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Statement of STPP President Anne P. Canby on Enactment of New Federal Transportation Law
-- It Is Now Up to State & Local Leaders to Deliver Real Travel Options to the Public
August 10, 2005
For Information Contact: Surface Transportation Policy Project (STPP)
Anne Canby at 202/974-5135 or Kevin McCarty, 202/974-5138
As the President signs the transportation bill, the opportunity to make wiser use of these new transportation dollars
now shifts to state and local leaders.
While a drill and drive formulation of our nation's energy and
transportation challenges underpinned the Congressional
debate, the new law does continue to empower governors, state
transportation agency officials and local officials to go
beyond business as usual in their transportation investment policies and priorities.
If there was ever a time for greater state leadership, it is now, with polls showing that gas prices cause hardship for a
majority of Americans, even before the most recent run up in oil prices. State leaders in partnership with local
officials can take advantage of the flexibility of federal funds to deliver real travel options to the public, reducing the
burden of rising transportation costs on families and regional economies and harm to the
environment. This means raising commitments to public
transportation, walking and bicycling and doing a better job of maintaining and
operating systems already in place.
Much has changed since Congress initiated debate on the new transportation law more than three years ago. Energy
supplies are more uncertain, gasoline costs are much higher and rising, and there is a greater urgency to connect our
national energy, health, environmental and transportation policies. Despite some improvements in the safety area,
Congress largely ignored these broader issues, leaving state and local leaders to address them on their own. Adding
to the challenge, the huge increase in Congressional project earmarks reduces the resources that will be available to
state and local leaders to respond to these national issues.
It is now up to our governors, mayors, county executives and other elected officials to make better transportation
choices for transit, walking, bicycling, freight movement, and land use and development, mindful of these broader
national challenges. The STPP Coalition calls on state and local leaders to act decisively and fill this void.
The Surface Transportation Policy Project, a national non-profit advocacy organization founded in 1991, is a diverse,
nationwide coalition working to ensure safer communities and smarter
transportation choices that enhance the economy, improve public health, promote social equity, and protect the environment.
# # #
The Surface Transportation
Policy Project is a diverse, nationwide coalition
working to ensure safer communities and smarter
transportation choices that enhance the economy, improve
public health, promote social equity, and protect the
environment.
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