Durbin Meets with Tranportation Secretary Nominee Mary Peters to Discuss Illinois Priorities

DURBIN MEETS WITH TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY NOMINEE MARY PETERS TO DISCUSS ILLINOIS PRIORITIES

[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with Transportation Secretary Nominee, Mary Peters, to discuss a number of Illinois transportation priorities, including funding for Amtrak, modernization at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport and Chicago transit improvements.

"Mary Peters has had a 16-year career in the Arizona Department of Transportation and a strong record of working closely with former Transportation Secretary Mineta when she served as Chief of the Federal Highway Administration," said Durbin. "She understands the importance of investing in transportation infrastructure, and I am hopeful she will bring that understanding to her work at the Department of Transportation."

In today's meeting, Durbin stressed the need to provide full funding for Amtrak. President Bush released a budget earlier this year that included only $900 million, of the $1.6 needed to maintain the railroad's current operation. Last month, the House of Representatives set aside $1.1 billion for Amtrak while the Senate version of the bill boosted funding to $1.4 billion. The final version of the bill will be negotiated in coming weeks.

"Amtrak is vitally important to Illinois," said Durbin. "Unfortunately, the President and his Administration are once again attempting to privatize and eventually eliminate Amtrak rail service. Year after year, these political games drive Amtrak to the brink of insolvency and Congress is forced to ride to the rescue. I look forward to working with Ms. Peters to secure full funding for Amtrak this year."

Durbin noted that more than 3 million people in Illinois boarded Amtrak in 2005, making the passenger rail line one of the most important modes of transportation in the state. Every intrastate route in Illinois has seen significant increases in the past few years in ridership, and it is vital that Amtrak receive the proper level of federal funding.

"Last year, Amtrak service in Illinois saw a major increase in ridership," Durbin said. "This year, the state recognized the need for expansion and responded by offering to work with Amtrak to increase service to nearly 30 communities. The State's commitment will provide for the first Midwest Amtrak expansion in almost 20 years and has even prompted proposals to reinstate service in large metropolitan areas, such as Rockford. If the House and the President's proposals are adopted, Illinois' Amtrak expansion will be stopped dead in its tracks."

In today's meeting, Durbin also asked Peters to support the O'Hare Modernization Program. A modernized O'Hare will mean an additional 195,000 jobs and $18 billion in annual economic activity in Chicagoland. That is on top of the existing 450,000 jobs and $38 billion in economic activity that O'Hare already creates for the region and the state of Illinois. Moreover, the project is expected to save the airlines approximately $370 million and passengers $380 million each year.

"Last November, former Secretary Mineta announced over $300 million for the O'Hare Modernization Program," said Durbin. "The Administration has a strong record of supporting expansion at O'Hare and I am hopeful that Ms. Peters will recognize O'Hare expansion as an investment that benefits both regional aviation travel and the national and world's passenger aviation system."

Durbin and Peters also discussed critical transit funding for the Chicago area. CTA, Metra, and Pace make up the 2nd largest transit system in the country with over 575 million rides each year. CTA has 1.5 million trips per weekday; Metra makes 299 thousand trips per weekday; Pace makes 119 thousand trips per weekday. The Illinois lawmaker noted that as more cities begin to realize the importance of transit in the 21st Century, the Department of Transportation is receiving an increasing number of applicants looking to draw from a limited amount of money. It is important that Chicago continue to receive their fair share of transit funding.

Mary Peters spent sixteen years with the Arizona Department of Transportation, and for three years, she headed the agency. In 2001, she became the Chief of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), and was widely praised for working closely with Secretary Mineta and Congress to win approval for the $286 billion highway and surface transporation legislation. Since she left the FHWA in November of 2005, Peters has been national director for transportation policy and consulting in the Phoenix office of Omaha-based architectural, engineering and consulting firm HDR Inc. Ms. Peters is a fourth-generation, native Arizonan. She and her husband, Terry, have three grown children.

http://durbin.senate.gov/record.cfm?id=262935&&