House Freezes Amtrak, Boosts Highway Spending

Release #07-02—February 2, 2007

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Washington, D.C.—The Fiscal 2007 continuing resolution passed by the House Wednesday contrasts sharply with today’s report on climate change.

On one hand, H.J. Res. 20 freezes Amtrak at fiscal 2006’s $1.294 billion.  This is:

• $304 million or 19% below Amtrak’s “basic” request of $1.598 billion, and
• $579 million or 31% below Amtrak’s full request of $1.873 billion [see note at bottom].

Amtrak’s requests were developed by a board of directors composed exclusively of Republicans appointed by President Bush; one Democrat, R. Hunter Biden, joined the board later, on July 26.

The house also has, and the Senate likely will approve, a $3.532 billion or 9% increase in federal highway funding.  On the bright side, transit gets a boost of $480 million. The continuing resolution must be enacted by February 15 to avoid shutting down much of the government.

According to Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Amtrak is 18% and 17% more energy efficient per passenger-mile than airlines and cars, respectively.  (A passenger-mile is one passenger traveling one mile.)

On the other hand, the world’s top climate scientists report a 90% probability that human activities have caused most of the earth’s warming in the past 50 years.  They foresee temperature increases this century that could put as many as four billion more people at risk of serious water shortages, and sea levels rising from 7 to 23 inches or more, covering land occupied by millions of people, especially in south and east Asia.  One of the scientists, Paul Valdes, professor of physical geography at the University of Bristol, said “it is possible to reduce our emissions without endangering the economy or changing our way of life but we must start to act now” (today’s Financial Times).

NARP Executive Director Ross Capon said, “While we understand that the path of least resistance in quickly disposing of Fiscal 2007 issues is to ignore the Amtrak board’s request and comply with the ‘guarantees’ in SAFETEA-LU, that does not make this good policy; it is not ‘acting now.’

“Even more appalling is the fact that criticism of the House’s Amtrak number as ‘excessive’ was the only transportation reference in the Bush Administration’s lengthy policy statement on the resolution.  It will be interesting to see how the Administration handles these issues in Monday’s budget release, particularly in light of projections that the Highway Trust Fund could be $9 billion in the red during Fiscal 2009.  Americans need transportation policy to give them more choices—not increasingly confine them to auto reliance—so the first, post-election transportation results are not encouraging.”

Meanwhile, in the U.K., airport departure taxes doubled yesterday.  BBC said this was “because [Chancellor of the Exchequer] Gordon Brown says airlines should pay more for damaging the environment.”  Brown, according to Reuters, “said the extra money will pay for public transport and environmental measures.”

[Amtrak’s higher, $1.873 billion request for this year, included four “strategic investment initiatives”—$100 million each for a U.S. DOT-administered state corridor development program and for Amtrak debt reduction; $50 million to help freight railroads address “chokepoints” that cause delays; and $25 million for Americans with Disabilities Act compliance.]

About NARP

NARP is the only national organization speaking for the users of passenger trains and rail transit. We have worked since 1967 to expand the quality and quantity of passenger rail in the U.S. Our mission is to work towards a modern, customer-focused national passenger train network that provides a travel choice Americans want. Our work is supported by over 22,000 individual members.