The Honorable Donald J. Trump
President of the United States
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Washington, DC 20500
Dear Mr. President:
I write to commend you and your Administration for your efforts to accelerate project delivery by improving the infrastructure permitting process. The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) appreciates your August 15, 2017 Executive Order on Infrastructure Permitting, which strives to reduce the amount of time involved in the federal environmental permitting process, and to implement the regulatory requirement that there be a lead agency for environmental review of major projects.
Further, APTA has engaged its 1,500 member organizations in a transit industry process to identify and propose recommendations that simplify and expedite the regulatory process as it relates to public transportation. The attached set of recommendations, already submitted to the Federal Register docket, are in response to the June 8, 2017 U.S. Department of Transportation request for public input on options to eliminate or revise existing federal regulations. I believe that you will find these recommendations to be thoughtful, constructive, and consistent with our mutual goal to enhance our industry’s ability to accelerate delivery of safe, high-quality public transportation services as efficiently as possible.
By identifying infrastructure as one of your priority issues, you reveal a keen understanding of the intrinsic connection between infrastructure and economic growth. APTA looks forward to working with the Trump Administration and with Congress to restore America’s critical infrastructure, including our public transportation systems, to a state of good repair.
The nation’s infrastructure is the foundation for a dynamic and growing economy, and such investment will further create jobs and spark economic development.
Most respectfully,
Richard A. White
Acting President & CEO
Attachment
APTA Regulatory Reform Recommendations
cc: DJ Gribbin, Special Assistant to the President, Infrastructure Policy
(Download Document in PDF Format)