“The American Public Transportation Association and our nearly 1,500 members applaud the pioneering efforts of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce to develop comprehensive climate change legislation ‘American Clean Energy Security Act of 2009.’  Perhaps at no time in America’s history has such an effort been more needed or more urgent.

APTA strongly supports the inclusion of emissions reduction goals for the transportation sector, but we also urge significant federal investment in public transportation and other climate-healthy transportation which will enable communities and states to meet these goals.  A cap-and-trade program with investments in public transportation will produce more emissions savings and create more jobs.  Without public transit investments, future growth in vehicle travel will negate much of the emissions savings derived from advances in better fuels and technology. 

The transportation sector currently produces approximately one-third of carbon dioxide emissions in the United States.  Public transportation use already saves 37 million metric tons of carbon dioxide annually – equivalent to the emissions resulting from the electricity generated from the use of 4.9 million households.  Public transportation also saves the United States 4.2 billion gallons of gasoline annually – more than three times the amount of gasoline refined from the oil we import from Kuwait.  Additionally, public transit helps our economy by creating and supporting 1.7 million jobs.

Since public transit has a big impact on our environment and economic prosperity, APTA urges Members of the committee to make sure climate change legislation includes the following:

• Dedicate no less than 10 percentof allowance revenue created under a cap-and-trade program to federal investment in public transportation and clean transportation infrastructure that reduces greenhouse gas emissions,
• Ensure that revenue derived from transportation fuels under a cap-and-trade program be reinvested in transportation infrastructure, and
• Provide an investment in public transportation to prevent service reductions resulting from increases in the cost of fuel and electricity under a cap-and-trade program.

Public transportation plays a significant role in finding smart solutions to the challenges facing America today; increased investment in public transportation is an investment in our planet.  As America tackles these challenges, public transportation takes us there.”