![]() |
A full house packed the Maitland Civic Center for Monday's U.S. House field hearing on America's transportation needs. Photo by Linda Stewart. |
Sierra Club believes we need a transportation system that breaks our addiction to oil while creating jobs by providing transportation choices to all Americans. Oil dependence and lack of transportation choices has a profound impact on the well-being of American families and the economy. Nowhere is this truer than in Central Florida, with America ’s highest percentage of family earnings spent on transportation needs.
Talk about these goals were completely missing from testimony heard at Monday’s Florida Field Hearing held in Maitland by the U.S. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, chaired by Congressman John Mica (R-Winter Park) with 4 fellow committee members present, including Rep. Corrine Brown (D-Jacksonville) and Rep. Nick Rahall (D-WV). Previous public hearings were held in West Virginia , Ohio , Indiana , Illinois , Oregon , California , Arkansas and Tennessee to inform the House Committee's work on the transportation reauthorization bill.
The event was well attended by the public and several local elected officials (mayors, commissioners, city council members) representing
FDOT Asst. Secretary Ananth Prasad testified that in tough times no federal money should be spent on highway landscaping, sidewalks and bike facilities, a position supported by Bob Burleson of the Transportation Builders Association, and one we’re sure our bicycle and pedestrian group coalition members will find most distressing. Burleson also supported eliminating all transit funding from the highway trust fund, saying it should instead come from the general fund (where it could be subject to the level of budget cuts being experienced by a wide range of programs), and called for a change by 2020 from the gas tax to one based on vehicle miles traveled, as more efficient cars and trucks contribute lower taxes while creating the same need for road repair as low mileage gas guzzlers. Today's gas tax ($.184/gal) has not been increased since 1993, making it effectively $.13 in today's dollars.
No mention was made of negative environmental impacts on
Sierra Club's Central Florida Transportation Chair John Puhek held a large poster of an Acela high speed train during the hearing to show the committee that
Rep. Mica said that written comments would continue to be received for the next two weeks. If you have not already done so, please send your comment on America & Florida’s transportation needs to marti.daltry@sierraclub.org - she’ll forward them to the U.S. House Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure.
Marti Daltry and Phil Compton, Sierra Club Florida Green Transportation Campaign staff
Marti Daltry and Phil Compton, Sierra Club Florida Green Transportation Campaign staff