April 27, 2006
The Honorable Thad Cochran
Chairman
Senate Committee on Appropriations
S-128 Capitol Building
Washington, DC 20510
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Dear Chairman Cochran:
On behalf of the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) and its more than 1,600 member organizations, I write to express our strong support for the $200 million for the emergency response and recovery of public transportation in areas affected by Hurricane Katrina included in the Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act for Defense, the Global War on Terror, and Hurricane Recovery, 2006 (H.R. 4939) as approved by the Senate Appropriations Committee.
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. Previous supplemental appropriations legislation for hurricane relief 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 funds for the reconstruction, repair and recovery of transit systems affected by Hurricane Katrina, and recommended that those funds be made available through the FTA on a streamlined basis with no local share 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. The funding provided in H.R. 4939, and accompanying provisions that waive local share requirements and operating restrictions for federal grants to the affected agencies, will help the region's public transportation providers permanently restore badly needed service, giving mobility to thousands of residents as they continue to recover from the hurricane.
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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