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the environment. The system shall be built, maintained, 
managed, and operated as a partnership between the Fed-
eral, State, and local governments and the private sector 
and shall be coordinated with the overall transportation 
system of the United States, including the Nation’s air, rail, 
pipeline, and water transportation systems. The Secretary 
of Transportation shall be responsible for carrying out this 
policy. 
‘‘(b) OBJECTIVES.—The objectives of the policy shall 
be to facilitate and advance— 
‘‘(1) the improved accessibility and reduced trav-
el times for persons and goods within and between 
nations, regions, States, and metropolitan areas; 
‘‘(2) the safety of the public; 
‘‘(3) the security of the Nation and the public; 
‘‘(4) environmental protection; 
‘‘(5) energy conservation and security, including 
reducing transportation-related energy use; 
‘‘(6) international and interstate freight move-
ment, trade enhancement, job creation, and economic 
development; 
‘‘(7) responsible planning to address population 
distribution and employment and sustainable devel-
opment;
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‘‘(8) the preservation and adequate performance 
of system-critical transportation assets, as defined by 
the Secretary; 
‘‘(9) reasonable access to the national surface 
transportation system for all system users, including 
rural communities; 
‘‘(10) the sustainable and adequate financing of 
the national surface transportation system; and 
‘‘(11) innovation in transportation services, in-
frastructure, and technology. 
‘‘(c) GOALS.— 
‘‘(1) SPECIFIC GOALS.—The goals of the policy 
shall be— 
‘‘(A) to reduce average per capita peak pe-
riod travel times on an annual basis; 
‘‘(B) to reduce national motor vehicle-re-
lated and truck-related fatalities by 50 percent 
by 2030; 
‘‘(C) to reduce national surface transpor-
tation delays per capita on an annual basis; 
‘‘(D) to improve the access to employment 
opportunities and other economic activities; 
‘‘(E) to increase the percentage of system- 
critical surface transportation assets, as defined
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by the Secretary, that are in a state of good re-
pair by 20 percent by 2030; 
‘‘(F) to improve access to public transpor-
tation, intercity passenger rail services, and non- 
motorized transportation where travel demand 
warrants; 
‘‘(G) to reduce passenger and freight trans-
portation infrastructure-related delays entering 
into and out of international points of entry on 
an annual basis; 
‘‘(H) to increase travel time reliability on 
major freight corridors that connect major popu-
lation centers to freight generators and inter-
national gateways on an annual basis; 
‘‘(I) to ensure adequate transportation of 
domestic energy supplies and promote energy se-
curity; 
‘‘(J) to maintain or reduce the percentage of 
gross domestic product consumed by transpor-
tation costs; and 
‘‘(K) to reduce transportation-related im-
pacts on the environment and on communities. 
‘‘(2) BASELINES.—Not later than 2 years after 
the date of enactment of the Surface Transportation 
and Freight Policy Act of 2012, the Secretary shall
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develop baselines for the goals and shall determine ap-
propriate methods of data collection to measure the 
attainment of the goals.’’. 
(b) FREIGHT POLICY.—Subchapter I of chapter 3 of 
title 49, United States Code, as amended by section 
33002(a) of this Act, is amended by adding at the end the 
following: 
‘‘§ 312. National freight transportation policy. 
‘‘(a) NATIONAL FREIGHT TRANSPORTATION POLICY.— 
It is the policy of the United States to improve the effi-
ciency, operation, and security of the national transpor-
tation system to move freight by leveraging investments and 
promoting partnerships that advance interstate and foreign 
commerce, promote economic competitiveness and job cre-
ation, improve the safe and efficient mobility of goods, and 
protect the public health and the environment. 
‘‘(b) OBJECTIVES.—The objectives of the policy are— 
‘‘(1) to target investment in freight transpor-
tation projects that strengthen the economic competi-
tiveness of the United States with a focus on domestic 
industries and businesses and the creation and reten-
tion of high-value jobs; 
‘‘(2) to promote and advance energy conservation 
and the environmental sustainability of freight move-
ments;
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‘‘(3) to facilitate and advance the safety and 
health of the public, including communities adjacent 
to freight movements; 
‘‘(4) to provide for systematic and balanced in-
vestment to improve the overall performance and reli-
ability of the national transportation system to move 
freight, including ensuring trade facilitation and 
transportation system improvements are mutually 
supportive; 
‘‘(5) to promote partnerships between Federal, 
State, and local governments, the private sector, and 
other transportation stakeholders to leverage invest-
ments in freight transportation projects; and 
‘‘(6) to encourage adoption of operational poli-
cies, such as intelligent transportation systems, to im-
prove the efficiency of freight-related transportation 
movements and infrastructure.’’. 
(c) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—The table of contents 
for chapter 3 of title 49, United States Code, is amended— 
(1) by redesignating the items relating to sec-
tions 304 through 306 as sections 307 through 309, 
respectively; 
(2) by redesignating the items relating to sec-
tions 308 and 309 as sections 310 and 311, respec-
tively;
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(3) by redesignating the items relating to sec-
tions 303 and 303a as sections 305 and 306, respec-
tively; 
(4) by inserting after the item relating to section 
302 the following: 
‘‘303. National surface transportation policy.’’; and 
(5) by inserting after the item relating to section 
311 the following: 
‘‘312. National freight transportation policy.’’. 
SEC. 33003. SURFACE TRANSPORTATION AND FREIGHT 
STRATEGIC PLAN. 
(a) SURFACE TRANSPORTATION AND FREIGHT STRA-
TEGIC PLAN.—Subchapter I of chapter 3 of title 49, United 
States Code, as amended by section 33002 of this Act, is 
amended by inserting after section 303 the following— 
‘‘§ 304. National surface transportation and freight 
strategic performance plan. 
‘‘(a) DEVELOPMENT.—Not later than 2 years after the 
date of enactment of the Surface Transportation and 
Freight Policy Act of 2012, the Secretary of Transportation 
shall develop and implement a National Surface Transpor-
tation and Freight Performance Plan to achieve the policy, 
objectives, and goals set forth in sections 303 and 312. 
‘‘(b) CONTENTS.—The plan shall include— 
‘‘(1) an assessment of the current performance of 
the national surface transportation system and an
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analysis of the system’s ability to achieve the policy, 
objectives, and goals set forth in sections 303 and 312; 
‘‘(2) an analysis of emerging and long-term pro-
jected trends, including economic and national trade 
policies, that will impact the performance, needs, and 
uses of the national surface transportation system, in-
cluding the system to move freight; 
‘‘(3) a description of the major challenges to ef-
fectively meeting the policy, objectives, and goals set 
forth in sections 303 and 312 and a plan to address 
such challenges; 
‘‘(4) a comprehensive strategy and investment 
plan to meet the policy, objectives, and goals set forth 
in sections 303 and 312, including a strategy to de-
velop the coalitions, partnerships, and other collabo-
rative financing efforts necessary to ensure stable, re-
liable funding and completion of freight corridors and 
projects; 
‘‘(5) initiatives to improve transportation mod-
eling, research, data collection, and analysis, includ-
ing those to assess impacts on public health, and envi-
ronmental conditions; 
‘‘(6) guidelines to encourage the appropriate bal-
ance of means to finance the national transportation