T4America Blog

T4 America outlines priorities in letter to key Senate Environment and Public Works Committee members

With the health care debate resolved and the U.S. Senate facing a full plate for the remainder of the year, Transportation for America joined with nearly 50 partners to explain our campaign priorities to a key Committee.

The letter was addressed to Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Chair Barbara Boxer, Ranking Member Jim Inhofe and senior members Max Baucus and George Voinovich. In it, we outlined how America’s transportation policies have not kept up with changing priorities.

Our National Transportation System has little changed since the 1950’s, when gas was 20 cents a gallon and President Eisenhower launched the interstate highway system. Today, we live in a very different world. Americans are stuck with lengthy commutes that reduce time available for their families and community engagement. Bridges are crumbling, potentially reducing critical rural and urban access. Volatile energy prices are crippling rural economies and stranding Americans young and old. Populations are being exposed to greater levels of air pollution and having to walk on unsafe streets. Our dependence on foreign oil continues to be a threat to our climate and energy security.

Americans are ready for a new direction and demanding transportation options that are cheaper, cleaner and safer. We called on members to act on these demands.

Congress must move toward a 21st Century system that focuses on accountability and results, while creating jobs, providing access to opportunity for all Americans, reducing carbon emissions and our dependence on foreign oil, and improving America’s economic competitiveness. Congress should incorporate the following principles to craft a bold new transportation bill that gets America moving in the right direction.

The letter goes to outline a series of policy priorities that would bring about the change Americans are seeking, including:

• A 21st Century Transportation Network
• Improved Accountability and Measurable Results
• Prioritizing a State of Good Repair
• Access and Jobs for Those Most in Need
• A Balanced Playing Field
• Support for Sustainable Development
• Greener and Cleaner Freight
• Saving Lives and Promote Health
• Smart Financing

To read the entire letter, including policy details and a full list of signatories, click here.