Amtrak Funding Letter

[jbroadglide]

Hey all
Got this letter in e-mail today from NARP>
Please take a moment, today or tomorrow, to call your member of the US House of Representatives and ask him or her to co-sign a "Dear Colleague" letter (below) from Rep. Corrine Brown (D-FL), Chair of the Railroads Subcommittee of the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee. The letter asks House conferees on the fiscal 2010 transportation spending bill (who have yet to be named) to make sure that Amtrak gets its full authorized level of funding, without which there is no hope of expanded service in the near future and without which the railroad may be forced to institute a hiring freeze.

Please call before 11:00 AM tomorrow (Thursday, Oct. 1), as 12:00 noon tomorrow is the deadline for signatures. Call the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and ask to speak to your Representative, or click here and enter your 9-digit ZIP code at the top left to find your Representative.


Thanks for all you do to make America's passenger train network world-class.

Malcolm Kenton
Transportation Assistant

P.S.: The following Representatives (state and district number listed) have already signed on to the letter. If you are a constituent of one of them, please call and thank them for signing:
LoBiondo (NJ-2), DeFazio (OR-4), Costello (IL-12), Holmes-Norton (DC), E.B. Johnson (TX-30), Cummings (MD-7), Rahall (WV-3), Napolitano (CA-38), Richardson (CA-37), Towns (NY-10), Holden (PA-17), D. Moore (KS-3), McMahon (NY-13), Rangel (NY-15), Castor (FL-11), D. Davis (IL-7), G. Moore (WI-4), Wu (OR-1), Carney (PA-10), Nadler (NY-8), Larsen (WI-2), Filner (CA-51)


Letter from Chairwoman Brown to colleagues

Deadline: Noon on Thursday, October 1st

Dear Colleague:

Please join me in sending the attached letter to the Chairmen and Ranking Members of the House Appropriations Committee and Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies seeking full funding the Amtrak.   Congress needs to provide the support it pledged in the passage of the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act (PRIIA).  Congress is ignoring its own recommendations set forth in PRIIA with regard to Amtrak's authorized amount of $1.840 billion in FY10 (plus "such sums necessary" for compliance with the Americans With Disabilities Act).

PRIIA, along with the administration's commitment to high speed and intercity passenger rail development in America, provides a sound foundation for additional public investment in Amtrak.  Additionally, the American traveling public has demonstrated a renewed interest and optimism in intercity passenger rail, as many travelers in communities nationwide have realized that intercity passenger rail has the ability to alleviate congestion on our roads and in the air.  Moreover, when compared to other modes of transportation, it is extraordinarily environmentally friendly and emits very low amounts of greenhouse gas emissions. 

Thank you for your consideration.  Please contact Nick Martinelli with my staff at Nick.Martinelli@mail.house.gov to sign on or if you have any additional questions.

Sincerely,

Corrine Brown
Member of Congress


Letter to Appropriations Committee leaders



September 29, 2009

Honorable David Obey                             Honorable Jerry Lewis
Chairman                                               Ranking Member
Committee on Appropriations                           
Washington, DC 20515                                     

Honorable John Olver                               Honorable Tom Latham
Chairman                                                Ranking Member
Subcommittee on Transportation & HUD   
Washington, DC 20515                                       

Dear Chairmen and Ranking Members:

As you begin the conference on the FY10 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill, we write to request you give consideration to increasing the funding level for Amtrak's operating and capital needs above the House and Senate approved numbers.   

As you know, the House approved an overall funding level of $1.502 billion and the Senate approved a funding level of $1.574 billion for Amtrak. While the funding levels are significant, they represent an insufficient increase over the FY09 enacted funding level of $1.49 billion.  At a time when enormous demands are being asked of Amtrak's entire workforce and on Amtrak's nationwide system, Congress needs to provide the support it pledged in the passage of the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act (PRIIA). 

PRIIA, along with the administration's commitment to high speed and intercity passenger rail development in America, provides a sound foundation for additional public investment in Amtrak.  Additionally, the American traveling public has demonstrated a renewed interest and optimism in intercity passenger rail, as many travelers in communities nationwide have realized that intercity passenger rail has the ability to alleviate congestion on our roads and in the air.  Moreover, when compared to other modes of transportation, it is extraordinarily environmentally friendly and emits very low amounts of greenhouse gas emissions. 

Yet even with so many compelling reasons to increase investment in rail, in the Fiscal Year 2010 Transportation, HUD, and Related Agencies House and Senate bills, Congress is ignoring its own recommendations set forth in PRIIA (with respect to Amtrak's authorized amount of $1.840 billion in FY10, as well as "such sums necessary" for compliance with the Americans With Disabilities Act).  We are very grateful for your support for Amtrak, however, we respectfully urge you to re-examine Amtrak's funding levels and support an increase to Amtrak's capital and operating funding levels for Fiscal Year 2010.

[FayeforCure]

Cliff Stearns: (202) 225-5744
John Mica: (202) 225-4035
Ander Crenshaw:  202-225-2501

I urge Congressman _____________to co-sign the "Dear Colleague" letter from Rep. Corrine Brown (D-FL), Chair of the Railroads Subcommittee of the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee, to make sure that Amtrak gets its full authorized level of funding. We need expanded service and cannot afford a hiring freeze at Amtrak.

[JeffreyS]

thanks Faye

[Ocklawaha]

This is incredible, and hardly news. Our NARP member could probably tell you that this is the same old shit, different day, and uh, administration. Amtrak has had to fight these yearly battles since inception 35+ years ago.  I'm not even sold on the fact that Amtrak is the answer to our lack of passenger rail in the USA, however until such time as the government comes up with a "offer too good to resist", few others will jump in. Annual budget wars are not fun, and those of us on the railroad side of this thing have been fighting this war forever!

Thanks from bringing this up to our MJ readers, this is a great and vitally important post.

OCKLAWAHA

[JeffreyS]

I love when we post names and #s. I read them on my Blackberry and dial just by clicking on the post.

[buckethead]

I love when we post names and #s. I read them on my Blackberry and dial just by clicking on the post.

BrillianT!

I never read here on the ol' BB. I can add Mica to my circle of friends! 

[Lunican]

This is exactly why Amtrak has suffered. Even if they do get the money, they don't know ahead of time that it is coming. It is nearly impossible for them to make capital plans in a very capital intensive business. Railroad capital projects require years of planning.

[CS Foltz]

Much thanks Faye for Mica's number...........allready left a message greenlighting Amtrak Funding! Need to push hard for this to happen!

[FayeforCure]

This is exactly why Amtrak has suffered. Even if they do get the money, they don't know ahead of time that it is coming. It is nearly impossible for them to make capital plans in a very capital intensive business. Railroad capital projects require years of planning.

Thanks Lunican! That is exactly what happens to other government programs too. Did you know that the VA has to come begging for funds every year too?

It's job security for congressmen. Just "Make work".

It happens with the minimum wage too,...........it would just be too simple to index the minimum wage so we wouldn't have to revisit it every few years. In Europe a living wage is indexed,..... never to be revisited, so government can spend time figuring out infrastructure issues and such.

[JeffreyS]

Tax code has same issues. Close some loop hole negotiate new ones with lobbyists in a circle of milking the system.

[Jaxson]

I called the offices of Rep. Stearns, Rep. Mica and Rep. Crenshaw.  I hope that they do the right thing and co-sign the letter.