ATM Statement on Bi-Partisan Surface Transportation Blueprint

Contact: Jessica Emond/ 202-778-1094
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 18, 2009


WASHINGTON, D.C. – With one month remaining before the expiration of federal highway and public transportation programs, the Americans for Transportation Mobility (ATM) Coalition is launching regional radio spots to remind members of Congress that transportation policy is a critical issue on the national agenda.

The current transportation bill, the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU), expires on September 30 and Congress has yet to make reauthorization a clear priority with some members of Congress and the Administration calling for an 18-month extension of the bill. The ATM Coalition has been working with stakeholders from business, labor, and transportation organizations to remind Congress and the Administration of the unprecedented opportunity to improve the nation's infrastructure with a reformed transportation bill this year.

"Congress and the Administration need to make investment in America's crumbling transportation infrastructure a priority," said Janet Kavinoky, Executive Director of the ATM Coalition. "A well-crafted highway, transit and safety bill is vitally important in terms of job creation, safety, energy use and economic competitiveness. There is simply no good reason to delay this effort for 18 months."

To provide needed investment levels, the ATM Coalition is calling on Congress to explore all funding and policy options, including limiting non-transportation spending and earmarks, raising user fees, and encouraging private investment. The ATM Coalition also supports cutting red tape associated with federal infrastructure projects.

The radio spots are part of a widespread effort this summer to draw attention to the importance of transportation infrastructure improvement. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the ATM Coalition have conducted a comprehensive advertising, grassroots, and lobbying campaign that included advertisements on billboards, buses and commuter trains and in magazines. In July, the Chamber hosted a Capitol Hill fly-in in which more than 100 top business leaders, association executives, and local chambers of commerce members from 28 states came to Washington to talk about transportation issues.

The radio spots are running in Alabama (Tuscaloosa/Marengo County), Michigan (Traverse City/Saginaw/Bay City), Ohio (Columbus), Oklahoma (Oklahoma City), Tennessee (Memphis suburbs/Dyer County/Carroll County/Huntington), Texas (Houston/Galveston) and Washington (Seattle). To hear a sample of the radio spots running click here.

ABOUT US: The Americans for Transportation Mobility Coalition is a nationwide effort by business, labor, transportation organizations and concerned citizens to advocate for increased federal investment in the nation's aging and overburdened transportation system.

For more information please visit us at: www.fasterbettersafer.org.