February 17, 2005 – The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) issued a notice January 25 that requires all states to return their portion of $1.26 billion in previously allotted transportation funds. The rescission directive gives states until February 24 to determine how to meet their FHWA quota.
Recognizing that the Transportation Enhancements (TE) program—the largest federal investment in rail-trails, walking and bicycling in American communities—is vulnerable to sweeping, disproportionate cuts, Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC) is taking action to shield the program from a potentially devastating blow. Your help is needed.
Last week, RTC sent urgent letters to 25 governors and their state transportation officials requesting that each state employ fair and balanced measures when evaluating their transportation programs in response to the rescission directive. RTC has calculated the “fair share” for Transportation Enhancements for all 50 states, determining the amount acceptable for rescission if programs are treated proportionally. Included with each letter was a spreadsheet listing the calculation for every state.
Please e-mail or call your governor before February 24. Encourage them to tread lightly on trail funding and let him or her know that unduly raiding the TE account would subject the program to a disproportionate burden and place future community projects in jeopardy. To find your governor’s contact information, and to see the chart listing each state’s fair share, go to: http://www.railtrails.org/whatwedo/policy/rescission.asp
To learn more about Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, or to become a member, please visit www.railtrails.org
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