Secretary's Blog 3/12/09

First Economic Recovery Act Money Released

$12 Million for Pennsylvania Airports

The Department of Transportation has lived up to its promise to move Recovery Act funds out the door as quickly as possible.

Providing additional resources for critical aviation projects as part of this historic effort is especially important.

Pittsburgh International and Allegheny County Airports will receive the first funding allocations for airport infrastructure projects..

I’m committed to getting this economy moving again, and these grants are a part of making that happen.

This is money that will create jobs now, but it’s also an investment in the long-term safety of our airports and their economic vitality. It’s also a critical investment in our nation’s airport infrastructure that will boost the local economy by providing jobs for Pittsburgh-area residents.

The FAA is moving swiftly to work with airport sponsors to ensure that all of the roughly 3,400 airports eligible to receive Recovery Act funds obtain those funds for eligible projects as soon as possible.

As with all projects funded through the Recovery Act, taxpayers can monitor how this money is spent by visiting www.recovery.gov.

  

Senate Testimony Highlights Need for Public Transportation Investment

 

Today I testified before the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs on reauthorization of federal surface transportation programs.   With the current authorization set to expire at the end of September, the time is right to examine our current highway, transit and rail programs to see how they might better serve the traveling public and contribute to America’s economic recovery, and I welcomed this opportunity for a dialogue with the Senate on our nation’s transportation needs.

Even before we act on the new authorization, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) already has resulted in a $48 billion down payment toward much-needed investment in our transportation infrastructure.  Funds are already going out to states, local governments and airport authorities, putting people back to work while improving the safety and efficiency of our transportation system.

In my confirmation hearing just over one month ago, I outlined four key themes for my tenure as Secretary.  In addition to economic recovery, which is my primary immediate concern, and safety, which is always an important part of the mission of the Department, I suggested that sustainability and livability would be hallmarks of my policies.  As I told the committee, these principles must become an integral part of all of our transportation planning.

It is clear that our transportation system and the development it enables must be sustainable.  Climate change must be acknowledged as a reality.  Funding for public transportation must increase to help out here.  Sustainability must permeate all we do, from highways and transit to aviation and ports.

I am also committed to a strong focus on people and communities where they live and work. This implies a commitment to livability -- that is, investing in ways that respect the unique character of each community.  The era of one-size-fits-all transportation projects must give way to one where preserving and enhancing unique community characteristics, be they rural or urban, is a primary goal, rather than an afterthought.  I intend to make livable communities a major part of reauthorization.  

That is why I am especially pleased that ARRA makes available $8.4 billion for capital expenditures for our nation’s public transit, especially at a time when transit ridership is at a 50-year high.  This funding will address the need to restore and improve our nation’s transit systems, and at the same time save or create thousands of good, well-paid jobs across America.

The Senators and I agreed that there is much work ahead of us.  I believe that working together we can craft an improved federal surface transportation program that helps improve the lives of the American people.

Comments

[Jay R. Neel]

It is good to see that that the administration is concerned with aviation and public transportation. However, with aviation in Pennsylvania, it would have been more helpful to explain how this will expand aviation capacity instead of simply creating jobs and making airports safer. After all, the purpose of airports and airplanes is to transport people, not create jobs or create safe environments. Public transportation, which the Secretary also mentions, is a vital component of the United States’ transportation network and is more environmentally sound.

At the same time, federal, state, and local governments should not ignore the importance of roadways as a means of transport. Vehicular travel is the most common way for Americans to move and it will continue to be that way. The administration needs to recognize this fact; however, instead it put an excessive amount of money, via the stimulus act, towards public transportation, especially high-speed rail. Since the stimulus act already focused much on fundamentally changing American society instead of stimulating the economy, the law as enacted should have included funds to encourage electronic tolling and congestion pricing. Both of these would have helped ease congestion on U.S. roads.

[Finansi]

Good blog - thank you

[W-SEO]

Great information

[Web 2 Mayhem Review]

It is so important to be making airports safer. This is a great blog with very accurate advice and information. Thank you.