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Support the Recreational Trails Program!

As a member of the Coalition for Recreational Trails (CRT), American Trails urges organizations of every size and interest to become a Supporter of the Recreational Trails Program. Letters will be sent on an ongoing basis to Congress members and key members of the Administration.  To date, 269 organizations have signed on to the first support letter (sent to key Congress members). CRT would like to have over 500 organizations sign-on as Supporters. Every state and every trail activity benefits from the Recreational Trails Program, and we need your support! Please pass the word on through your networks.

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."

Senate Environment and Public Works Committee approved an 18-month extension of highway programs authorized under SAFETEA-LU. The amendment is drafted in the form of a continuing resolution, so that all programs and projects are continued.

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 of SAFETEA-LU to replenish the Highway Trust Fund, which would delay a decision on raising gas taxes or finding other ways to pay for highways.

Latest Reauthorization News from the Coalition for Recreational Trails

July 22, 2009

Twenty-six Members of Congress have sent key House leaders a letter supporting continuation of the Recreational Trails Program (download letter in pdf format, 184 kb) in the upcoming Surface Transportation Act of 2009 and requesting an increase in funding for the highly successful and popular program. Without reauthorization, the current program, funded by federal tax paid on fuel used in off-highway recreation, would expire when the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) concludes at the end of September 2009.

Led by Congressmen Michael Michaud (D-ME) and Thomas Petri (R-WI), a diverse group of Members including several serving on the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and representing districts across the nation, thanked the committee leadership for continuing the RTP in recently introduced transportation legislation and called for some needed changes to the current program, especially increased funding to $690 million over six years.

Members of Cpongress who signed the final letter in support of the RTP that was sent today to the leadership of the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee:

Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D, Oregon, 3rd Congressional District
Rep. Christopher Carney, D, Pennsylvania, 10th Congressional District
Rep. Andre Carson, D, Indiana, 7th Congressional District
Rep. Jerry Costello, D, Illinois, 12th Congressional District
Rep. Bob Filner, D, California, 51st Congressional District
Rep. Raul Grijalva, D, Arizona, 7th Congressional District
Rep. Stephanie Herseth-Sandlin, D, South Dakota, At Large
Rep. Maurice Hinchey, D, New York, 22nd Congressional District
Rep. Mazie Hirono, D, Hawaii, 2nd Congressional District
Rep. Paul Hodes, D, New Hampshire, 2nd Congressional District
Rep. Michael Honda, D, California 15th Congressional District

Rep. Mike Michaud, D, Maine, 2nd Congressional District
Rep. Dennis Moore, D, Kansas, 3rd Congressional District
Rep. Jim Moran, D, Virginia, 8th Congressional District
Rep. Tim Murphy, R, Pennsylvania, 18th Congressional District
Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D, New York, 8th Congressional District
Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton, D, District of Columbia
Rep. Tom Petri, R, Wisconsin, 6th Congressional District
Rep. Chellie Pingree, D, Maine, 1st Congressional District
Rep. David Price, D, North Carolina, 4th Congressional District
Rep. Mike Ross, D, Arkansas, 4th Congressional District
Rep. Aaron Schock, R, Illinois, 18th Congressional District
Rep. Joe Sestak, D, Pennsylvania, 7th Congressional District
Rep. Heath Shuler, D, North Carolina, 11th Congressional District
Rep. Peter Visclosky, D, Indiana, 1st Congressional District
Rep. Mel Watt, D, North Carolina, 12th Congressional District

July 10, 2009

U.S. Representatives Mike Michaud (D-ME) and Tom Petri (R-WI) have just released a "Dear Colleague" letter asking members of the House of Representatives to sign a letter to the leadership of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee in support of the Recreational Trails Program (pdf 636 kb). The letter thanks the leadership for including the RTP in the Surface Transportation Authorization Act of 2009 and makes three specific requests:

1. That RTP funding levels in the legislation be set at $690 million over six years - $90 million in 2010, $100 million in 2011, $110 million in 2012, $120 million in 2013, $130 million in 2014, and $140 million in 2015;

2. That $2.5 million be allocated to a DOT study of off-highway recreational fuel use, to ensure that the level of RTP funding reflects the federal fuel taxes paid for off-highway fuel usage; and

3. That the funds allocated to the FHWA to administer the RTP each year be adjusted from a set amount to 1% of actual available annual funding to ensure that sufficient administrative resources are available for the program.

Please contact your member of the U.S. House of Representatives and ask him/her to sign the letter. The deadline is next Friday, July 17th. Explain how important the RTP is to the trails community and to your organization specifically. If you need help identifying your U.S. Representative, the Project Vote Smart web site (http://www.votesmart.org/index.htm) provides zip-code based contact information.

July 2, 2009

The Senate version of the Coalition for Recreational Trails’ letter requesting support for the Recreational Trails Program reauthorization and increased funding. We had a very impressive list of signatories on the letter: 34 national groups and an additional 235 regional/state/local organizations. As a follow up to this letter, we would like to ask you to contact your Senators and let them know of your strong support for the RTP and the great work that it has made possible in your area. Mentioning actual projects with which you are familiar will personalize and enhance your message. Since we will be tracking Senate contacts by state, please let us know when you make contact with your Senators. And, if you hear back, we would appreciate your sharing that response with us. We will be posting organization contact reports by state, as well as other RTP update information, at www.AmericanTrails.org/RTP.

June 24, 2009

The Recreational Trails Program is included, by name, as a separate program in Chairman Oberstar’s mark of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee’s surface transportation authorization legislation. The RTP is shown in Section 1114 of Title I as being authorized for six years (with dollar amounts yet to be determined) and in Section 1203 as being administered by the Director of the new Office of Livability that the legislation would establish within the FHWA.

The full text of the "Surface Transportation Authorization Act of 2009" is available on the American Trails RTP web page at: http://atfiles.org/files/pdf/STransJune22bill09.pdf

The Coalition for Recreational Trails is continuing its work on both the House and Senate sides to secure increased funding for the RTP. Thanks to CRT member support, we are building an impressive list of signatories for our letter to Senate leadership, which is scheduled to be sent at the end of this month. We are also working with key members of the House to develop a “Dear Colleague” letter in support of increased RTP funding. We’ll be back in touch when it’s time to ask Members of the House to sign on to that letter.

Please see the letter below (or download in PDF format) that the Coalition for Recreational Trails has prepared to send to key members of the United States Senate and House of Representatives requesting support for increased funding for the Recreational Trails Program (see program details) in the next multi-year surface transportation bill. We are trying to get as many organizations as possible to sign the letter for delivery to the Senate, House of Representatives, the Secretary of Transportation, and others. Sign on to the letter supporting RTP!

As we all know, these are very challenging economic times and there is no guarantee that even an established and successful program like the RTP will be continued. We need to show that this important program— essential to state trail programs all across the country— enjoys broad support from the American people.

Please let us know as quickly as possible if we can add your organization’s name to the letter. And please spread the word to other interested organizations, asking them to sign on as well.

Catherine A. Ahern, American Recreation Coalition and Coalition for Recreational Trails
202-682-9530; Fax 202-682-9529 - cahern@funoutdoors.com

 

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LETTER TO CONGRESS REQESTING SUPPORT AND FUNDING FOR RTP

The Honorable James L. Oberstar, Chairman, Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, U.S. House of Representatives

The Honorable John Mica, Ranking Member, Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, U.S. House of Representatives

Dear Chairman Oberstar and Representative Mica:

The Recreational Trails Program (RTP), which was created in 1991 as part of the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act, plays an absolutely essential role in funding state trail programs and projects all across the country. As national, regional and local organizations that support recreational trails, we urge you to reauthorize the RTP in the upcoming multi-year surface transportation legislation and to include funding for this important program in the amount of $550 million (over a five-year period).

Funding for the RTP, which is administered by the Federal Highway Administration, comes from the federal taxes paid on gasoline used in nonhighway recreation and is distributed to the states based on a formula that recognizes the user-pay/user-benefit character of the program. RTP funds are distributed through the state transportation departments and natural resource agencies in cooperation with citizen advisory committees and a network of organizations and communities. These partners leverage available funding with cash and in-kind support. Work for these projects is primarily done by youth corps, volunteers, and small businesses.

The RTP funding-distribution process is proven, having successfully funded in excess of 10,000 projects across the nation over the past 18 years. Despite this success, however, there is still a backlog of good-quality, eligible projects, which exceeds the RTP funding available under SAFETEA-LU, the current transportation legislation, by a ratio of at least 3:1. For this reason, and because past legislation failed to make available all of the funds attributable to non-highway recreation use of gasoline, we are requesting increased funding for the RTP.

By providing convenient, enjoyable opportunities for people to spend more time outdoors, trails encourage healthier living. 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 – which is good for them and good for the world that surrounds them.

We have seen firsthand the power of these projects to transform communities and transform people. Indeed RTP-funded projects represent investments in vital infrastructure that promote healthy communities and more importantly, healthy people. In addition, the economic impact of these projects is magnified because they improve access to public lands and waters and support both local tourism and recreation businesses, as well as healthy lifestyles.

Our thousands of members and allies believe that reauthorizing the Recreational Trails Program will achieve both important economic stimulation and strategic investments that will help transform American communities and lifestyles for long-term success.

The Coalition for Recreational Trails (CRT) has prepared the enclosed paper that provides additional background, as well as some recommended modifications to the RTP. For more information, we invite you to contact one of the Co-Chairs of the Coalition for Recreational Trails: Marianne Fowler or Derrick Crandall.

Please join Americans across the country in supporting the Recreational Trails Program as part of the new federal transportation bill. Thank you for your leadership in addressing our nation’s transportation challenges.

Sincerely,

Organizations Supporting the Recreational Trails Program (see current list of over 200 RTP supporters)

 

Sign on to the letter supporting RTP! and see the letter in PDF format

Read more about Reauthorization of federal transportation funds and programs like RTP and see a description of the RTP program

Nationwide trails community works for reauthorization of the Recreational Trails Program

 

 

 

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American Trails, P.O. Box 491797, Redding, CA 96049-1797
(530) 547-2060 • Fax: (530) 547-2035 • trailhead@americantrails.org