The American Energy and Infrastructure Jobs Act [H.R. 7] - Punishes Transit and HSR

2012-02-07T22:47:00Z

The House and Infrastructure Bill ( Mica's 5-year plan) and the House Ways and Means Committee plan to effectively cancel an ongoing 29-year committment to funding Transit have passed committees and are on their way to the House floor for a vote. While the Democrat-strong Senate may reject "The American Energy and Infrastructure Jobs Act", I feel the Bill warrants discussion here. I fear that corporate media entities [like FOX news] may "spin" the story to fool many of the people who refuse to bother with the details. (Sorry, but that really needed to be said) The same people who may be left wondering why the trains on their rapid transit system are so noisy and the level of service so poor.

According to the Midwest HSR Association, the Bill "represents one of the most dramatic and retrograde transportation policy shifts in decades, designed to benefit highways and auto transportation, and nothing more. Here are just a few things the bill does:

Eliminates dedicated funding for public transportation.
Slashes Amtrak funding by 25%.
Prevents any federal funding from going toward the California High Speed Rail project, specifically.
Bars any funds from bus and bus facilities grants from going to any transit system that also operated any kind of rail line. This includes the Chicago Transit Authority, and transit agencies in New York, San Francisco and other cities.
Eliminates funding for programs such as Safe Routes to School, sidewalks, or cycling infrastructure, making streets more dangerous and roads less safe for children and others on foot or bike.
Expands domestic energy production to fund any gaps in highway spending. It will do little for decreasing the American reliance on foreign oil."

The Bill eliminates the portion of the gas tax that was originally dedicated for public transit projects (~2.6 cents out of the ~18.5 cents per gallon).

I'm really interested in hearing from the folks that support this Bill. As well as those like myself who are bewildered by such a radical proposal!

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The American Energy and Infrastructure Jobs Act [H.R. 7] - Punishes Transit and HSR