DOT 15-07
Contact: Brian Turmail, Tel.: (202) 366-4570
Monday, February 5, 2007
Bush Administration’s U.S. Department of Transportation Budget Request of $67
Billion to Finance Vital Construction, Congestion and Safety Programs, Provide
Framework for Reforming Aviation System for Fiscal Year 2008
The Bush Administration is requesting $67 billion for 2008 to finance key
transportation construction, congestion relief and safety programs, and to
provide the framework for reforming the aviation system, U.S. Secretary of
Transportation Mary E. Peters announced today.
“Our goal is to deliver a transportation system that frees all of us to make
daily decisions confident we can reach our destinations safely, without worrying
about how we will get there, or if we can make it on time,” Secretary Peters
said.
The Secretary noted that the budget request provides a framework for reforming
the aviation system by tying what users pay to the costs of providing air
traffic control and other services. She added that the request also includes
$175 million for a 21st Century satellite navigation system to replace older air
traffic control equipment and $900 million in additional air traffic control
system upgrades.
“Our plan puts incentives in place that will make the system more efficient as
well as more responsive to the needs of the aviation community,” Secretary
Peters said. “This is critical if we are to deploy the state-of-the-art
technology that can safely handle the dramatic increases in the number and type
of aircraft using our skies.”
The Administration is seeking a record $42 billion for highway construction and
safety programs, the Secretary said. The FY 2008 budget request proposes overall
transportation safety funding of $20.3 billion. This request will fund the
aviation and surface transportation safety programs and initiatives. Included in
the amount are programs and activities to target areas like motorcycle crashes
and drunk driving.
The 2008 budget also requests $175 million to cut traffic congestion by
developing commuter traffic information systems, accelerating construction along
trade and travel corridors and helping metropolitan areas test new solutions.
The budget request includes $1.3 billion for commuter rail and transit projects
for urban areas and $100 million for transit projects in smaller towns and rural
areas, the Secretary added.
In announcing the budget request, Secretary Peters invited Congress to work with
the Department on solutions to financing and managing the nation’s
transportation network, noting that the government is spending from the Highway
Trust Fund at a rate that is faster than the growth in revenue in part because
of the explosive growth in earmarks.
“Freedom is at the core of our American values, but we lose a little more
freedom each time we venture into traffic,” the Secretary said. “This budget
proposal takes a big step in helping us get our freedom back.”
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The Secretary's speech can be found at
http://www.dot.gov/affairs/2007/peters020507.htm.
Briefing
Room
