GREEN BAY, WI (WFRV) – Wisconsin Congressman Mike Gallagher rolled into Green Bay Monday as a passenger in a logging truck.

The Republican wants to get the word out about a new piece of legislation called the Safe Routes Act of 2023.

The bill modernizes old traffic regulations that prevent forestry vehicles from traveling on federal highways.

He says if these trucks didn’t have to maneuver country roads and roundabouts as much, he believes we’ll see fewer crashes and a dramatic drop in carbon emissions.

“I just did a drive simulating a route you may take from Algoma to get across to Green Bay,” explained Congressman Gallagher. “It’s crazy how inefficient it is. It’s bad for the truck, it’s bad for the truckers, it’s bad for the road, it’s bad for the environment and it’s just less safe.”

The Safe Routes Act of 2023, would help address these safety issues by allowing logging trucks that meet state-determined legal requirements to travel up to 150 air miles on the Federal Interstate Highway System.

Congressman Gallagher is using a pilot program from Maine to prove the bill will work. In fact, he’s joining forces with a fellow Marine, but a Democratic lawmaker, to get the bill passed.