to the 9 million residents. Our ports are reaching capacity with no available expansion. This rail line would allow efficient movement of container freight to an expansive inland port, for repacking and redeployment. The ports and shippers need this additional capacity from the dual rail line to be able to load and unload the growth of cargo in the future. If we continue on the path of more people and more congestion there will be no solution as we are bound by the Atlantic to the east and the Everglades on the west. We all work, play and live on the narrow coastal corridor in between. MARTIN COUNTY BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS 2401 S.E. MONTEREY ROAD  STUART, FL 34996 Telephone: 772.288.5421 Fax: 772.288.5432 Email: efieldin@martin.fl.us DOUG SMITH Commissioner, District 1 ED FIELDING Commissioner, District 2 HAROLD E. JENKINS II Commissioner, District 3 SARAH HEARD Commissioner, District 4 EDWARD V. CIAMPI Commissioner, District 5 TARYN KRYZDA, CPM County Administrator SARAH W. WOODS County Attorney TELEPHONE 772-288-5400 WEB ADDRESS http://www.martin.fl.us 1 of 3 Honorable Congressman Michael Capuano November 14, 2018 Page 2. com2019L26.docx Authorizing the Florida dual rail line proposal will increase transportation efficiencies for over 110million people. Many thanks. Sincerely, Ed Fielding Commissioner, District 2 EF/rz C: Taryn Kryzda, County Administrator Fowler West, West & West Tom Lanihan, TCRPC 2 of 3 Potential Dual Rail Pathway 3 of 3 com2019L26 map.pdf Slide Number 1