Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users

TRANSPORTATION EQUITY ACT: A LEGACY FOR USERS -- (House of Representatives - March 09, 2005)

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Mr. LARSEN of Washington. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of H.R. 3, the Transportation Equity Act, A Legacy For Users.

While I support this bill, it is important to note that it barely scratches the surface of America's transportation needs. Although someone claimed that the $284 billion is more than adequate, the funding in this bill is slightly more than an inflationary increase over TEA-21. We owe it to America's economy to invest in our highway and transit infrastructure to help keep freight and people moving.

As this bill moves through the House, I hope that we can secure a funding level that meets the needs of our transportation systems and that helps provide job opportunities for more Americans.

Having said that, I want to thank the chairman of the committee, the chairman of the subcommittee and the ranking members of the committee and subcommittee for their work on this bill which will help the Pacific Northwest with its critical freight corridors, border and congestion needs.

Specifically, TEA-LU doubles the funding for the Ferry Boat Discretionary program. The Puget Sound is home to the largest ferry system in the country. Washington State Ferries service 26 million passengers a year. That is more than Amtrak. These funds are vital to the Washington State Ferries' efforts to service and replace aging vessels and continue providing service to many island communities. I look forward to working with my colleagues in conference to increase these funds so that we can keep America's ferry systems afloat for years to come.

In addition, the bill includes funding for projects of national and regional significance. The Alaskan Way Viaduct in Seattle, damaged by an earthquake in February 2001, is threatening to collapse and shut off the movement of goods from ports in Washington State and locations all across the country. I hope that as we pass this bill out of the House, we can further improve this new and exciting program that targets projects with huge impacts on freight congestion.

In conclusion, I hope the final version of this legislation will continue to invest in our freight corridors and transborder infrastructure needs.

In Washington State and along the West Coast, we are seeing record levels of NAFTA and Asian-Pacific freight. Federal funds are necessary in order to keep our West Coast ports and border crossings open and flowing smoothly. These Federal funds must target and maintain the trade arteries that bring goods from Seattle and Tacoma to Chicago, New York and destinations all across the country.

We have a great start in TEA-LU. I am confident that we will only make this bill better as it progresses through Congress.

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