Reauthorizing transportation funding for trails

This page covers Reauthorization of Federal Transportation Funding for trails, as American Trails continues its 20 years of support for positive policies and funding for trails and greenways. Scroll down for links to opinions, politics, and calls to action from many sources.

Every trail organization can help expand support for continued funding for trails, greenways, and recreation routes through the federal Recreational Trails Program. Just think, what would happen in your state if RTP disappeared? Read how you can join us in support of RTP...

The "committee print" of the new Surface Transportation Authorization Act of 2009 is available in pdf format (1.3 mb)

Rep. Oberstar releases "blueprint" for federal transportation programs, including trails

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood asked lawmakers for an 18-month reauthorization transportation funding programs

Coalition for Recreational Trails asks Secretary of Transportation to support RTP

July 14, 2010

A letter from the Coalition for Recreation Trails includes support from 348 trail and recreation organizations and asks Secretary LaHood to "join Americans across the country in supporting the Recreational Trails Program as part of the new federal transportation bill." The letter emphasizes that "trails are an investment in the future of our communities and our public lands, while connecting people of all ages and backgrounds to the environment." (Download letter in pdf format, 168 kb).

FEDERAL TRANSPORTATION FUNDING for trails, bikeways, and pedestrian facilities

NEWS and DEVELOPMENTS in reauthorization of Federal Surface Transportation funding:

July 29, 2010: The House passed its fiscal 2011 Transportation appropriations bill. In March 2010, $20 billion was transferred from the general fund to cover the Highway Trust Fund shortfall. That funding is projected to support the current funding levels through August 2011. According to "Roads & Bridges," the appropriations bill does not solve the underlying problem of the revenue shortage in the Highway Trust Fund. The highway and transit programs are currently operating under a short-term authorization that expires on Dec. 30. If a long-term reauthorization measure is not enacted by that date, Congress must again approve a short-term extension to avoid a shutdown in highway and transit funding.

May 26, 2010: U.S. Sec. of Transportation Ray LaHood spoke on NPR's "Talk of the Nation" show. LaHood talked about bike lanes and "rails to trails" and noted that "People are looking for biking paths and walking paths, and paths where they can be with their families on the weekend and enjoy the great outdoors." On the role of the USDOT, he said "We know people are always going to have cars, but we also have to promote the idea that people want many forms of transportation: streetcars, light rail, buses, metros, biking, hiking, walking."

Interviewer Neal Conan asked "Does this mean that money that might otherwise have gone towards repairing a federal highway system, to the interstates, will instead be diverted to bike paths?" LaHood replied, "What it means is that some of the resources that we have at DOT will be used for many different modes of transportation... There will be resources for us to promote bike paths, walking paths, streetscapes so that we can paint these bike paths along streets. There's plenty of money for all of this." Read or listen to the interview at National Public Radio

May 20, 2010: Washington, DC sources discussing reauthorization expressed their sense that Federal Transportation funding is going to be very difficult for the current Congress. One possible scenario is to keep extending the current programs, including Recreational Trails and Enhancements until after the 2012 elections. The problem for a President on his first term is that any meaningful solution to the funding shortfall is tax increases. With the debate over the cost of health care, financial bailouts and stimulus, the crunch in State budgets, etc.— there is probably not enough political horsepower now to address the tough transportation funding problem.

March 22: The Highway Trust Fund was extended through the end of 2010 as part of the new jobs bill. US Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood stated that "we need lawmakers and experts to think creatively about how we're going to fund our transportation infrastructure in the 21st century." With the health care bill in the hands of the lawyers for now, transportation funding should be one of the next priorities for Congress.

March 19: The Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment (HIRE) Act maintains current highway spending through the end of the next fiscal year. Reauthorization of the Highway Trust Fund, which finances road and bridge construction, had been operating on a series of 30-day extensions.

March 3: SAFETEA-LU expired on September 30, 2009. Extension #4 is extended through March 28, 2010. Surface Transportation Authorization discussions continue.

Feb. 27: The Senate jobs bill passed this week includes a one-year reauthorization of the highway trust fund (SAFETEA). A $20 billion infusion of cash would make up for the continuing shortfall in gasoline tax revenues, and keep transportation spending in line with 2009. During a Senate Budget Committee hearing Feb. 24, Chairman Kent Conrad (D-ND) asked Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood when the Obama administration will reveal its plans for a new surface transportation bill. LaHood said that the administration would its version “soon” after Congress passes the SAFETEA-LU extension.

Junction Railroad Bridge was converted to a
pedestrian and bicycle bridge in Little Rock, AR

Feb. 22: SAFETEA-LU funding was extended through February 28. Surface Transportation Authorization discussions continue, with proposals for immediate action and proposals for a long-term extension. One or more extension(s) is (are) expected; the House Jobs Bill may include an extension through September 2010.

USDOT outreach meeting on surface transportation reauthorization scheduled for January 25, 2010

Dec. 19, 2009: The House and Senate have both passed extensions of SAFETEA-LU transportation funding. The Senate gave existing highway funding programs a two-month reprieve today when it approved a Defense Department appropriations bill 88-12. Included in the defense bill is a continuing resolution that allows the government to disburse money under the terms of the 2005 surface transportation act known as SAFETEA-LU. The Senate extended the law until Feb. 28, 2010. The extension gives the Senate time to consider a jobs bill that also cleared the House on December 16. The bill directs $75 billion from the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP), with two-thirds of the total going to the Department of Transportation for infrastructure programs.

December 17, 2009: The House jobs bill (H.R. 2847) includes $27.5 billion going to highways proposes a 3 percent set-aside for transportation enhancements (TE), totaling $800 million.

Nov. 1: SAFETEA-LU extended to Dec. 18 as part of a continuing resolution for programs that Congress has not approved in the 2010 budget. Senators were unsuccessful in an attempt to forge a compromise extending the law for six months.

Oct. 1, 2009: Federal transportation funding continues with one month extension of SAFETEA-LU; while the House approved a three-month extension Senate Democrats' preference is for 18-months. So October 30 is the deadline for the House and Senate to reach agreement.

July 31, 2009: "We should not force states to spend approximately 10 percent of all their surface transportation program funds on 'enhancement' projects like landscaping, bicycle safety, and transportation museums," argue Senators Tom Coburn and John McCain in "Out of Gas: Congress Raids the Highway Trust Fund for Pet Projects While Bridges and Roads Crumble."

Support the Recreational Trails Program! Join our efforts with the Coalition for Recreational Trails to get RTP funding included in the next transportation bill and sign on to the letter supporting RTP. Will your state's trails program survive? See Concerns about the future of the Recreational Trails Program.

OPINIONS and COMMENTS on TRANSPORTATION FUNDING

Sept. 16, 2009: Amendment Defeated! Thank you to all of you for your swift action. Sen. Coburn amendment would allow states to opt out of transportation enhancements set-aside

August 6, 2009: Rep. James Oberstar, chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, says he's determined to get the highway bill to the floor this fall, whether the White House likes it or not. The Obama administration has put health care reform at the top of its legislative wish list.
July 1: Transportation for America comments on "Administration releases their principles for an 18-month transportation bill"

June 29: Smart Growth America reviews stimulus spending on transportation: "The 120-day mark is significant because it is the point by which states and territories are required to have obligated 50 percent of the flexible money granted them for transportation projects by the federal government."

June 24, 2009: Transportation for America comments on "How does the new transportation bill draft measure up?"

June 22, 2009: The "committee print" of the new Surface Transportation Authorization Act of 2009 is available in pdf format (1.3 mb). The bill was marked by the Highway and Transit Subcommittee of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee June 24 and was webcast at http://transportation.house.gov/.

June 18: House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman James L. Oberstar (Minn.) released a white paper to outline plans for the new surface transportation authorization bill on June 18.

June 18, 2009: Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood asked lawmakers for an 18-month reauthorization to replenish the fund, which would delay a decision on raising gas taxes or finding other ways to pay for highways.

June 16: Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood says that “Livability Principles” will guide Federal housing, environmental and transportation policy.

May 17: Rep. Oberstar releases notes on future of transportation programs; includes Recreational Trails Program in his handwritten outline.

May 14, 2009: Chairmen Rockefeller and Lautenberg Introduce National Surface Transportation Policy Bill, from Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

May 9, 2009: Recreational Trails Program up for Reauthorization from American Horse Council.

May 1, 2009: Nationwide trails community works for reauthorization of the Recreational Trails Program.

April 27, 2009: What’s Wrong With SAFETEA-LU and Why the Next Bill Must Be Better; from the Livable Streets Initiative and Streetsblog.

Notes on Linking Transportation Policy and Public Health Meeting (pdf 60 kb) sponsored by The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Healthy Eating, Active Living Convergence Partnership (Nov. 13-14, 2008).

Administration proposes new approach to national transportation programs: A key message is "greatly reducing over 102 federal transportation programs which have proliferated over the last two decades replacing them with eight comprehensive, intermodal programs." Secretary Peters stated that "These programs dilute the effects of federal funding by forcing state and local officials to fund projects such as recreational trails, while projects that would make a difference for commuters languish." (July 29, 2008)

A press release from Representative James L. Oberstar, Chairman of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, has a different perspective that one should be aware of in considering where the Congress and next administration may go with the next reauthorization.

Federal-aid Highway Program Reauthorization 2009: Summary and Explanation from Federal Highway Administration

TRAILS as TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE

The following are some essential items to help trails and greenways supporters understand the current debate over the transportation value of these facilities:

September 3, 2009: Safe Routes to School National Partnership urges supporters to write letters that can be shared with members of the House and Senate to whow how much people in their states and districts value Safe Routes to School.

June 24, 2009: House Transportation Bill Moves Forward; Strengthens Safe Routes to School

June 9, 2009: In the House, Reps. Blumenauer (D-OR), Lipinski (D-IL), and Edwards (D-MD) each took the lead on letters to the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee in support of SRTS and other bicycle/pedestrian and safety programs. In the Senate, a bipartisan group of Senators [Harkin (D-IA), Burr (R-NC), Sanders (I-VT), Merkley (D-OR), and Collins (R-ME)] introduced S. 1156, the Safe Routes to School Program Reauthorization Act.

May 22, 2009: New Safe Routes to School Senate Bill sets stage for next federal transportation bill from Safe Routes to School National Partnership

Apr. 17, 2009: Recreational Trails and Transportation Enhancement Proposals: Discussion on ideas for consideration with range of options for reauthorization from Coalition for Recreational Trails

Representative Ray LaHood, Secretary-Designate, US Department of Transportation, Before the Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, United States Senate - January 21, 2009

Transportation Choices: The Important Role of Walking and Biking: The fifth Oberstar Forum held April 10, 2006

In a highway bill give-back proposal, the Heritage Foundation recommends giving back earmarked trail projects. Writers Andrew M. Grossman and Ronald D. Utt, Ph.D. refer to trails as "low priority," "low-hanging fruit," and "frivolous projects," and state that they "often benefit only narrow interests and are unpopular to communities."

Department of Transportation Secretary Mary Peters' interviewed by Gwen Ifill on the PBS MacNeil Lehrer NewsHour

Letter from American Trails Board to USDOT Secretary Mary Peters encouraging her to revitalize her past support for trails

Secretary Mary Peters' Remarks in support of trails, much appreciated by attendees at the American Trails' 17th National Trails Symposium, Austin, Texas, October 2004

Comment from Katharine Mieszkowski on Salon.com: "The bicycle thief: Bike activists face an uphill climb against Transportation Secretary Mary Peters, who claims bike paths are not transportation and are stealing tax money from bridges and roads"

Letter from the League of American Bicyclists in response to Secretary Peters interview

Letter from the Safe Routes to School National Partnership in response to Secretary Peters interview

After receiving thousands of concerned letters, Department of Transportation Secretary, Mary E. Peters, publicly clarifies U.S. DOT's position on the role of bicyclists and pedestrians in our nation's transportation system. Sec. Peters responded that her comments were not intended to indict bicycle and pedestrian investments broadly, but rather the processes by which transportation funds are sometimes distributed. It is, she noted, U.S. DOT's belief that "bicyclists and pedestrians are legitimate and welcome users of our Nation's transportation system. They are a healthy part of the solution to congestion in our urban areas." Download Sec. Peters response (pdf 212 kb)

Rep. Patrick McHenry illustrates his claim
that Democrats' energy plan is antiquated

USA Today article on Transportation Bill earmarks for trails: "$8 Billion in pork clogs U.S. infrastructure plans" (Sept. 13, 2007)

North Carolina Congressman Patrick McHenry says "Returning To The 19th Century Won't Solve Our 21st Century Energy Crisis": see illustration above and his Aug. 4, 2007 video of floor debate on the Energy bill

Congressman McHenry comments posted on BikePortland's website (SEE GRAPHIC)

Wall Street Journal editorial (Aug. 18, 2007) describes SAFETEA as "the bill that diverted billions of dollars of gas tax money away from urgent road and bridge projects toward Member earmarks for bike paths, nature trails and inefficient urban transit systems."

Katherine Kersten's editorial in the Minneapolis/St. Paul Star-Tribune regarding Congressman Jim Oberstar's funding focus (Aug. 22, 2007)

Congressman Oberstar's article in response to Katherine Kersten's editorial appearing in the Minneapolis/St. Paul Star-Tribune: "The Truth about my Position on Bridges and Infrastructure" (Sept. 8, 2007)

Rep. Oberstar's remarks on funding structurally deficient bridges

Senator Tom Coburn's (R-OK) amendment to the Transportation Appropriations Act to redirect federal bike path spending to bridge repair was defeated Sept. 11, 2007

Senators Bond and Murray respond to Sen. Coburn on trail and bikeway funding

Sen. Durbin responds to Sen. Coburn on his opposition to bike and pedestrian trails

The Minnesota bridge collapse and the politics of transportation financing

RESOURCES on TRANSPORTATION FUNDING and the role of trails and greenways

Program Information Resources: American Recovery and Reinvestment Act

Federal Highway Administration
Transportation for America Coalition is focused on authorization of the next multi-year transportation bill
US Senate Committee on Appropriations
US Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation
US Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
US Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works
US House Committee on Appropriations
US House Committee on Energy and Commerce
US House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure

YOUR COMMENTS and SUGGESTIONS

Your comments on these concerns are welcome. Email us at trailhead@americantrails.org.

To propose additional articles, letters, links, or resources for this page, please email Pam Gluck, Executive Director, American Trails. This is meant to be an educational page, and American Trails reserves the right to turn down any submission that doesn't meet our intent for this page.

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Related Pages:

Reauthorizing transportation funding for trails

Coalition for Recreational Trails asks Secretary of Transportation to support RTP

FEDERAL TRANSPORTATION FUNDING for trails, bikeways, and pedestrian facilities