Passenger Trains > Federal DOT and Bush order RETURN of transit $$$

If the following story is true, could it be said that the Federal Dept. of Transportation---in conjunction with the current White House administration---appear to be attempting to stall or stop national transportation projects that aren't focusing on HIGHWAYS? I certainly hope that is not the case, as it might be a shocking (jaw-dropping/eyebrow raising?) twist in America's current financial delimmas, "corporately-speaking," perhaps. Be your own judge: simply read the full story beginning at the top of the page at this website LINK (from the "Destination Freedom" website, April 2, 2007 posting):

FULL STORY:
http://www.nationalcorridors.org/df2/df04022007.shtml
IN PARTICULAR, NOTE THE CHART TO THE RIGHT ON THE PAGE which shows how much $$$ is being ordered to return from each state...........


A PARTIAL EXCERPT FROM THE TEXT IS HERE:

WASHINGTON ---The Federal Highway Administration is ordering state Departments of Transportation to give back by April 18 a total of $3.471 Billion in “unobligated program balances” --- funds not yet committed for specific projects --- in a way likely to hit air quality and other non-highway project plans hardest, yet remain unnoticed by the public until after the deadline has passed.

In addition, by taking the highly unusual step of failing (so far) to publish in the Federal Register the March 19 order, sending it only to state DOTs directly, the FHWA has made it hard for journalists to cover the story, or for transit advocates to organize resistance to the so-called “rescission order”, which was part of legislation signed by President Bush February 15.

In an urgent bulletin issued by the Surface Transportation Policy Project this week, STPP said, “Please contact your Governor’s office, state DOT and state legislators immediately to register your concerns about this new round of rescissions, urging your state to ensure ‘balanced’ reductions among all of the program categories in satisfying this order.”

What is likely to happen, advocates for transit and rail believe, is that most state DOTs, which flex only a small portion of the eligible funds to non-highway projects in any event, will select funds from transit-eligible accounts for those rescissions, effectively blocking or postponing those projects.

The STPP states, “Importantly, neither Congress or the FHWA provided any guidance or instructions to the states in undertaking these rescissions (e.g., no public notification, no notice to affected program partners such as MPOs or local governments, no assessment of how state rescissions affect Transportation Improvement Programs [TIPs] at the metropolitan level, etc.), so it is even more crucial that you engage the rescission process in your state prior to this deadline.”
.......(more).......
__________________________________________________

> In addition, by taking the highly unusual step of
> failing (so far) to publish in the Federal
> Register the March 19 order, sending it only to
> state DOTs directly, the FHWA has made it hard for
> journalists to cover the story, or for transit
> advocates to organize resistance to the so-called
> “rescission order”, which was part of
> legislation signed by President Bush February 15.

Let's be fair. Legislation? Sounds like Congress <controlled by Democrats> has something to do with it, too.

These guys are doing their level best to "screw the pooch" BIG TIME for who(m)ever inherits the White House in '09. (Hint: it won't be anybody from the GOP.)

It will take DECADES to pick up the pieces from this administration's train wreck (pun away!). The perpetrators of this mess will then sit on the sidelines, throwing stones and counting on the voting public's lack of long term memory to plug them back in office.

AARRGH!

My first question when reading any article is "who wrote it, and why should I believe them".

In this case the byline is "By DF Staff and from the Surface Transportation Policy Project". Does anyone have any knowledge of Destination Freedom and the STPP?

I must confess I'm not one of those "it's in print, therefore it has to be true" people.

JimM Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> My first question when reading any article is "who
> wrote it, and why should I believe them".
>
> In this case the byline is "By DF Staff and from
> the Surface Transportation Policy Project". Does
> anyone have any knowledge of Destination Freedom
> and the STPP?
>
> I must confess I'm not one of those "it's in
> print, therefore it has to be true" people.

That's easy enough to find out: just E-Mail them at the online address provided, and ask. I'll bet they'll respond with a plethora of sources, especially since this time the "agenda" appears to be so underhanded and secretive.......

Have to wait for Frontline to do a story on it, then it must be true and probably just in time for the elections. Have to agree that Politics seems deeply embedded in the Transportation dollar distribution.


> -----
> > I must confess I'm not one of those "it's in
> > print, therefore it has to be true" people.
>
> That's easy enough to find out: just E-Mail them
> at the online address provided, and ask. I'll bet
> they'll respond with a plethora of sources,
> especially since this time the "agenda" appears to
> be so underhanded and secretive.......

Typical! Bush and his cronies just don't get it and say we need to reduce our oil comspumption! Oh yeah, like you're sayin' we're gonna win in Iraq with the additional troops you sent out there!

Judge Doom: Several months ago I had the good providence to stumble upon this plan of the city council's. A construction plan of epic proportions. They're calling it...a freeway.

Eddie Valiant: Freeway? What the hell's a freeway?

Judge Doom: Eight lanes of shimmering cement running from here to Pasadena. Smooth, safe, fast. Traffic jams will be a thing of the past.

Eddie Valiant: So that's why you killed Acme and Maroon? For this freeway? I don't get it.

Judge Doom: Of course not. You lack vision. I see a place where people get on and off the freeway. On and off, off and on all day, all night. Soon, where Toon Town once stood will be a string of gas stations, inexpensive motels, restaurants that serve rapidly prepared food. Tire salons, automobile dealerships and wonderful, wonderful billboards reaching as far as the eye can see. My God, it'll be beautiful.

Eddie Valiant: Come on. Nobody's going to drive this lousy freeway when they can take the Red Car for a nickel.

Judge Doom: Oh, they'll drive. They'll have to. You see, I bought the Red Car so I could dismantle it.

//Sigh

KL

ts1457 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> > In addition, by taking the highly unusual step
> of
> > failing (so far) to publish in the Federal
> > Register the March 19 order, sending it only to
> > state DOTs directly, the FHWA has made it hard
> for
> > journalists to cover the story, or for transit
> > advocates to organize resistance to the
> so-called
> > “rescission order”, which was part of
> > legislation signed by President Bush February
> 15.
>
> Let's be fair. Legislation? Sounds like Congress
> has something to do with it, too.

1. What is the purpose of this Notice? This Notice is to notify the States
that $3,471,582,000 of obligated Federal-aid highway funds apportioned to States hereby rescinded as required by Division B, Title 1 Chapter 10 of the Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2007, Public Law (Pub. L. No.) 110-5

You all should carefully consider the source of a story before jumping to conclusions. In this particular case yes, President Bush signed the law (not surprising since he has made it abundantly clear he's not too keen on highway funds being used for things not highway related) but this was AFTER a Democratically controlled house and senate passed it. In other words this would NOT have happened if the Democrats hadn't proposed and passed the legislation. For all you folk who believe happy days will be here again for mass transit if the Democrats grab hold of all the levers of federal power let this be an object lesson on why that might not be so.

nathansixchime Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Judge Doom: Several months ago I had the good
> providence to stumble upon this plan of the city
> council's. A construction plan of epic
> proportions. They're calling it...a freeway.
>
> Eddie Valiant: Freeway? What the hell's a
> freeway?
>
> Judge Doom: Eight lanes of shimmering cement
> running from here to Pasadena. Smooth, safe, fast.
> Traffic jams will be a thing of the past.
>
> Eddie Valiant: So that's why you killed Acme and
> Maroon? For this freeway? I don't get it.
>
> Judge Doom: Of course not. You lack vision. I see
> a place where people get on and off the freeway.
> On and off, off and on all day, all night. Soon,
> where Toon Town once stood will be a string of gas
> stations, inexpensive motels, restaurants that
> serve rapidly prepared food. Tire salons,
> automobile dealerships and wonderful, wonderful
> billboards reaching as far as the eye can see. My
> God, it'll be beautiful.
>
> Eddie Valiant: Come on. Nobody's going to drive
> this lousy freeway when they can take the Red Car
> for a nickel.
>
> Judge Doom: Oh, they'll drive. They'll have to.
> You see, I bought the Red Car so I could dismantle
> it.
>
> //Sigh
>
> KL


Won't surprise me if that was the inital plan back in the 40s when the Passadena was built, they thought it would be the best freeway system in the world, turns out it's the worst freeway system because of how bad traffic has become!

nathansixchime Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Judge Doom: Several months ago I had the good
> providence to stumble upon this plan of the city
> council's. A construction plan of epic
> proportions. They're calling it...a freeway.
>
> Eddie Valiant: Freeway? What the hell's a
> freeway?
>
> ....



Very nice selection there! Haven't seen that movie in years. Never really see it on TV anymore either, which is unfortunate. I remember Christopher Lloyd scaring the hell outta me in that role when I was a kid!

NS3327 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>
> Very nice selection there! Haven't seen that
> movie in years. Never really see it on TV anymore
> either, which is unfortunate. I remember
> Christopher Lloyd scaring the hell outta me in
> that role when I was a kid!

Wouldn't want to give us the title, would ya? Or do we have to look it up on IMDB? (Beg pardon if it was there and I missed it.)

ProRail Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> NS3327 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> >
> > Very nice selection there! Haven't seen that
> > movie in years. Never really see it on TV
> anymore
> > either, which is unfortunate. I remember
> > Christopher Lloyd scaring the hell outta me in
> > that role when I was a kid!
>
> Wouldn't want to give us the title, would ya? Or
> do we have to look it up on IMDB? (Beg pardon if
> it was there and I missed it.)

Who Framed Roger Rabbit.

KimHeusel Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> >
> > Wouldn't want to give us the title, would ya?
> Or
> > do we have to look it up on IMDB? (Beg pardon
> if
> > it was there and I missed it.)
>
> Who Framed Roger Rabbit.

Thanks.

"Who Framed Roger Rabbit?"--I saw the production company turn a downtown LA street back to 1947, complete with a rubber-tired Hollywood mockup of a Pacific Electric Red Car. I took some photos, one of which was published in Pacific Rail News; it showed the location, with some of the new downtown high-rise buildings in the background. The caption said something like "The film crew had to watch their camera angles carefully." Juicefans watching the movie have noted one scene in which a streetcar has both poles up, a major no-no in trolley operations. I spotted a really obscure anachronism in the Hyperion Bridge scene: there's a Southern Calif. Edison power pole with a type of insulator not used until the 1960's--a bit of electric power systems rivet-counting. As long as you don't take the Cloverleaf Industries story line too seriously, it's a great movie.