Joint Report by Three Nations Finds Significant Energy Use by Transportation Sector

Contact BTS 15-00 Dave Smallen 202-366-5568

Thursday, October 12, 2000 -- The transportation sector consumes about one-fourth of the energy used in North America with road uses comprising about four-fifths of the sector's total energy use, according to a new report released today by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), the U.S. Department of Commerce and their counterparts in Canada and Mexico.

"Our joint report, North American Transportation in Figures, will build and strengthen our transportation and trade ties with our neighbors and will promote President Clinton and Vice President Gore's vision of global transportation in the 21st century," U.S. Transportation Secretary Rodney E. Slater said. "These combined efforts will provide information to help international transportation leaders cope with the unprecedented demands globalization will place on transportation systems."

Secretary Slater was joined today by Canadian Transport Minister David Collenette and Mexican Transport and Communications Minister Carlos Ruiz Sacristan in releasing the report at the International Transportation Symposium in Washington, D.C.

"Canada and Mexico are the two largest trading partners of the United States, and our national economies are increasingly integrated," said U.S. Secretary of Commerce Norman Y. Mineta. "Transportation is a critical industry in all three countries, and the enabling link that helps promote trade and travel. Quality information on the transportation sector is a valuable tool for public and private decision-makers in North America."

The United States daily trade with Canada and Mexico exceeds $1.5 billion while more than 1 million passengers cross both land borders every day.

North American Transportation in Figures builds on Secretary Slater's goal of creating a seamless, global transportation system. It contains the information on energy use along with information on transportation and the economy; safety; merchandise trade; passenger travel; infrastructure; and transportation, energy and environment. The report shows that trucking is the dominant mode of transportation for North American trade, accounting for about two-thirds of the value and about one-third of the tonnage.

"This report provides information we need to have about transportation systems and services in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, and demonstrates the importance of cooperative efforts with our partners," said Dr. Ashish Sen, Director of DOT's Bureau of Transportation Statistics. "We will continue to move forward to improve our information exchange with Canada and Mexico to have the best possible information on the North American transportation system."

"The development of this report represents a true trilateral partnership in the area of statistical information, and the first time that our three countries have come together to systematically collect, analyze and compare transportation information," said Dr. Kenneth Prewitt, Director of the Commerce Department's Census Bureau.

The United States, Mexico and Canada developed the report under the partnership framework of the North American Transportation Statistics Interchange.

U.S. coordinating agencies were the Bureau of Transportation Statistics and the U.S. Census Bureau. Partner Canadian agencies were Transport Canada and Statistics Canada. Partner Mexican agencies were the Secretaría de Communicaciones y Transportes (SCT), the Instituto Mexicano del Transporte (IMT) and the Instituto Nacional de Estadística, Geografía e Informática (INEGI). Spanish and French versions of the report will also be available.

To order free copies of the North American Transportation in Figures, call (202) 366-DATA (3282), fax (202) 366-3640, or write to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, U.S. Department of Transportation, Room 3430, 400 Seventh Street, SW, Washington, D.C. 20590.