REMARKS FOR
THE HONORABLE NORMAN Y.
MINETA
SECRETARY OF
TRANSPORTATION
ARTBA NATIONAL CONFERENCE ON
TRANSPORTATION AND THE U.S.
ECONOMY
WASHINGTON, D.C.
JUNE 25, 2002
12:00
Good afternoon. Thank you, Tom, for the generous introduction. My very good friend Tom, and I have a
long history of working together on a host of transportation-related
issues. Tom, thanks for all of your
support over these many years.
I
would also like to thank Pete Ruane, Greg Lebedev, and John Horsely, for
partnering with ARTBA for this “Transportation Makes America Work Day.”
I
am pleased to join ARTBA and its members to celebrate a century of connecting
the American people to an improved quality of life.
Begun with a vision by
Horatio Earle—one of the association’s founding fathers—to build a network of
highways that connect all of the state capitals, ARTBA has done that and so
much, much more. Congratulations on
100 years of outstanding service to the American people.
There is no question that
good transportation services play a vital role in generating a strong
economy. And the statistics support
that claim.
Since 1989,
transportation has represented approximately 11 percent of America’s Gross
Domestic Product, and our transportation infrastructure, with a value of $1.75
trillion – represents about 12 percent of the
value of the nation's total productive assets.
Just think
about it!
America's transportation network makes possible the movement of more
than $6 trillion worth of freight!
Transportation
construction is also a $160 billion a year industry that employs more than 1.6
million people.
And, every $1
billion invested in the nation's transportation infrastructure supports
approximately 47,500 jobs
– proving that
transportation continues to be an economic engine and job creator.
America has come to
appreciate the power of transportation to serve as a conduit for building
economic prosperity.
FHWA studies show that
highway infrastructure investments generate important economic benefits by
reducing production costs, contributing to productivity growth, and encouraging
private capital investment. Clearly, transportation is key to our nation's
well-being.
Three decades ago, when I
was Mayor of San Jose, California, and was focused on how I could improve the
community where I was born and raised, I had the usual range of policy
tools – city planning, zoning authorities,
economic development programs, grants for housing.
But the tool that made the
biggest difference in my community was transportation. Nothing else had as great an impact on
our regional and national economic development, on the pattern of growth, or on
the quality of life, as transportation.
That is why I am so proud of
the results of ISTEA, and now TEA-21,
and what they have done, and continue to do, on behalf of the American
people. And clearly, ARTBA had much
to do with the success of these historic transportation plans. We in the Congress laid the plan and
you, working together with federal, state and local partners, gave it
life.
ISTEA was a new way of doing
business. For the first time, local
government had a voice in the way federal transportation dollars were
spent. And most importantly,
funding was spent in accordance with community priorities.
ISTEA also broadened the
transportation planning process.
And while bringing diverse interests into the mix can be difficult, it
ensures that the transportation decisions that are made will be more responsive
to local needs.
Now
TEA-21 is helping our cities and towns improve their transportation
infrastructures and is strengthening the role transportation plays in improving
safety, protecting and enhancing the environment, and creating new opportunities
for all Americans.
It
is clear that the transportation sectors of our economy are facing major
challenges today and will continue to in the coming years. The ability to move people and goods
quickly and efficiently is a critical foundation for the American
economy.
Transportation must continue
to expand and evolve to ensure expansion and growth of both our economy, and our
society. Transportation
infrastructure in this nation has always been, and always will be, a work in
progress.
Since ISTEA became law in
1991, we have worked to involve local and state officials to build the support
necessary to solve local transportation problems. I believe that we have had much success
in that effort.
And, as all of you know, it
takes more than us talking here in Washington. It requires you to be involved – truly involved – in the transportation planning
process on the local and state levels and to be informed about federal
transportation actions.
Today,
we face many transportation challenges.
As an example, last week the Texas Transportation Institute released its
Urban Mobility Report – and once again, the news is not good. Commuters and businesses are spending
too many hours and losing too much time and money sitting in traffic.
Clearly,
we need to work better together on solutions that are multi-modal, creative and
visionary….taking into account what our country will look like in the next two
or even three decades.
Looking to the
not-too-distant future, the Bush Administration has begun the process of
developing the successor to TEA-21.
Similarly, ARTBA has put in place a process for making its constituents
voices heard in these critical reauthorization discussions.
While I expect key elements
of the Administration’s reauthorization proposal will seek to preserve and build
upon the programmatic reforms of ISTEA and the financial reforms of TEA-21, we
have an opportunity to do more. I
have directed DOT to achieve several goals in the reauthorization process.
We
must continue to assure adequate and predictable funding for investment in the
Nation’s surface transportation system.
We
must preserve funding flexibility to allow the broadest application of funds to
the best transportation solutions identified by our state and local
partners.
We
must build on the intermodal approaches of ISTEA and TEA-21.
We
must expand and improve the programs of innovative financing, so as to encourage
private sector investment in the transportation system, and look for other
inventive means to augment existing revenue streams.
We
must re-emphasize the security of the Nation’s surface transportation system,
providing the means and the mechanisms to perform risk assessment and analysis,
incident identification, response, and when necessary, evacuation.
And, we must continue to
make substantial improvements in safety – particularly work zone safety.
In
the year 2000, 1100 people were killed and 39,000 were injured in work
zones. You and I know that that
number is too high and I commend you for taking the necessary steps to reduce
and eventually eliminate these needless fatalities.
As
with ARTBA, safety remains one of the Department’s top priorities. Here’s a sobering statistic. In 2000 alone, medical costs associated with motor
vehicle crashes – $32.6 billion – were nearly identical to the $33
billion budget spent on federal highways.
We
can and must do better. Seat belts
save lives – and we must work doubly hard to get this message out. I know that ARTBA stands with us in this
effort.
Over the next several
months, we have a critical opportunity to work together in crafting legislation
to reauthorize surface transportation programs.
The federal fiscal 2004 budget, which President Bush must submit to Congress in February 2003, will reflect the framework of the Administration’s proposal for the successor to TEA-21.
And
with that reauthorization, we renew our commitment to strengthen America’s
freedom of movement, and to enhance the capabilities of our transportation
systems to effectively grow America’s economy while protecting the
environment and enhancing our communities.
We
are partners in this task, and we must continue working together to accomplish
these goals.
Again, congratulations ARTBA
on a century of excellence. Your
founding fathers would be proud of your work. I know that the next 100 years will be
even better. Thank you very, very
much. And God bless America.
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