March 9, 2006
(Download in Adobe PDF format)
The Honorable Thad Cochran
Chairman
Senate Committee on Appropriations
S-128 Capitol Building
Washington, DC 20510-6025
Dear Senator Cochran:
On behalf of the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) and its more than 1,600 member organizations, I write to express our views on the needs of public transportation providers in the areas of Louisiana and Mississippi that were adversely affected by Hurricane Katrina. APTA strongly urges Congress to include specific funding for these transit providers in the supplemental appropriations legislation that Congress is now developing.
Like highways, ports, and airports, public transportation systems in New Orleans and the Gulf Coast of Mississippi sustained significant and heavy damage from Hurricane Katrina, and the storm swelled Baton Rouge's population, necessitating substantial increases in service in that community. Reports have estimated that between $900 million and $1.7 billion in funding will be needed to repair public transportation infrastructure, replace vehicles, and reestablish transit service in these communities.
Public transportation providers in the affected regions and APTA are disappointed that the 2006 Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act to Address Hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico and Pandemic Influenza, enacted last December, included funding for the Department of Transportation's Federal Highway Administration ($2.750 billion), the Federal Aviation Administration ($40.6 million), and Maritime Administration ($7.5 million), but did not include any specific assistance for the Federal Transit Administration (FTA).
The APTA Board of Directors, at a March 6, 2006 meeting, unanimously passed a resolution urging Congress to include at least $1 billion for reconstruction, repair and recovery of transit systems affected by Hurricane Katrina, and recommending that those funds be made available through the FTA on a streamlined basis with no local match requirements.
The affected transit providers are struggling to provide necessary service to the residents of these communities, and they need substantial assistance. Much of the local tax base and other resources normally used to cover the local share do not exist or have been reduced dramatically.
We appreciate your consideration of our views. If you have questions or we can help in any other way, please have your staff contact Rob Healy of APTA's Government Affairs Department at (202) 496-4811 or email rhealy@apta.com.
Sincerely yours,
William
W. Millar
President
WWM/tjj
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