Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

There is still hope to lobby for the Transportation Enhancements that affect 
our riding trails. Recreational trails get most of their funding from 
Transportation bills.  I will continue to keep this net informed.  Please 
continue to write your legislators over the issue.  You can write them online 
using Firstgov.com.  That method will help you find the proper people to 
contact for your location.  

Happy Riding.
Adelia
> --- Begin Message ---
> From: Beth Osborne <bosborne@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> 
>      Transportation Update 7-29-03 
>      
> House Committee Kills Enhancements, TCSP but boosts funding for
> Amtrak 
>      
> The House Appropriations Committee passed a bill to fund
> transportation programs in FY04 that would end the Transportation
> Enhancements and Transportation and Community and System
> Preservation (TCSP) programs while increasing highway funding by
> $4.5 billion over the President's request and $6.1 billion over
> the FY03 guaranteed amount.  Organizations and voters supportive
> of a balanced transportation program will be working hard to
> communicate to their Congressional delegation the importance of
> supporting programs like Enhancements and TCSP before Congress
> reconvenes after Labor Day. 
>      
> The Enhancements program is the main source of funding for
> streetscapes, traffic calming, bike paths, and other pedestrian,
> bicycle, and transit-friendly projects. In the transportation
> appropriations bill passed by the House Appropriations Committee,
> language was included that prohibits states from allocating any
> funds to Enhancements. Also, all funding for TCSP, a modest
> program that supports the coordination of transportation and land
> use planning, was cut as well. 
>      
> The committee did restore some of the needed funding for Amtrak. 
> The bill marked up by the Appropriations Subcommittee for
> Transportation & Treasury had funded Amtrak at only $580 million
> - $320 million below the Administration¹s request, far below the
> $2 billion authorized by the Transportation and Infrastructure
> Committee, and according to Amtrak too low to even fund a shut
> down.  But the bill passed by the full committee increased the
> funding level to $900 million and required the U.S. Department of
> Transportation to ensure sufficient funds for commuter
> operations. 
>      
> The transportation spending bill will be considered by the full
> House of Representatives and the Senate Appropriations Committee
> when Congress returns from the August recess, after Labor Day.
> -----
> Marge Anders Limbert, Director of Development and Communication
> North Carolina Smart Growth Alliance
> Inspiring choices that enrich our communities
> 205 West Main Street, Suite 211
> Carrboro, NC  27510
> Phone: 919.928.8700
> Fax: 919.928.8707
> www.ncsmartgrowth.org
>
>
>
> --- End Message ---