1000 Friends Asks Congress to Strengthen Transportation Provisions in Economic Recovery Bill

Flawed Bill Shortchanges Public Transit, Ignores Crumbling Roads and Bridges, and Could Increase Greenhouse Gas Emissions

A newly-formed group wants Oregon’s congressional delegation to take the lead in strengthening the new economic stimulus bill to better address the nation’s immediate transportation needs.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, introduced in the U.S. House last week, fails to adequately address the growing demand for mass transit and the need to repair deteriorating roads and bridges, according to Transportation for Oregon’s Future, a new group founded by 1000 Friends of Oregon, the Oregon Environmental Council and Environment Oregon.

“The economic stimulus bill is a unique and critical opportunity to take our transportation system into the 21st century,” stated Bob Stacey, Executive Director of 1000 Friends of Oregon, “but the bill simply doesn’t do enough to provide more transportation choices, repair our crumbling infrastructure, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.”

In its current form, the stimulus bill would provide about $30 billion for spending on highways - nearly three-quarters of all funding for transportation in the bill. Under the bill as written, those funds could be dedicated to new and expanded highways instead of bridge and road repairs.

“Oregon’s congressional delegation should insist that the stimulus be spent wisely,” stated Chris Hagerbaumer, Deputy Director of the Oregon Environmental Council. “Smart spending means new construction jobs should be focused on urgently needed repair and maintenance, rather than new capacity that we can’t maintain.”

The groups also urged Oregon’s congressional delegation to work to ensure that a greater share of the stimulus bill’s transportation funding be used to create jobs that will also increase the state’s and the nation’s bus and rail service capacity. A January 16th National Association of Realtors poll found that 80 percent of respondents believed that the stimulus package should not just create jobs, but should also reduce the nation’s oil dependency, improve the environment, and increase transportation options, even if it meant that the creation of jobs took longer.

“The public is sending a message that it’s time to shift the country’s transportation priorities to include better public transit,” Stacey said, “we hope that Congress will hear that message.”

The House bill also fails to help mass transit agencies faced with service cuts and layoffs due to the recession and growing local and state budget shortfalls. Although it provides about 25% of the total transportation funding for new transit projects, it offers nothing to help maintain existing transit services. Across the country, transit ridership is growing despite the decline in gasoline prices.

The stimulus proposal moves through key committees this week and a vote by the full House is expected next week.