APTA: Letter to all Members of Congress regarding Full Funding for Transit in the FY 2007 Joint Resolution

January 18, 2007

The Honorable David Obey
Chairman
Committee on Appropriations
H-218, The Capitol
Washington, D.C. 20515

Dear Chairman Obey:

On behalf of the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) and its more than 1,500 member organizations, I urge Congress to provide investment for the federal transit program in the forthcoming full-year continuing resolution at the $8.975 billion level that was authorized and guaranteed by the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU, P.L. 109-59).

If Congress funds federal transit programs for the current fiscal year at Fiscal Year (FY) 2006 levels, as has been discussed, investment in the federal transit program would be $470 million less than the amount authorized and guaranteed for FY 2007. The majority of the lost funds will come from the Highway Trust Fund, which derives its revenues from federal motor fuels taxes. These revenues will be collected regardless of whether Congress funds transit and highway programs at the authorized levels, and if not appropriated, since the law limits their use to transit and highway purposes, they would sit unused in the Highway Trust Fund.

Given the rising epidemic of congestion on our nation's surface transportation system, and the need for the United States to reduce its dependence on imported energy, underinvestment in our public transportation infrastructure is simply not prudent. Public transportation reduces congestion and makes the existing highway system work better, particularly during peak hours. Transit also provides mobility for millions of Americans. If Congress fails to fully fund transit programs, the benefits of public transportation investment cannot be fully realized. Transit agencies will be forced to reduce service, curtail needed investment in transit infrastructure and defer or cancel orders for new buses and rail cars. The lost funding in federal transit programs and the estimated $3.4 billion in similar lost highway investment would also jeopardize up to 185,000 jobs.

To demonstrate how transit agencies across the country will be impacted by a funding freeze, I have attached a table that estimates the total amount of lost funds for each state from apportioned, i.e. formula-based, federal transit programs. These state totals do not include additional funds that will be lost from the Bus and Bus Facilities program, and the New Starts program, which invests in new fixed-guideway projects like subways, light rail systems, commuter rail, and bus rapid transit systems. Communities across the nation need full funding of federal transit programs to fight congestion and meet the mobility needs of their citizens.

We appreciate your consideration of our views on this issue of critical importance to the public transportation industry. If you have questions on these views 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 signature

William W. Millar
President

WWM/tjj

American Public Transportation Association, January 17, 2007

Estimated Impact of Funding Freeze in FY 2007 at FY 2006 Funding Level -

Federal Transit Program

Estimated State Totals, Apportioned Programs Only: FY 2006 Actual Apportionments Compared to FY 2007 Estimated Apportionments, Excludes Allocated Programs (a) (Thousands of Dollars)
State	Program	FY 2006 Apportionment (000s)	FY 2007 Estimated Apportionment * (000s)	Estimated State Loss at FY 2006 Freeze Level (000s)
Alabama	All Apportioned Programs (a)	34,570	36,354	1,784
Alaska	All Apportioned Programs (a)	40,547	43,105	2,557
American Samoa	All Apportioned Programs (a)	363	383	19
Arizona	All Apportioned Programs (a)	69,266	72,891	3,625
Arkansas	All Apportioned Programs (a)	20,851	21,932	1,081
California	All Apportioned Programs (a)	851,054	900,501	49,448
Colorado	All Apportioned Programs (a)	67,429	70,982	3,554
Connecticut	All Apportioned Programs (a)	122,631	130,447	7,816
Delaware	All Apportioned Programs (a)	14,042	14,754	712
District of Columbia	All Apportioned Programs (a)	110,094	118,580	8,486
Florida	All Apportioned Programs (a)	240,116	253,111	12,995
Georgia	All Apportioned Programs (a)	123,822	131,196	7,374
Guam	All Apportioned Programs (a)	826	870	44
Hawaii	All Apportioned Programs (a)	28,797	30,302	1,504
Idaho	All Apportioned Programs (a)	12,819	13,481	662
Illinois	All Apportioned Programs (a)	400,961	427,015	26,054
Indiana	All Apportioned Programs (a)	58,572	61,595	3,024
Iowa	All Apportioned Programs (a)	26,647	28,018	1,371
Kansas	All Apportioned Programs (a)	23,312	24,514	1,201
Kentucky	All Apportioned Programs (a)	34,105	35,863	1,758
Louisiana	All Apportioned Programs (a)	69,229	73,653	4,424
Maine	All Apportioned Programs (a)	10,127	10,653	526
Maryland	All Apportioned Programs (a)	205,015	218,736	13,722
Massachusetts	All Apportioned Programs (a)	164,840	173,197	8,357
Michigan	All Apportioned Programs (a)	97,751	102,748	4,997
Minnesota	All Apportioned Programs (a)	67,997	71,726	3,729
Mississippi	All Apportioned Programs (a)	19,111	20,109	997
Missouri	All Apportioned Programs (a)	60,418	63,674	3,256
Montana	All Apportioned Programs (a)	10,546	11,097	551
Nebraska	All Apportioned Programs (a)	15,816	16,632	815
Nevada	All Apportioned Programs (a)	31,806	33,423	1,617
New Hampshire	All Apportioned Programs (a)	11,438	12,025	587
New Jersey	All Apportioned Programs (a)	342,344	363,281	20,937
New Mexico	All Apportioned Programs (a)	18,964	19,943	979
New York	All Apportioned Programs (a)	1,055,904	1,124,236	68,332
North Carolina	All Apportioned Programs (a)	69,577	73,149	3,572
North Dakota	All Apportioned Programs (a)	7,831	8,237	406
Northern Mariana Is.	All Apportioned Programs (a)	949	997	48
Ohio	All Apportioned Programs (a)	139,392	147,196	7,804
Oklahoma	All Apportioned Programs (a)	27,693	29,123	1,430
Oregon	All Apportioned Programs (a)	57,228	60,428	3,200
Pennsylvania	All Apportioned Programs (a)	309,221	329,475	20,255
Puerto Rico	All Apportioned Programs (a)	65,091	68,481	3,390
Rhode Island	All Apportioned Programs (a)	27,396	28,877	1,481
South Carolina	All Apportioned Programs (a)	30,423	31,991	1,568
South Dakota	All Apportioned Programs (a)	7,995	8,411	416
Tennessee	All Apportioned Programs (a)	49,320	51,868	2,548
Texas	All Apportioned Programs (a)	277,986	292,690	14,704
Utah	All Apportioned Programs (a)	36,442	38,291	1,849
Vermont	All Apportioned Programs (a)	4,667	4,911	244
Virgin Islands	All Apportioned Programs (a)	1,078	1,133	55
Virginia	All Apportioned Programs (a)	105,441	110,839	5,398
Washington	All Apportioned Programs (a)	144,515	152,833	8,318
West Virginia	All Apportioned Programs (a)	15,176	16,005	829
Wisconsin	All Apportioned Programs (a)	59,919	63,017	3,098
Wyoming	All Apportioned Programs (a)	6,368	6,701	333
U.S. Total	All Apportioned Programs (a)	5,905,839	6,255,679	349,840
(a) Includes Urbanized Area Formula, Rural Area Formula, Rural Transportation Assistance Program, Elderly and Disabled, New Freedom, Job Access and Reverse Commute, Fixed-Guideway Modernization, Metropolitan Planning, and Statewide Transportation Planning. Apportionments to multi-state urbanized areas with more than 200,000 population are assigned to states based on population and population density.
* Authorization levels less PMO takedowns.

U.S. Total for Apportioned and Allocated Programs: FY 2006 Actual Apportionment and Allocation Program Totals Compared to FY 2007 Estimated Apportionment and Allocated Program Totals (Thousands of Dollars)
State	Program	FY 2006 Actual Apportionment (000s)	FY 2007 Estimated Apportionment * (000s)	Estimated State Loss at FY 2006 Freeze Level (000s)
U.S. Total	Urbanized Area Formula Funds, § 5307	3,738,534	3,926,289	187,755
U.S. Total	Rural Areas, § 5311	426,526	449,075	22,549
U.S. Total	Rural Transit Assistance Program, § 5311(b)	6,530	6,875	345
U.S. Total	Elderly and Disabled Persons, § 5310	110,326	116,415	6,089
U.S. Total	Metropolitan Planning, § 5303	77,409	81,491	4,081
U.S. Total	Statewide Transportation Planning, § 5304	16,171	17,015	844
U.S. Total	Fixed-Guideway Modernization, § 5309(m)(1)(A)	1,316,504	1,433,520	117,016
U.S. Total	Fixed-Guideway New Starts, § 5309(m)(1)(B)	1,473,090	1,550,340	77,250
U.S. Total	Alternative Analysis, § 5339	18,711	25,000	6,289
U.S. Total	Bus Capital Investment, § 5309(m)(1)(C)	794,627	846,945	52,318
U.S. Total	Clean Fuels Program, § 5308	17,607	45,000	27,393
U.S. Total	Job Access and Reverse Commute	136,620	144,000	7,380
U.S. Total	New Freedom	77,220	81,000	3,780
U.S. Total	All Allocated and Apportioned Programs	8,209,874	8,722,964	513,090
U.S. Total	FY 2006 Total Appropriation Compared to FY 2007 Authorization	8,504,500	8,974,800	470,300
* Authorization levels less PMO takedowns.

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