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Dear Senator ______, I am writing to you about the reauthorization of the federal transportation bill, TEA-21. How we invest in transportation at the federal level will be a critical determining factor in the quality of life in [your town, state]. It is so important that the transportation system we develop not only solves [your town’s] congestion and mobility problems, but that it work in harmony with the other systems of the community. To this end, it is imperative that the transportation bill does the following: 1) Maintain the good protections on the environmental review process for new transportation projects. These regulations help make sure that big projects will not result in significant pollution to our air, water and wetlands, parklands and historic areas. Weakening these regulations puts [your town’s] high quality of life at risk. Making sure that proper environmental reviews are conducted and that the community members continue to have enough, substantive opportunities to give our input on large scale projects is very important. 2) Keep the air quality regulations in place as they are. The effects of transportation plans on our air need to be checked regularly. Any attempts to loosen the requirements on these regular check-ups are a bad idea. [Your town] already has a [serious, severe, etc] air pollution problem and now is not the time to weaken standards. You wouldn’t get medical check-ups less frequently to save a few dollars. Similarly, we should not gamble with the air quality entire communities. The scope and frequency of our air quality check-ups must be maintained. 3) Finally, the federal transportation bill needs to really protect and grow the transit program. In [your town], with worsening air quality, increasing traffic congestion and an aging population, we have a growing need for transit. We hope that Congress is hearing this need and will meet it with a solid transit program. [Mention an existing or planned bus or rail line.] A greater investment in transit with dedicated funding is critical. Keeping the federal share of project costs at 80% is also another critical element. We already have to compete ferociously for transit options. Making transit a more expensive choice is unfair and not in the best interest of communities like [your town]. Thank you for your support on these points. Your leadership and understanding of the importance of a diversified transportation system for [your town] is very important. Sincerely,
Photo courtesy Department of Energy/National Renewable Energy Laboratory. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
