March 7, 2003
The Honorable Don Nickles, Chairman
The Honorable Kent Conrad, Ranking Member
United State Senate
Committee on the Budget
Washington, D.C. 20510
Dear Chairman Nickles and Ranking Member Conrad:
As we begin the 108th Congress, we also begin the process of rewriting the transit title of the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21). We write to seek your support for continued growth of the federal investment in mass transit. We believe that mass transit is an essential part of the nation's surface transportation system that makes the entire system work better.
TEA-21 represented a significant commitment to improving our nation's surface transportation system. The benefits of this commitment are now evident in communities both large and small and in all of the fifty states. Between 1995 and 2001, transit use grew by 22%, reaching the highest levels in more than 40 years. Transit has stimulated economic development in many communities, improved the environment, and enhanced the quality of life for millions of Americans. What is more, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce estimates that each $1 billion invested in transportation creates 47,500 jobs.
As reflected in TEA-21, maintaining a modal balance between highways and mass transit will ensure that the maximum benefits of reduced congestion and improved air quality can be achieved. According to the Texas Transportation Institute, the annual economic loss to U.S. business caused by traffic congestion is $67.5 billion. An additional $20 billion would be lost if all U.S. transit commuters drove instead. Our investment in transit benefits both highway and transit users. As our population and our economy continue to grow, our nation's transportation network is becoming ever more strained. Preservation of the existing federal investment is critical, as is addressing the growing demand for new and better transit service in communities of all sizes. A report by the nation's state transportation officials found that transit investment by federal, state, and local government needs to be increased to maintain and improve public transportation in every community. According to the study, at least $19 billion in capital investment is needed annually just to maintain current conditions and service levels.
As you craft the FY2004 Budget Resolution, we urge you to work with us to grow federal transit funding in order to maintain the intermodal balance and to continue to improve the efficiency of our nation's surface transportation system.
Sincerely,
| Richard Shelby Chairman |
Paul S. Sarbanes Ranking Member |
| Jack Reed | Patty Murray |
| Jon S. Corzine | Chuck Schumer |
| Debbie Stabenow | Lincoln Chafee |
| Evan Bayh | John Breaux |
| Tom Carper | Rick Santorum |
| John F. Kerry | Byron L. Dorgan |
| Mark Dayton | Hillary Rodham Clinton |
| Kitt Bond | John Warner |
| Daniel K. Akaka | Tom Harkin |
| Barbara Boxer | Blanche L. Lincoln |
| Frank R. Lautenberg | Maria Cantwell |
| Joe Lieberman | Jeff Bingaman |
| Mary L. Landrieu | Barbara A. Mikulski |
| Russell D. Feingold | Ron Wyden |
| Diane Feinstein | Herb Kohl |
| Dick Durbin | Jim Jeffords |
| Patrick Leahy | Ted Kennedy |
| Kay Bailey Hutchison | Carl Levin |
| Arlen Specter | Elizabeth Dole |
| Mike DeWine | Harry Reid |
| Bob Graham | Dick Lugar |
| Robert F. Bennett | Gordon Smith |
| Jim Talent | Jay Rockefeller |
| Mark Pryor | Orrin Hatch |
| Daniel Inouye | Jim Bunning |
| Norm Coleman | George Allen |
| Tim Johnson | Bill Nelson |
| Chuck Hagel | Joe Biden |
| Chris Dodd | James M. Inhofe |
| Fritz Hollings | Peter G. Fitzgerald |
| E. Benjamin Nelson | Tom Daschle |
| John Edwards |
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