By the time this issue reaches your hands--regardless of whether the air-quality regs situation has been resolved--there will be only 10 weeks remaining before expiration of the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (ISTEA).
That's 10 weeks to go before the industry finds out if its years of planning, lobbying and cajoling Congress have resulted in a realization by its members of the importance of providing the means to keep America's highway system the best in the world.
Expiration day fast approaches
Time is running out folks. We can sit on our duffs and complain about how the politicians inside the Beltway don't understand the severity of the situation or the benefits a well-built, well-maintained highway system provides for all Americans. But the fact is if they don't hear it from us, their constituents, then they may be inclined to brush off the industry's pleas as just another push for pork.
Industry groups have done an admirable job bringing together diverse factions of the highway industry in an effort to speak with one voice about ISTEA. But we as individual members of the industry must also raise our voices to let our Congressional representatives know how strongly we feel about the reauthorization of ISTEA, which has become known as NEXTEA (National Economic Crossroads Transportation Efficiency Act).
NEXTEA should not only be passed by Congress and signed into law by the President, but it should be passed on time. If the bill is not passed by Sept. 30 then special measures would be required to keep open the funding pipeline to the states.
Furthermore, it is critical that the bill be passed with not only increases, but significant increases, in funds earmarked for highways.
Funding for enhancements such as flower beds, building improvements and other ribbon-cutting opportunities are all well and good, but not if the money to fund them is siphoned off from needed road and bridge repair and building projects. Helping welfare recipients find jobs in transportation is a positive measure and noble gesture, but funds should be added to the bill for this purpose, not shifted from construction-related programs.
Raise your voice, your vote
With the busy lives that we all lead these days, many of us may not even be sure who our Congressional representatives are or how they can be contacted. I was able to find out who my representatives were and how to contact them by telephoning the Capitol switchboard in Washington, D.C., at (202) 225-3121. As a resident of Illinois, my representative in the House is John Porter (R-Ill. District 10). My Senate representatives are Carol Moseley-Braun (D) and Richard Durbin (D). They'll be hearing from me.
Take action. Let your representatives hear from you, too. The investment in a few minutes of your time and a phone call could pay dividends for years to come.
