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Every year APTA urges its members to attend the Legislative Conference in Washington, DC, because it provides excellent opportunities to meet with elected officials on Capitol Hill to advocate for public transportation investment. These visits are always important, but let me say to you—candidly and directly: There has never been a more critical time to meet with your Representatives and Senators than this year.
So much is at stake. Surface transportation authorization has been delayed 17 months so far; the appropriations for Fiscal Year 2011 are still not completed; and the House has proposed to cut public transit and high-speed rail funding. On the plus side, President Obama’s FY 2012 budget calls for more than doubling the investment for public transit and substantial investment in high-speed rail. All of these elements are being considered within the context of the desire to reduce the federal deficit.
Add to the above that more than 100 new members of Congress were elected in November; dozens more were not in Congress when SAFETEA-LU was passed in 2005; and there are hundreds of new Congressional staff. Many members of Congress and their staffs don’t know much about the federal transit program and what it represents in their districts and states.
What this means is—there is a need for lots of education, and a “back to basics” message of how public transit plays a vital role for our citizens, our communities, and our country. Here at APTA, our staff focuses on the national messages and statistics to make the case. But there are no better advocates than APTA members, including you. Your meetings with members of Congress and staff offer an opportunity for you to convey the real impact of federal funding for public transit. I urge you to be direct, specific, and clear on how your community or business (and their constituents) will suffer without continued—if not more—federal investment in public transit.
Explain how important the federal dollars are for your transit system or business and your community. Make sure your members of Congress know exactly how much money goes into their district and state each year from the federal government for public transportation.
Transit members should focus on their annual formula apportionment in addition to talking about projects underway or planned and the vehicles they are purchasing or intend to purchase. Remember—earmarks have been eliminated, so your special projects are likely to be funded through formula or un-earmarked program dollars, and they are at risk as Congress looks to reduce the federal budget. Explain how your federal funds are combined with state and local dollars to operate your system, maintain your assets in a state of good repair, and meet ridership demands from their constituents.
Business members should talk about the number of jobs they create and support because of federal investment, what kinds of jobs they are, and how such economic activity generates more business for their communities whether they have transit services or not. Remind the members of Congress that for each $1 billion invested in public transportation, 36,000 jobs are created and supported. For every $1 invested, $4 in economic activity is generated. Also help them understand why a six-year bill is required both for planning purposes and to spur investments.
Don’t be shy about explaining how reductions in federal investment will have a negative impact on your system or business. Help them understand that without long-term funding, projects simply cannot go forward.
Let your members of Congress know that their failure to support federal investment will lead to constituent job losses, deferred maintenance, delayed or canceled projects, and the inability of transit systems to meet growing ridership demands in their communities.
You should also express your strong support for President Obama’s request for more than $22 billion for public transit and $8 billion for high-speed and intercity passenger rail investment for FY 2012. This is the first year in the president’s long-term authorization proposal; he has advanced an excellent, game-changer budget and authorization proposal. If members of Congress want to improve upon it, fine, but it is critical that Congress and the administration work together to find a way to finance a well-funded, six-year, multimodal surface transportation program.
Finally, talk to your representatives about the rapidly rising gas prices and their volatility. Public transit is the quickest and most effective way for citizens to beat the high cost of gasoline if they have transit service available. Households using public transit save an average of $9,900 a year. Talk about your experiences from 2007 and 2008 when gas prices were high and explain the impact that high prices have on your system’s budget and ridership.
Your message must be: Congress needs to expand public transit services—not reduce them—if we are to get serious about reducing our dependence on oil from foreign sources and help Americans save money.
As I said before, there is much at stake. There are many risks, but there can also be great rewards. Odd as it may sound, this year we will need to play both defense—and offense. We face a unique opportunity to ensure that public transit plays an even larger role in helping expand travel options for our citizens and improving the social and economic health of our communities and our nation. Not just for now, but to leave a strong legacy for the generations who follow.
To repeat—this is a critical time. Let’s join together, as we have so many times in the past. Together, we can succeed! |
