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Press Release
        Contacts: Mark Helm 202-783-7400 x102
        Dave Hirsch, 202-783-7400 x215
For Immediate Release:
June 16, 2000
TRANSPORTATION BILL ROADBLOCKS PROGRESS
Senate Votes to Freeze Auto Efficiency, Strangle Amtrak,
and Postpone SUV Safety
Washington, D.C. -- Friends of the Earth today criticized the U.S. Senate for passing a fiscal year 2001 Transportation Appropriations bill that blocks progress on several important environmental and safety issues. The bill passed by a vote of 99-0.
"It is a dark day for our nation's transportation future. Today the Senate has stood in the way of SUV safety, automobile fuel economy, and the ability of states to select the best transportation solutions," said David Hirsch, Transportation Policy Coordinator for Friends of the Earth.
The Senate continued to block progress on improving the efficiency of automobiles by refusing to remove a legislative prohibition in the transportation funding bill. The prohibition restricts the Department of Transportation from studying or issuing new standards for fuel efficiency. The Senate did not vote to reject the fuel efficiency rider, but instead called for a one-year study of the issue. The fuel efficiency rider has been included for six years on the annual transportation bills.
"Gasoline prices have reached $2 a gallon, consumers are hurting because the automakers are selling vehicles - like sport utilities - that only get 12 miles to the gallon," said Hirsch. "When is Congress going to get out of the way and permit fuel efficiency standards to be raised?"
The transportation funding bill also contains a provision added by Senators Ernest Hollings (D-SC) and Senator Richard Shelby (R-AL) blocking the Department of Transportation from issuing rollover safety rules for sport utility vehicles (SUVs) until after a nine-month study has been completed. Rollovers account for nearly 50 percent of fatalities in SUV accidents.
"The Senate is telling automakers it is OK to build unsafe vehicles," said Hirsch.
On a separate issue, Senator George Voinovich (R-OH) offered an amendment to permit states to spend their federal transportation dollars on passenger rail systems such as Amtrak. Currently, states may not use federal funds for passenger rail, although a multitude of other transportation projects are eligible, such as constructing new roads, repairing roads, building transit systems, buying buses, projects to improve air quality, etc. This amendment failed on a
procedural vote by 46-52.
"States should have the flexibility to spend their transportation dollars on whichever transportation systems are the best," said Hirsch. "The highway lobby is straightjacketing transportation dollars to force more road construction on the country."
Founded in 1969, Friends of the Earth is a national environmental
advocacy organization with affiliates in 62 countries.
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Friends of the Earth - 1025 Vermont Ave. NW - Washington, DC 20005 USA Tel: 202-783-7400 - Fax: 202-783-0444 - email: foe@foe.org