What Implications for ISTEA in Clinton US DOT Restructuring Plan?

At a December 19 press conference, the Clinton Administration announced plans to restructure the U.S. Department of Transportation and cut federal transportation spending. An alert issued to transportation advocates across the country this week by the Surface Transportation Policy

Project (STPP) said that the Administration's ideas to merge FHWA, FTA and the Federal Railroad Administration into a single surface division make sense. STPP also said that emphasis on increasing state and local flexibility on the use of federal funds was a progressive step. But the

Washington-based advocacy group warned that it was unclear whether ISTEA's provisions for public involvement, planning and civil rights compliance would be a part of the final plan. Allocations to states would be unified, eliminating modal funding programs such as Congestion Mitigation Air

Quality (CMAQ) and the Surface Transportation Program. NY Newsday editorialized Dec 21 that the plan could help the metropolitan region by allowing transit to compete for previously highway only funds. Yet STPP stressed that reducing federal oversight only makes sense if the same

safeguards provided by ISTEA are required at the state level. STPP has drafted a sample letter to Clinton Administration officials on this issue, and urges all transportation advocates to write. It is available for download on the Eco-net transport and kea.transpcamp conferences. If you do not have

access to Eco-net, please contact Jon Orcutt at the Tri-State Transportation Campaign, 212-777-8181 to get the sample text. Surface Transportation Policy Project (Laura Olsen) 202- 939-3470.