Durbin Asks Committee to Include Illinois Transit Priorities in Next Surface Transportation Bill

Request includes funding for Mass Transit across Illinois and TIGER grants

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – U.S. Senator Dick Durbin today asked the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs to include funding for Illinois transit priorities in their bill to reauthorize the Surface Transportation Act. Last week, the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works (EPW) voted unanimously to favorably report its portion of the legislation. The Banking Committee, the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation and Senate Finance Committee all must address the legislation before the bill can be voted on by the full Senate.

“Illinois is the transportation hub of North America and this next transportation bill will have a significant impact on the transportation network in my state and the country. Dozens of non-partisan commissions, studies and academics have outlined the huge infrastructure deficit facing the nation. Illinois, as the road, rail and aviation hub of the country, is in dire need of increased investment to upgrade our aging transportation network,” wrote Durbin.

In today’s letter, Durbin outlined four transit priorities for Illinois that he has requested the Senate Banking Committee to consider over the next few weeks:

Focus on Investing in Large, Aging Mass Transit Systems: A recent study requested by Durbin found the United States underfunds larger, aging transit agencies by $8.9 billion per year. Specifically, transit agencies in the Chicago area are facing a 10-year capital infrastructure backlog of more than $24 billion. These transit agencies work non-stop carrying millions of people each day, and their systems are getting older and in dire need of repair;

Increase Mass Transit Access in Mid-Size Urban Areas and Rural Areas: Millions of downstate Illinoisans take public transportation to work, school and health care centers every day. While the Recovery Act helped downstate Illinois transit agencies replace aging equipment and facilities, more needs to be done. Currently, downstate Illinois transit agencies are in need of $912.5 million in new investment to achieve a state-of-good repair;

Encourage Aging Systems to Make Operations Cleaner and More Efficient: The Recovery Act created and funded the Transit Investment in Greenhouse Gas and Energy Reduction (TIGGER) grant program. This competitive grant program helps local transit agencies reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. This program has helped transit agencies in Illinois reduce their environmental impact. It also helped reduce the air pollution coming from some of Metra’s diesel locomotives after the Chicago Tribune conducted an investigative report last year showing Metra commuters and workers were exposed to excessively high levels of diesel soot; and

Include and Fully Funded the TIGER Grant Program: The Transportation Infrastructure Grants and Economic Reinvestment (TIGER) grant program, created in the Recovery Act, allows local communities to apply directly to the DOT for funding of nationally significant transportation projects. This new program is especially helpful to communities engaged in multimodal projects that improve connections to different transportation networks.

In July, Durbin sent a letter with a list of Illinois priorities to the EPW Committee which included: funding formulas that ensure a more equitable share of federal highway dollars for Illinois; an extension of the TIGER grant program; mitigation options for communities dealing the negative impacts of increased freight traffic; taxpayer protection in privatization of federally funded transportation assets; and programs to improve the safety and efficiency of rural roads.

[Text of the letter is below]

November 10, 2011

The Hon. Tim Johnson The Hon. Richard C. Shelby

Chairman Ranking Member

Committee on Banking, Housing Committee on Banking, Housing

and Urban Affairs and Urban Affairs

534 Dirksen Senate Office Building 534 Dirksen Senate Office Building

Washington, DC 20510 Washington, DC 20510

Dear Chairman Johnson and Ranking Member Shelby:

As you know, the Environment and Public Works Committee voted unanimously to favorably report its portion of the surface transportation reauthorization bill today. As your Committee prepares to begin work on the mass transit issues under your jurisdiction, I would like to bring your attention to important transportation issues I hope you can incorporate into your legislation.

Illinois is the transportation hub of North America, and this next transportation bill will have a significant impact on the transportation network in my state and the country. Dozens of non-partisan commissions, studies and academics have outlined the huge infrastructure deficit facing the nation. Illinois, as the road, rail and aviation hub of the country, is in dire need of increased investment to upgrade our aging transportation network.

The next reauthorization can make a significant dent in our infrastructure deficit if we increase investments in transportation. Our economic competitiveness depends on having a transportation network that can move people and goods quickly, safely and with minimal impact to the environment. Building and maintaining this type of transportation network will require a significant increase of transportation investments over current levels.

In addition to increasing investments, I respectfully urge you to consider the following issues as your Committee considers a surface transportation bill:

Renewed Focus on Large, Aging Mass Transit Systems

The Senate adopted an amendment to the FY 2008 Transportation Appropriations bill that required a study of our oldest and largest rail transit systems. The study gave us a sobering assessment of our nation’s largest mass transit systems. At the seven largest transit agencies, one-third of the equipment is either in marginal or poor condition. By way of comparison, just one-fifth of the equipment at all other transit agencies is in marginal or poor condition.

The study found we underfund these larger, aging transit agencies by $8.9 billion per year. The core mass transit formula program created to help upgrade and rebuild these assets – the rail modernization formula - has given a smaller share of funding over time to these aging transit agencies since it was created. In 1993, the oldest largest systems received 90 percent of all rail modernization funds. Currently, when the need is greater, these older systems receive less than 70 percent of the rail mod funds.

The Regional Transit Administration estimates transit agencies in the Chicago area are facing a 10-year capital infrastructure backlog of more than $24 billion. These transit agencies work non-stop carrying millions of people each day, and their systems are getting older and in dire need of repair. I encourage you to focus more investment into transit systems like those in Chicago, where systems are rapidly aging.

Increasing Mass Transit Access in Mid-Size Urban Areas and Rural Areas

Access to public transportation is critical to hundreds of communities in downstate Illinois. Millions of downstate Illinoisans take public transportation to work, school and health care centers every day.

The Recovery Act helped downstate Illinois transit agencies replace aging equipment and facilities, but more needs to be done. Downstate Illinois transit agencies need $912.5 million in new investment just to achieve a state-of-good repair.

I encourage you to include authorization and funding for programs that will improve the quality and usage of mass transit in small communities.

Taxpayer Protection in Privatization of Federally Funded Transportation Assets

I introduced S. 1230 the Protecting Taxpayers in Transportation Asset Transfers Act. This legislation would create responsible rules governing public-private partnerships for existing transportation infrastructure.

States and local communities are increasingly looking to sell or lease existing infrastructure to fill budget deficits. Many of these public assets were built and maintained with federal taxpayer dollars. I encourage you to require local governments to repay the federal investment before selling or leasing transportation infrastructure built and maintained by the federal government. It is important for federal taxpayers to receive a return on their investment rather than letting federal funds convert into a windfall for private entities and local governments.

I also encourage you to require greater public participation and transparency of privatization deals involving federally funded transportation assets. Private interests buying or leasing existing transportation assets should disclose the estimated amount of profit, including tax benefits they expect to receive over the life of the lease or sale of the publicly funded transportation assets. Similarly, public owners of federally funded transportation assets should give the public ample time to review and comment before transportation assets can be sold or leased.

Greening Mass Transit

The Recovery Act created and funded the Transit Investment in Greenhouse Gas and Energy Reduction (TIGGER) grant program. This competitive grant program helps local transit agencies reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. This program has helped transit agencies in Illinois reduce their environmental impact.

The TIGGER program also has helped reduce the air pollution coming from some of Metra’s diesel locomotives. The Chicago Tribune conducted an investigative report last year showing Metra commuters and workers were exposed to excessively high levels of diesel soot. The Tribune report found these increased levels of air pollution are the result of Metra’s aging locomotives.

Metra’s aging equipment is not a problem unique to the Chicago area. Across the country, underinvestment in our passenger rail systems have meant more public transportation systems are operating with older and less efficient equipment. I encourage you to include authorization and funding for programs that can help aging commuter systems make their operations cleaner and more efficient.

TIGER Grant Program

I joined Senators Murray and Collins in introducing S. 942, the “Transportation Infrastructure Grants and Economic Reinvestment Act.” This legislation will authorize the TIGER grant program which was created in the Recovery Act. The TIGER grant program allows local communities to apply directly to the DOT for funding of nationally significant transportation projects. This new program is especially helpful to communities engaged in multimodal projects that improve connections to different transportation networks. I encourage you to work with the EPW and Commerce Committees to include this important program in the next transportation bill.

Buy America

I encourage the Committee to build on and expand DOT’s existing Buy America requirements to ensure transportation infrastructure projects are built with American-made products. Buy America provisions will help keep Americans working and strengthen America’s manufacturing base.

Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE)

I encourage the Committee to build on DOT’s existing DBE programs to ensure work on federally-funded transportation projects is made available to small and disadvantaged businesses.

SAFETEA-LU expired October 1, 2009. Almost all parties agree we need a well-funded transportation authorization now to create jobs and ensure the stability of our national transportation program. However, the House of Representatives is reportedly pursuing a six-year authorization bill that will either reduce funding for transportation by 33 percent or increase oil and gas drilling in some of America’s last open spaces to pay for a flat-funded bill. In addition to the environmental issues regarding vastly expanding oil and gas drilling, most experts agree revenue from increased drilling will not produce sufficient revenues to sustain a robust transportation bill.

I encourage you to move forward with the more balanced efforts underway in the Senate. A two-year bill with increased investments and policy reforms will best serve the needs of Illinois and the nation.

Thank you for the consideration of my views. I look forward to working with you to provide our country with a transportation system that will keep us competitive in the 21^st century economy.

Sincerely,

Richard J. Durbin

U.S. Senator

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