That Washington
Transit Leaders: Defeating US Transportation Bill is "Crucial"
The US House transportation funding proposal---the one the New York Times called "so uniquely terrible"
it "defies belief"---is getting some bad press closer to home.
In a press conference and statement released today, the directors of five local transit agencies decried the bill, which would eliminate a provision that guarantees some federal funding for transit. That rule, which ensures that 20 percent of the highway trust fund is spent on transit, was enacted 30 years ago with the support of then-President Reagan. Without the requirement, transit agencies would have to compete with non-transit projects, including highways, for federal dollars every year.
Regionally, the bill would put about $324 million in annual federal transit funding at risk, the agency leaders said. That includes about $70 million a year for King County Metro, $7.6 million for Pierce Transit, and $4 million for Kitsap Transit. Additionally, Community Transit gets about 9 percent of its funding from federal grants.
Sound Transit, which has already seen a 25 percent drop in revenues during the recession, received $230 million in federal funding last year. The 2008 Sound Transit 2 package assumes $900 million in federal funding over a 15-year period. Sound Transit CEO Joni Earl said the house proposal "calls into question some key assumptions built into our capital plan in both the short and long term. Our ability to deliver on key projects, whether it's extensions to the University of Washington, Bellevue and Redmond, Lynnwood, Federal Way, or Tacoma Link, will be in question if our federal partner becomes less reliable.
"It is crucial that our congressional delegation work to defeat this bill," Earl concluded .
At least one member of the region's congressional delegation, US Rep. Dave Reichert, R-WA, 8, supported the transit-killing legislation in committee.
Sound Transit spokesman Geoff Patrick says the legislation would result in "a lot less certainty" around transit funding in the future, and could prompt the Federal Transportation Authority to withhold transit funds from agencies. "It's just a smaller pie, and an annual crisis to fight for it," Patrick says.
A separate part of the house transportation package, meanwhile, would eliminate all federal funding for biking and pedestrian projects, repeal Safe Routes to School, eliminate bridge-safety requirements that keep cyclists safe; open up all coastal waters, including protected waters, to offshore oil drilling; and eliminate truck-safety requirements on highways.
In a press conference and statement released today, the directors of five local transit agencies decried the bill, which would eliminate a provision that guarantees some federal funding for transit. That rule, which ensures that 20 percent of the highway trust fund is spent on transit, was enacted 30 years ago with the support of then-President Reagan. Without the requirement, transit agencies would have to compete with non-transit projects, including highways, for federal dollars every year.
Regionally, the bill would put about $324 million in annual federal transit funding at risk, the agency leaders said. That includes about $70 million a year for King County Metro, $7.6 million for Pierce Transit, and $4 million for Kitsap Transit. Additionally, Community Transit gets about 9 percent of its funding from federal grants.
Sound Transit, which has already seen a 25 percent drop in revenues during the recession, received $230 million in federal funding last year. The 2008 Sound Transit 2 package assumes $900 million in federal funding over a 15-year period. Sound Transit CEO Joni Earl said the house proposal "calls into question some key assumptions built into our capital plan in both the short and long term. Our ability to deliver on key projects, whether it's extensions to the University of Washington, Bellevue and Redmond, Lynnwood, Federal Way, or Tacoma Link, will be in question if our federal partner becomes less reliable.
"It is crucial that our congressional delegation work to defeat this bill," Earl concluded .
At least one member of the region's congressional delegation, US Rep. Dave Reichert, R-WA, 8, supported the transit-killing legislation in committee.
Sound Transit spokesman Geoff Patrick says the legislation would result in "a lot less certainty" around transit funding in the future, and could prompt the Federal Transportation Authority to withhold transit funds from agencies. "It's just a smaller pie, and an annual crisis to fight for it," Patrick says.
A separate part of the house transportation package, meanwhile, would eliminate all federal funding for biking and pedestrian projects, repeal Safe Routes to School, eliminate bridge-safety requirements that keep cyclists safe; open up all coastal waters, including protected waters, to offshore oil drilling; and eliminate truck-safety requirements on highways.
