Search
|
VA Lawmakers Ask Gov. McDonnell to Oppose Massive Cuts to Road, Transit Funds
Feb 15 2012
Virginia Congressmen Gerry Connolly, Jim Moran, and Bobby Scott are asking Governor Bob McDonnell to join in the fight to oppose legislation before the U.S. House of Representatives that would enact devastating cuts to federal transportation funding in Virginia.
In a letter sent today, Connolly, Moran, and Scott urged McDonnell “to weigh in with your Republican colleagues in the House of Representatives and urge them to reconsider this ill-advised approach to funding the critical transportation needs of the Commonwealth.”
The package of transportation-related bills (H.R. 3408, H.R. 3813, and H.R. 7) are scheduled to come before the House this week and would cut $361 million in existing transportation funding to Virginia. The cuts would come in the areas of federal highway funding, federal mass transit support, and in congestion mitigation and air quality (CMAQ) funding. The legislation would eliminate dedicated funding for mass transit systems like the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority that runs the Metro system.
“This legislation would cut 7% of all federal transportation money coming to Virginia over the next 5 years,” said Rep. Connolly. “Frankly, given the General Assembly’s unwillingness to fund any kind of serious transportation proposal, these cuts would be absolutely devastating and would threaten our continued economic competitiveness.”
“These cuts to Virginia’s transportation funding are unacceptable, said Rep. Moran. By eliminating public transit’s guaranteed funding source, first established by President Reagan, Metro will be left on very shaky ground. We ask that Governor McDonnell join Virginia commuters in standing against a bill that would do great harm to our Commonwealth’s already severely under-funded transportation system.”
“In Virginia we are almost completely reliant on federal funding for new transportation projects,” said Rep. Scott. “Slashing that funding would take our congestion problems from bad to worse and would seriously threaten our ability to retain our status as a top job creator.”
Click here for the letter.
Dear Governor McDonnell,
We share your commitment to identifying new, dedicated funding sources to modernize Virginia’s transportation infrastructure so that the Commonwealth remains economically competitive. That is why we write to bring your attention to legislation being considered in the U.S. House of Representatives this week that would have near catastrophic consequences for the Commonwealth and its commuters.
The package of so-called transportation bills (H.R. 3408, H.R. 3813 and H.R. 7) being advanced by the House majority will, in fact, cut existing federal transportation funding to the Commonwealth and jeopardize the strategic investments we have made to ensure the efficient movement of our people and commerce. Under H.R. 7, Virginia stands to lose $361 million in federal highway funding, tens of millions of dollars in federal mass transit support, and millions more in federal congestion mitigation and air quality (CMAQ) funding.
By shifting funding for the CMAQ program from the federal Highway Trust Fund to the transit account, congestion mitigation and air quality projects, which support $50 million in annual improvements for Virginia, will have to compete for a shrinking amount of funds.
As you know, Virginia has one of the most successful multi-modal transportation networks in the nation, particularly in Northern Virginia, which has the country’s third highest transit ridership. By jeopardizing tens of millions of dollars in federal mass transit support for Virginia, H.R. 7 breaks a 30-year federal commitment to supporting such options for commuters. This legislation will eliminate the dedicated funding for mass transit systems like the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority and others across the Commonwealth.
Funding that would have gone to transit will now be diverted to highways, and a one-time transfer from the General Fund will support transit programs for a limited period of time. Of particular concern for Virginia is that under H.R. 3813 this one-time General Fund transfer would be paid for by increasing out-of-pocket retirement costs for federal employees. So this package of bills would invest less in transportation and place the burden for what little investment is being made disproportionately on Virginia, which is home to the second largest concentration of federal employees in the nation.
Furthermore, we wish to reiterate our longstanding concern about drilling off Virginia’s coast. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that federal revenue from the Virginia lease sale would generate just $40 million over the next ten years. Under this legislation only a small fraction of this revenue would be shared with Virginia. Oil and gas development off Virginia’s coast is not worth the risk it brings to Virginia’s highly productive fishing and tourism industries, nor the complications it will cause for the Department of Defense operations off the coast of the Commonwealth.
The federal government provides the largest source of transportation funding in the Commonwealth, so we stand ready to work with you in a bipartisan fashion to make the necessary investments to keep our people and our economy moving. Unfortunately, these bills are a lose-lose proposition for Virginia and would actually undermine those efforts. We respectfully ask you to weigh in with your Republican colleagues in the House of Representatives and urge them to reconsider this ill-advised approach to funding the critical transportation needs of the Commonwealth and our nation.
Sincerely,
Congressman Gerald E. Connolly
Congressman Jim Moran
Congressman Bobby Scott
###
Text of the letter below:
Dear Governor McDonnell,
We share your commitment to identifying new, dedicated funding sources to modernize Virginia’s transportation infrastructure so that the Commonwealth remains economically competitive. That is why we write to bring your attention to legislation being considered in the U.S. House of Representatives this week that would have near catastrophic consequences for the Commonwealth and its commuters.
The package of so-called transportation bills (H.R. 3408, H.R. 3813 and H.R. 7) being advanced by the House majority will, in fact, cut existing federal transportation funding to the Commonwealth and jeopardize the strategic investments we have made to ensure the efficient movement of our people and commerce. Under H.R. 7, Virginia stands to lose $361 million in federal highway funding, tens of millions of dollars in federal mass transit support, and millions more in federal congestion mitigation and air quality (CMAQ) funding.
By shifting funding for the CMAQ program from the federal Highway Trust Fund to the transit account, congestion mitigation and air quality projects, which support $50 million in annual improvements for Virginia, will have to compete for a shrinking amount of funds.
As you know, Virginia has one of the most successful multi-modal transportation networks in the nation, particularly in Northern Virginia, which has the country’s third highest transit ridership. By jeopardizing tens of millions of dollars in federal mass transit support for Virginia, H.R. 7 breaks a 30-year federal commitment to supporting such options for commuters. This legislation will eliminate the dedicated funding for mass transit systems like the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority and others across the Commonwealth.
Funding that would have gone to transit will now be diverted to highways, and a one-time transfer from the General Fund will support transit programs for a limited period of time. Of particular concern for Virginia is that under H.R. 3813 this one-time General Fund transfer would be paid for by increasing out-of-pocket retirement costs for federal employees. So this package of bills would invest less in transportation and place the burden for what little investment is being made disproportionately on Virginia, which is home to the second largest concentration of federal employees in the nation.
Furthermore, we wish to reiterate our longstanding concern about drilling off Virginia’s coast. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that federal revenue from the Virginia lease sale would generate just $40 million over the next ten years. Under this legislation only a small fraction of this revenue would be shared with Virginia. Oil and gas development off Virginia’s coast is not worth the risk it brings to Virginia’s highly productive fishing and tourism industries, nor the complications it will cause for the Department of Defense operations off the coast of the Commonwealth.
The federal government provides the largest source of transportation funding in the Commonwealth, so we stand ready to work with you in a bipartisan fashion to make the necessary investments to keep our people and our economy moving. Unfortunately, these bills are a lose-lose proposition for Virginia and would actually undermine those efforts. We respectfully ask you to weigh in with your Republican colleagues in the House of Representatives and urge them to reconsider this ill-advised approach to funding the critical transportation needs of the Commonwealth and our nation.
Sincerely,
Congressman Gerald E. Connolly
Congressman Jim Moran
Congressman Bobby Scott