Omicron is spreading, however journey bans could finish quickly

With the help of Tanya Snyder, Julian EJ Sorapuru and Oriana Pawlyk

– The travel ban for South Africa can’t be long, says Fauci.

– Managers in the shipping company answer questions about the supply chain.

– New Covid test rules for incoming air travelers to the US are in effect today.

IT’S MONDAY: You are reading Morning Transportation, your Washington policy guide for everything that moves. Send tips, pitches, feedback and lyrics to [email protected], [email protected], [email protected] and [email protected]. You can also find us on Twitter: @alextdaugherty, @TSnyderDC, @ Oriana0214 and @JulianSorapuru.

Your MT author will create ad libs with the new test rules in effect. “All my bags are packed / I’m ready to go / I’m standing here in front of your door /[I need to get a Covid test to flyyyyy]”

ANTHONY FAUCI Says Travel Ban May Not Last: US officials are reviewing the travel ban for South Africa and other African countries, and Fauci, chief medical advisor to President Joe Biden, said Sunday they hope it will be “within a reasonable time ” to end. despite the continued spread of the Omicron variant in the USA, Maeve Sheehey reports.

“When the ban was imposed, it was imposed to give us time to find out what was going on. Well, as you mentioned, we look at it very carefully every day as we get more and more information about cases in our own country and around the world, ”Fauci said in CNN’s State of the Union.

Fauci added that while Omicron has become the dominant variant in South Africa, it is currently showing no signs of more serious effects than other coronavirus variants.

“While it’s too early to really make any definitive statements about it, it doesn’t look like it has a great deal of severity so far,” said Fauci.

REMINDER: Travelers entering the US are only required to present a negative Covid test one day prior to departure on Monday at 12:01 p.m. ET. The tests apply to vaccinated travelers regardless of their country of origin. More from Oriana.

Would you like to receive this newsletter every weekday? Subscribe to something POLITICS Pro. You’ll also get daily political news and other information you need to respond to the day’s major events.

Shipping executives testify: The Senate Commerce Committee will hold a hearing on Tuesday titled “Uncharted Waters: Maritime Supply Chain Challenges”.

Four executives will appear: John Butler, CEO, World Shipping Council, Greg Regan, President of Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO, Paul Doyle, CEO, Coastal Automotive and Norman Krug, CEO, Preferred Popcorn.

Senators are expected to criticize industry officials about what went wrong with supply chains in the fall, when container ships were blocked offshore and consumers saw inventory shortages and price hikes.

Expansion of the intercity train? The House Transportation Board will hold a hearing entitled “Leverage of IIJA: Plans to Expand Intercity Passenger Transport”.

AMTRAK is cash rich – $ 66 billion was included in the infrastructure bill, HR 3684 (117), and states are already suggesting that the money will drastically expand intercity rail traffic.

For example Florida Secretary of Transportation Kevin Thibault told reporters that the state agency heard from Amtrak last week that they were planning to “expand” the service in Florida, which currently operates intercity services to the state’s major cities through Jacksonville.

However, Thibault said they aren’t sure what specific projects or enhancements Amtrak has in mind. Thursday’s hearing could shed some light.

A $ 900 tax credit could be on the way Bloomberg reports. The ongoing negotiations on Biden’s Build Back Better bill include tax credits for e-bikes and e-motorcycles.

The tax credit is based on an invoice, HR1019 (117), suggested by Reps. Jimmy Panetta (D-Calif.) And Count Blumenauer (D-Ore.) And applies to purchases of a new e-bike up to $ 900. Taxpayers can claim one e-bike tax credit per year (two for joint filers) and will begin phasing out for those with adjusted gross income greater than $ 75,000.

Obviously, all BBB peculiarities are dependent on the Senate at this point. Sen. Kyrsten cinema (D-Ariz.) Said she still wasn’t sure how she was in one Interview with CNN Late last week.

When asked what changes she would like to see on the invoice, HR 5376 (117), Sinema declined to respond, saying, “If you are negotiating directly and in good faith with your colleagues, rather than negotiating publicly, the likelihood that you will reach this agreement is much more likely.”

The other holdout is Sen. Joe Manchin (DW.V.), who publicly opposes a tax credit of $ 4,500 for union-made electric vehicles.

An NDAA is possible this week, Connor O’Brien reports, but transportation-related changes will likely get the trunk.

The Senate stalled last week over Pentagon policy legislation. HR 4350 (117), if Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) Declined to push for a vote on its legislation, P. 65 (117)which bans the importation of Chinese goods made using Uighur forced labor.

Instead, the House is likely to pass one final NDAA this week, Majority Leader of the House Steny Hoyer said, and the compromise legislation will likely pass both houses in place of the deadlocked Senate NDAA, a congressional assistant told POLITICO.

That means a host of traffic-related changes that Senators wanted to make to the annual Defense Bill are likely to come out, including a proposal from Sen. Bob Menendez (DN.J.) and Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) To set up a national database of supply chain information and one from Sens. Mark Warner (D-Va.), Gary Peters (D-me.), Rob Portman (R-Ohio.) And Susan Collins, (R-Maine), that requires infrastructure operators Report cyber attacks to the federal government within 72 hours.

ICYMI: ELAINE CHAO WILL JOIN THE BOARD OF EV INSTRUMENTS: Former Secretary of Transportation and Labor will join the board of ChargePoint Holdings as the EV industry is focused on rapid growth. E&E News reports.

Chao, who is married to the Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell and has extensive public and private sector experience, and will bring high-level Washington connections to ChargePoint after last month’s infrastructure bill was $ 7.5 billion for EV charging across the country.

“Her political and transportation experience helps build our diverse expertise in technology, mobility and energy,” said Pasquale Romano, CEO of ChargePoint, in a statement.

COBALT CORRUPTION: Albert Yuma Mulimbi, chairman of the DRC’s state-owned mining company, was sacked after The New York Times published an article detailed new allegations of restraint by Yuma.

Yuma was responsible for the production of cobalt and copper in the Congo, two natural resources that are critical components in building batteries for electric vehicles. One of the poorest countries in the world, the Congo produces more than two-thirds of the world’s cobalt but has been charged with corruption, unsafe mining conditions and the use of child labor.

“It is difficult to underestimate the importance of this development – it is a major step in the fight against corruption in the Congo,” said J. Peter Pham, who served as a senior official for Central Africa at the US State Department until January, the Times. “Albert Yuma and the mining sector are at the interface between natural resources and the country’s political and economic power.”

– “A Hertz customer’s Thanksgiving reservation that went wrong was every car rental nightmare rolled into one.” The Washington Post.

– “After massive transit losses during the pandemic, agencies are planning a comeback.” Municipal Institute.

– “Why Biden doesn’t talk about Tesla.” E&E news.

– “The bipartisan committee chairmen are demanding clarity from the airlines about the management of the funds of the payroll program.” House Committee for Transport and Infrastructure.

– “Clearview AI on the way to win US patent for face recognition technology.” POLITICS.

– “Electric vehicle growth threatens rainforests.” ABC.

Did we miss an event? Inform MT at [email protected].