REMARKS
FOR
THE
HONORABLE NORMAN Y. MINETA
SECRETARY
OF TRANSPORTATION
ARTBA
NATIONAL
CONFERENCE ON TRANSPORTATION
AND THE U.S. ECONOMY
WASHINGTON,
D.C.
JUNE
25, 2002
12:00
Good
afternoon. Thank you, Tom,
for the generous introduction. My
very good friend Tom, and I have a long history of working together on a host of
transportation-related issues. Tom,
thanks for all of your support over these many years.
I
would also like to thank Pete Ruane, Greg Lebedev, and John Horsely, for
partnering with ARTBA for this “Transportation Makes America Work Day.”
I
am pleased to join ARTBA and its members to celebrate a century of connecting
the American people to an improved quality of life.
Begun
with a vision by Horatio Earle—one of the association’s founding
fathers—to build a network of highways that connect all of the state capitals,
ARTBA has done that and so much, much more.
Congratulations on 100 years of outstanding service to the American
people.
There
is no question that good transportation services play a vital role in generating
a strong economy. And the
statistics support that claim.
Since 1989, transportation has represented approximately 11 percent
of America’s Gross Domestic Product, and our transportation infrastructure,
with a value of $1.75 trillion – represents
about 12 percent of the value of the nation's total productive assets.
Just think about it!
America's transportation network makes possible the movement of more
than $6 trillion worth of freight!
Transportation construction is also a $160 billion a year industry
that employs more than 1.6 million people.
And, every $1 billion invested in the nation's transportation
infrastructure supports approximately 47,500 jobs – proving
that transportation continues to be an economic engine and job creator.
America
has come to appreciate the power of transportation to serve as a conduit for
building economic prosperity.
FHWA
studies show that highway infrastructure investments generate important economic
benefits by reducing production costs, contributing to productivity growth, and
encouraging private capital investment. Clearly, transportation is key to our
nation's well-being.
Three
decades ago, when I was Mayor of San Jose, California, and was focused on how I
could improve the community where I was born and raised, I had the usual range
of policy tools –
city planning, zoning authorities, economic development programs, grants
for housing.
But
the tool that made the biggest difference in my community was transportation.
Nothing else had as great an impact on our regional and national economic
development, on the pattern of growth, or on the quality of life, as
transportation.
That
is why I am so proud of the results of ISTEA, and now TEA-21,
and what they have done, and continue to do, on behalf of the American
people. And clearly, ARTBA had much
to do with the success of these historic transportation plans.
We in the Congress laid the plan and you, working together with federal,
state and local partners, gave it life.
ISTEA
was a new way of doing business. For
the first time, local government had a voice in the way federal transportation
dollars were spent. And most
importantly, funding was spent in accordance with community priorities.
ISTEA
also broadened the transportation planning process. And while bringing diverse interests into the mix can be
difficult, it ensures that the transportation decisions that are made will be
more responsive to local needs.
Now
TEA-21 is helping our cities and towns improve their transportation
infrastructures and is strengthening the role transportation plays in improving
safety, protecting and enhancing the environment, and creating new opportunities
for all Americans.
It
is clear that the transportation sectors of our economy are facing major
challenges today and will continue to in the coming years.
The ability to move people and goods quickly and efficiently is a
critical foundation for the American economy.
Transportation
must continue to expand and evolve to ensure expansion and growth of both our
economy, and our society. Transportation
infrastructure in this nation has always been, and always will be, a work in
progress.
Since
ISTEA became law in 1991, we have worked to involve local and state officials to
build the support necessary to solve local transportation problems.
I believe that we have had much success in that effort.
And,
as all of you know, it takes more than us talking here in Washington.
It requires you to be involved
– truly involved
– in the
transportation planning process on the local and state levels and to be informed
about federal transportation actions.
Today, we face many
transportation challenges. As an
example, last week the Texas Transportation Institute released its Urban
Mobility Report –
and once again, the news is
not good. Commuters and businesses
are spending too many hours and losing too much time and money sitting in
traffic.
Clearly, we need to work better
together on solutions that are multi-modal, creative and visionary….taking
into account what our country will look like in the next two or even three
decades.
Looking
to the not-too-distant future, the Bush Administration has begun the process of
developing the successor to TEA-21. Similarly,
ARTBA has put in place a process for making its constituents voices heard in
these critical reauthorization discussions.
While
I expect key elements of the Administration’s reauthorization proposal will
seek to preserve and build upon the programmatic reforms of ISTEA and the
financial reforms of TEA-21, we have an opportunity to do more.
I have directed DOT to achieve several goals in the reauthorization
process.
We
must continue to assure adequate and predictable funding for investment in the
Nation’s surface transportation system.
We
must preserve funding flexibility to allow the broadest application of funds to
the best transportation solutions identified by our state and local partners.
We
must build on the intermodal approaches of ISTEA and TEA-21.
We
must expand and improve the programs of innovative financing, so as to encourage
private sector investment in the transportation system, and look for other
inventive means to augment existing revenue streams.
We
must re-emphasize the security of the Nation’s surface transportation system,
providing the means and the mechanisms to perform risk assessment and analysis,
incident identification, response, and when necessary, evacuation.
And,
we must continue to make substantial improvements in safety – particularly
work zone safety.
In
the year 2000, 1100 people were killed and 39,000 were injured in work zones.
You and I know that that number is too high and I commend you for taking
the necessary steps to reduce and eventually eliminate these needless
fatalities.
As
with ARTBA, safety remains one of the Department’s top priorities.
Here’s a sobering statistic. In
2000 alone, medical costs associated with motor vehicle crashes
– $32.6 billion
– were
nearly identical to the $33 billion budget spent on federal highways.
We
can and must do better. Seat belts
save lives – and we must work doubly hard to get this message out.
I know that ARTBA stands with us in this effort.
Over
the next several months, we have a critical opportunity to work together in
crafting legislation to reauthorize surface transportation programs.
The federal fiscal 2004 budget, which President Bush must submit to Congress in February 2003, will reflect the framework of the Administration’s proposal for the successor to TEA-21.
And
with that reauthorization, we renew our commitment to strengthen America’s
freedom of movement, and to enhance the capabilities of our transportation
systems to effectively grow America’s economy while protecting the environment and enhancing
our communities.
We
are partners in this task, and we must continue working together to accomplish
these goals.
Again,
congratulations ARTBA on a century of excellence. Your founding fathers would be proud of your work.
I know that the next 100 years will be even better.
Thank you very, very much. And
God bless America.
#
# #