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About

Traditional funding mechanisms for large-scale infrastructure and transportation projects have been challenged in recent years, encouraging states/provinces and regional jurisdictions to find innovative strategies to fund projects. Although, partnering with private funding sources has found success in Canada and select U.S. states, a lack of harmonized regulation and disparate financing laws present challenges in coordinating infrastructure and transportation planning efforts.

PNWER's Innovative Infrastructure Finance task force plays an important role by sharing best practices and the public benefits of public-private projects (P3s).

Major focus areas of this group include:
  • Collaborating with the PNWER Transportation Working Group to draw attention to the success of P3s, by showcasing their utility, and seeking program funding from public and private sources
  • Promote research projects that conduct analysis of "lessons learned" from U.S. and Canadian P3 projects
  • Work through PNWER delegates to inventory each jurisdiction’s legislative statutory framework for P3s
  • Seek regional partners to secure federal bi-national funding for legislative advocacy in addition to potential private sector and foundation in-kind and financial grants

For more information on the Innovative Infrastructure Finance Taskforce, please click here.

Infrastructure Finance is also closely linked to the Transportation working group, located here.
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Resources

Action Items & Findings
2019 Action Items - Transportation & Infrastructure
Write letter of support from PNWER urging the U.S. to issue a Presidential Permit for Alaska to Alberta (A2A) project.
Hold legislative panel in Big Sky 2020 on ACES, 5G connected technologies, harmonizing regulations, Smart cities, includes Smart communities focusing on rural development through 5G and other technologies to maintain economic prosperity
Support requests to U.S. DOT to assist with $25 million to continue maintenance of Alaska-Canada highway that goes through Yukon and B.C.
2019 Findings - Transportation & Infrastructure
It was noted that the Transportation working group should collaborate with the Border working group; Cascadia Innovation Corridor; and state, provincial, and federal agencies to promote the testing of autonomous vehicles (personal and commercial) on the I-5 and Hwy 99 corridor.
Idaho DOT will continue to be a leader on harmonizing trucking regulations among 5 NW states and showcase similar improvements in Western Canada provinces.
Summit Archive
Presentations
Webinars
Summit Agenda
  • 2019 Summit - Saskatoon
  • 2018 Summit - Spokane
  • 2017 Summit - Portland
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Welcome and Overview of Innovative Infrastructure Finance Taskforce
Investing in American and Canadian infrastructure from public and private resources has rarely been higher on the political agenda of the two countries as it is today. PNWER is seeking to expand the public private partnership initiative through a federally sanctioned regional accelerator. This session will explore the latest developments in Washington D.C. and local and private sector responses. 

The federal government and PNWER regional accelerator: 
Session will examine fast tracking public-private partnerships (P3’s) and existing federal credit and loan programs (Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) and Railroad Rehabilitation and Improvement Financing (RRIF).  The Trump Administration proposes to replace the FASTLANE program with the $1.5 billion INFRA program. 
 
Can P3s enhance  project delivery and permit reform? Why do we need them in limited resource and lower expertise environments? What purpose do they serve for urban regions (Vancouver B.C., Seattle- Tacoma, Portland) and rural regions (Port of Everett, Washington and Kalispell, Montana)?
 
Moderated by Leslie Blakely, President, Coalition for America’s Gateways and Trade Corridors
 
Federal Government
  • Shawn Bills, State Director, Office of U.S. Senator Patty Murray, Washington
  • Ree Armitage, Field Liaison, Office of U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, Oregon
 
State and local government response: designing state and local initiatives to leverage federal infrastructure initiatives  
  • Tobias Read, Treasurer, State of Oregon
  • Justin Ashford, Principal Consultant, Advisory Services, WSP USA  
  • Michael Catsi, Director, Business Development and Communications, Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority
  • Jeannie Beckett, The Beckett Group
 
Columbia River I-5 Bridge Replacement Project
  • Rep. Sharon Wylie, Washington State Legislature
 
University Partnerships and Applied Research
  • Ahmed Elayouty, Co-founder, Pacific Hyperloop, University of Washington
 
Canada accelerates P3s; opportunities for Northwest states 
Canada is recognized as the global leader in building effective P3’s with more than 250 projects with a total capital value of over $120 billion. Between 2003 and 2012, P3 projects in Canada generated $15 billion in direct GDP, nearly 300,000 in direct, full-time equivalent jobs, and $7.5 billion in direct tax revenue to governments across Canada. 

  • Mark Romoff, President and CEO, Canadian Council for Public Private Partnerships
 
Performance-based Infrastructure on the West Coast
Moderated by Mark Romoff of the Canadian Council for Public Private Partnerships
  • Scott Boardman, Acting Executive Director, West Coast Infrastructure Exchange
  • Anthony Buckley, Director, Innovative Partnerships, Washington State Department of Transportation
 
Successful Leadership in Private-Public Partnerships
  • Mass Transit: Canada Line serving downtown Vancouver and Vancouver International Airport
 
Advancing the Cascadia Innovation Corridor and Enhancing Cross-Border Connections
  • High Speed Rail in the Pacific Northwest
    • Charles Knutson, Senior Policy Advisor, Transportation and Economic Development, Office of Governor Inslee
News & Links
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Leadership

Bruce Agnew
Director
Cascadia Institute
Co-chair
Sen. Chuck Winder
State Senator
Idaho State Legislature
Co-chair

PNWER Staff
Betz Mayer
Program Manager, PNWER​
betz.mayer@pnwer.org
p: 206-443-7723
f: 206-443-7703
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