FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, October 8, 1999
Contact: Bill Mosley
Tel.: (202) 366-5571
DOT 162-99
Global Economy Requires Safe, Efficient Transportation, Secretary Slater Says
EVERETT, Wash. -- The United States will continue to be a strong player in the World Trade Organization (WTO) in order to meet the demands of increasingly globalized transportation systems and ensure expanded growth and jobs, U.S. Transportation Secretary Rodney E. Slater said today.
"Transportation represents 11 percent of our nation’s gross domestic product," Secretary Slater said in an address at Navy Base Everett. "However, if our transportation system is to continue to expand its reach and provide solid support for economic growth, the United States must continue to be a strong player in the WTO."
The Secretary spoke at a community luncheon organized by the World Trade Organization Seattle Host Organization (SHO) Education and Outreach Committee, in conjunction with the Washington State Transportation Commission, community leaders representing labor, business, education and environmental groups, and elected officials. His remarks came in anticipation of the of the Nov. 30-Dec. 3 ministerial meeting of the WTO in Seattle. The Secretary noted that the WTO Ministerial will be the largest gathering of international trade officials ever held in the United States.
Secretary Slater noted that international goods movement more than doubled between 1986 and 1996, during which the global economy became increasingly integrated -- a trend that continues today. The demands of the global market will require safe and efficient transportation that benefits both consumers and businesses, he said.
The economies of the Pacific Northwest and the state of Washington are particularly dependent on the global economy, he said, and the U.S. Department of Transportation is supporting three ongoing projects in Washington directly linked to international trade. The department’s Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) provided $10 million in funding for high-priority projects in the Seattle-Tacoma corridor, including the California Street Overpass in Everett. FHWA also provided $811,000 for U.S.-Canada coordination of border crossings in Whatcom County. Also, the department’s Federal Aviation Administration is supporting the region’s trade through a multi-year, $161 million grant for a third runway at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.
The Secretary reaffirmed DOT’s goal of breaking down barriers to the movement of people and goods between countries. The United States has reached Open Skies aviation agreements with 36 countries around the world, and will continue to work bilaterally to eliminate market restrictions. Ultimately, the global economy will need even greater liberalization of transportation services. Multilateral arrangements must be considered as a possible means to achieve global free trade in air transportation, he said, as long as we do not risk the great gains we already have made along the way. He added that the United States will continue to use all available tools to gain equal access to foreign markets for U.S. maritime carriers.
Following the Everett luncheon, the Secretary was scheduled to touch on similar themes of liberalized transportation and its role in international trade at a public forum in Vancouver, Wash. The forum, "Trade, Transportation and the WTO" was organized by the WTO/SHO in cooperation with U.S. Rep. Brian Baird.
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