February 13, 2002
The Honorable Neil Abercrombie
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515
Dear Representative Abercrombie:
I write on behalf of the 1,400 member organizations of the American
Public Transportation Association (APTA) to urge you to co-sponsor H.R. 3694, the Highway Funding Restoration Act. The bill was introduced on February 7th by Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Don Young (R-AK), Ranking Member James Oberstar (D-MN) and 73 co-sponsors.
There is little doubt about the constantly growing demand for
investment in the nation’s surface transportation infrastructure. While funding increases authorized under the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA 21) have helped to address congestion and the need to maintain and improve our transportation system, we still have far to go. The health and growth of our economy has never been more dependent on the efficient movement of goods, services, and people. Especially now, in the absence of economic stimulus legislation, we cannot find any good policy justification for a 28% cut in the program administered by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA).
In addition to the enormous job loss that would result from such a
dramatic reduction in highway construction and maintenance programs, we are concerned that the proposed cut would lower the amount of money that states could use for public transportation solutions sought by state and local officials. According to FHWA, states chose to use almost $1.4 billion in flexible funds during FY 2001 for public transportation projects. We also believe that such a cut would establish an unrealistic funding baseline for the debate on the upcoming reauthorization of surface transportation programs. We firmly believe that a good transportation system benefits the nation and its
people.
I thank you for consideration of our views. If you have questions,
please call on me, or contact Rob Healy of my staff at (202) 496-4811 or rhealy@apta.com.
Sincerely yours,
William W. Millar
President
WWM/ked
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