Fighting against “my way is the highway”
The U.S. House of Representatives has introduced what Oregon Congressman Earl Blumenauer calls “perhaps the worst transportation bill in history.”
HR 7 eliminates from the Highway Trust Fund support for mass transit, for bicycle and pedestrian improvements, for the highly successful Safe Routes to School program, and for the air pollution-busting Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement program. It also weakens the environmental review process, expands offshore oil and gas drilling and approves the Keystone pipeline, which will move dirty tar sands oil through fragile ecosystems.
By jettisoning essential components of a healthy, people-oriented transportation system, HR 7 would reverse decades of progress in how we move people and goods.
Many Oregonians are fighting against HR 7, and we thank them. Watch a fired-up Rep. DeFazio explain how the bill is an economic failure and takes the U.S. back to a pre-1980s version of transportation. Watch Rep. Blumenauer describe how HR 7 creates “Un-Safe Routes to School.” Governor Kitzhaber has sent a letter to every member of Oregon's House delegation; and ODOT Director Matt Garrett was among many, including OEC, who've signaled our disapproval via a letter organized by Transportation for America.
The U.S. House is feeling the heat and has delayed a vote on the bill until after Presidents’ Day recess. You can help us kill this bill by taking action.
Later this month, I’ll be on Capitol Hill lobbying for a rational approach to transportation. I’ll share information with our esteemed senators* and representatives about transportation successes in Oregon that support healthy communities, environmental protection and good jobs. Do you have any examples to share? Send them my way in the comment section below.
*The U.S. Senate's transportation bill is far better, though improvements are still needed.
image by flickr user The Prudent Cyclist
