Cities Support a Clean Extension of the Surface Transportation ActWashington, DC - The National League of Cities supports the President’s call today for a clean extension of the surface transportation act and the user fees that support our nation’s transportation investments. The extension will prevent hundreds of thousands of workers from being forced off the job and keep much-needed infrastructure projects moving forward during this difficult economic period. While a short-term extension is necessary to prevent disruptions, the nation needs a long-term plan for investing in our nation’s infrastructure and NLC urges Congress and the President to pass the full reauthorization during the term of the extension. A national commitment to infrastructure investment will employ hundreds of thousands of workers while improving the efficiency of the nation’s transportation network. Investments in infrastructure can be a key driver for future growth and lay a foundation that will allow the nation to compete in the global marketplace. It is imperative the nation has a clear path forward in recommitting the nation to public transit, high speed rail corridors and fixing the crumbling transportation network. The National League of Cities is the nation’s oldest and largest organization devoted to strengthening and promoting cities as centers of opportunity, leadership and governance. NLC is a resource and advocate for 19,000 cities, towns and villages, representing more than 218 million Americans. The White House noted the NLC statement on its blog today. http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2011/09/01/state-and-local-leaders-call-transportation-reauthorization The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee has announced it will mark up a four month extension of the program next week and Senate Democratic transportation leaders released the following chart showing the number of job losses per state an extension is not signed by September 30 and federal construction dollars cannot be distributed to states and metropolitan areas. The House Transportation Committee announced support for a short term extension of the current program but has not announced a timeframe yet. |
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