Public Forum on Plan 2040 Nov 9 (North Fulton, North DeKalb, Gwinnett)

Fast‐growing region needs forward‐thinking plan: Civic League, ARC seek citizen input on Nov. 9

Residents of North Fulton, North DeKalb and Gwinnett counties are invited to join The Civic League for Regional Atlanta and the Atlanta Regional Commission on Tuesday, Nov. 9 from 6:45 to 9:00 p.m. for a public forum on Plan 2040, the 10‐county region’s plan for guiding economic and population growth sustainably over the next 30 years. The Plan 2040 Forum will be held at Christ the King Lutheran Church (5575 Peachtree Parkway, Norcross GA 30092), and though this is a free event, registration is requested by Nov. 5.

With a projected population increase of around 3 million people by 2040, regional citizens and policymakers have much to consider ‐‐ How will we all get around? How much farther out (or up) should our communities grow? How do we balance what we want against what we really need? Planners from ARC will be on hand at this event to explain Plan 2040 and answer questions, and The Civic League will facilitate a group discussion designed to solicit thoughtful feedback from all participants.

Since June, The Civic League and ARC have been hosting Plan 2040 Forums in communities around the region to engage a broad cross‐section of citizens in planning for the region’s continued strong growth. The Nov. 9 forum is located for the convenience of individuals who live or work in northeast metro communities, including Chamblee, Doraville, Dunwoody, Norcross, Lilburn, Berkley Lake, Lawrenceville, Roswell, Sandy Springs, Alpharetta, Johns Creek and Suwanee.
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Opinion: Traffic Congestion Relief within Reach?

By Candace Boothby, President, Newnan-Coweta Chamber of Commerce, and Terry Lawler, Executive Director, Regional Business Coalition of Metro Atlanta

From Five Points to Five Forks Trickum and from Moreland to Marietta, metro Atlantans face daily challenges when traveling around our community.

And everyone has a personal story to tell: The missed dance recital, the late arrival to the ball game, the missed flight or even the melted ice cream on the car seat coming home from the supermarket.

And sometimes it's an even bigger story.

Like the manufacturer who needed to move to a neighboring county to expand the size of its factory only to find that a large percentage of its existing employees quit because of the increased commute time.

Or the telecom company that realized only too late that its new call center wasn't located near transit services which were primarily used by its employees to get to work.

Every day metro Atlantans, and metro Atlanta businesses, face increasing mobility challenges.

But Atlantans, and Georgians, have always responded to past challenges.

Some folks said we would never get the Olympics. But we did.

Some folks said the Atlanta Airport would never be the world's largest or busiest. But it is.

And a lot of people said Atlanta and Georgia would never vote for a lottery to fund college scholarships, pre-K and educational technology. But we did that too.

Now some folks are saying we don't need additional funds to make improvements to metro Atlanta's transportation systems.

What would happen if we didn't make those improvements?

You don't really want to see that happen.

According to GDOT, commute times in metro Atlanta will increase dramatically, potentially doubling today's commute times. In other words, a rush hour commute from Perimeter Center to I-20 could take over 2 hours in the coming years...on a normal day.

Metro Atlanta transit systems, which provide services to a quarter of a million riders daily, could be operating at half of today's capacity, adding tens of thousands of cars to metro Atlanta's highways every day and potentially devastating Atlanta's tourism and convention business.

Tractor trailer truck traffic, which is growing at least 50% faster than automobile traffic, could double tractor trailer congestion on I-75, I-85, I-20 and I-285 in the future.

Express bus services would have to be discontinued, adding potentially thousands of additional cars on metro Atlanta's highways daily, especially in our outlaying communities.

Metro Atlanta would no longer have just traffic congestion. Metro Atlanta would have "Extreme Traffic Congestion."

But like our past challenges, extreme traffic congestion in metro Atlanta can be overcome.

The Georgia legislature is presently looking at a regional transportation funding mechanism that would allow metro Atlanta residents the option to raise the needed funds to address traffic congestion and other future transportation needs.

Traffic congestion is not a republican problem, nor is it a democrat problem or an independent problem. It is everyone's problem.

Our legislators have the ability to provide the citizens of metro Atlanta with the opportunity to avoid "Extreme Traffic Congestion."

We need to let our legislators know that metro Atlanta voters need that opportunity, and we need it now.

The Regional Business Coalition of Metropolitan Atlanta (RBC) is an organization of over a dozen local Chambers of Commerce throughout the metro Atlanta region. The RBC's primary goal is to represent the interests of RBC Chamber members on public policy issues impacting our transportation, water and air quality and to advocate for solutions that improve metro Atlanta's quality of life and economic vitality.

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Sen. Orrock, Rep. Taylor, Atlanta Mayor-elect Reed to Join AFL-CIO Vice President and Atlanta Unions at Friday Event to Show Support for TSA Workers

/PRNewswire/ -- Georgia Senator Nan Orrock, Representative Rashad Taylor and Atlanta Mayor-elect Kasim Reed will join AFL-CIO Executive Vice President Arlene Holt-Baker at an event Friday to show support for Transportation Security Officers in Atlanta, and for the work being done by the American Federation of Government Employees, the union for TSOs. A number of labor unions and Atlanta organizations also will take part in the solidarity event.

Friday's press conference is being in held in conjunction with AFGE and the AFL-CIO's National TSO Solidarity Week, with events being held in more than 30 cities nationwide. In stark contrast to other employees at the Department of Homeland Security, and most other federal employees, TSOs are denied the basic workplace rights they so rightly deserve.

"It's been a long and difficult fight, but TSOs are so close to getting the collective bargaining rights they so desperately need," AFGE National President John Gage said. "It's more important than ever that we all show support for this dedicated workforce."

AFGE Local 555 represents TSOs throughout Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama, and South Carolina. AFGE has represented the TSA workforce since the agency was created in 2001. The union currently has approximately 12,000 dues-paying TSA members at more than 100 airports in 36 union Locals nationwide.

Who: American Federation of Government Employees Local 555
Arlene Holt-Baker, executive vice president, AFL-CIO
Nan Orrock, Georgia State senator, D-36
Rashad Taylor, Georgia State representative, D-55
Kasim Reed, mayor-elect, City of Atlanta
Richard Ray, president, Georgia State AFL-CIO
Charlie Key, secretary-treasurer, Georgia State AFL-CIO
Charlie Fleming, president, Atlanta-North Georgia Labor
Council, AFL-CIO
C.T. Martin, vice chair, Atlanta Transportation Committee
Larry Pellegrini, executive director, Georgia Rural Urban Summit
Rev. Gregory Williams, president, Atlanta's Building
Leadership for Empowerment
Representatives of the Association of Flight Attendants (AFA);
American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees
(AFSCME), Communications Workers of America (CWA),
International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers
(IAM), and UNITE HERE

What: Will show support for collective bargaining rights at the
Transportation Security Administration, and for the efforts by the
American Federation of Government Employees, the union for
Transportation Security Officers across the country

Where: Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Conference Room 1
(3rd floor Executive Conference Center)

When: Friday, Dec. 18; 10 a.m.

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Cap-and-tax slams economy without affecting ‘climate change’

Westmoreland: ‘I have never seen a more economically destructive piece of legislation’

U.S. Rep. Lynn Westmoreland today voted against the “cap-and-tax” bill called the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009. The bill, which passed 219-212, essentially implements a national energy tax in an effort to limit greenhouse emissions.

“In all my years in elected office, I’ve never seen the people’s representatives pass a more economically destructive piece of legislation than this,” Westmoreland said. “This cap-and-tax system will dramatically raise the cost of business, raise the costs of products, raise the cost of transportation; it will cost many good-paying jobs while at the same time causing the cost of living to soar for American families – about $3,000 a year more in energy costs for the average family of four.

“The numbers just don’t add up. This is liberal fantasy. We can cut our standard of living to the bone and it’s not going to make a difference when China is building six new coal-fired plants a week and when there’s similar growth in India. In case the leaders in Congress and at the White House haven’t noticed, it’s darn hard to find employment right now and this legislation makes it worse by costing the nation well over a million jobs over the next 35 years. And for what? To cut the global temperature by 1 degree by 2050?

“The businesses that provide jobs to Americans are simply going to relocate to other countries with less stringent standards. This won’t lower global temperature. It’ll simply lower our standard of living and make it harder to find work.”

The plan proposed by House Democrats would cost $864 billion, according to the Congressional Budget Office, a price tag the nation couldn’t afford even it hadn’t spent trillions on a stimulus package, a bloated budget and corporate bailouts.

Georgia would have 82,000 fewer jobs than would be expected and would see a loss of $15 billion in GDP by 2035, according to an analysis by the Heritage Foundation.

“When we talk about the costs of these laws, we talk about billions and trillions,” Westmoreland said. “Those numbers are impossible for people to understand. But Georgians understand what an extra $300 to $400 a month in energy costs will do to their family budgets – it’ll be devastating for many families.”

“Every Democratic ‘energy bill’ increases taxes, increases regulation, hurts businesses, raises the cost of living and increases our dependence on foreign oil,” Westmoreland said. “Our best hope is an ‘all of the above’ energy policy, that increases clean sources such as nuclear, and an investment in continued research into energy alternatives.”

Westmoreland points that even leading Democrats admit this bill will hit American families hard.

President Obama has said, “Under my plan of a cap-and-trade system, electricity rates will necessarily skyrocket.” Obama went on to admit that retrofitting power plants “would cost money and they will pass that money on to consumers.”

Michigan Democrat Rep. John Dingell, the longest-serving House member in history, said during an Energy and Commerce Committee hearing: “Nobody in this country realizes that cap and trade is a tax, and it’s a great big one.”

Georgia Tech Research Institute Hosts Secretary of Transportation

U. S. Transportation Secretary Mary E. Peters toured Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) labs and questioned researchers on the latest technology that addresses transportation issues.

Georgia Tech Interim President Gary Schuster welcomed Secretary Peters and Georgia Department of Transportation Commissioner Gena Abraham to GTRI’s Cobb County research facility and was pleased to share Georgia Tech’s ongoing research with them.

“One of the broad thrust areas on which we are focused is energy and environmental sustainability, and much of our work in this arena has a direct bearing on transportation,” said Schuster. “More specifically, our work in energy focuses on efficiency, conservation and new sources, and all three of these areas have significance for transportation.”

GTRI researcher Bob Englar described his work on aerodynamics technology developed for jet plane wings and how his team is applying it to tractor trailer trucks to help them conserve fuel.
Their goal is to reduce the drag on 18-wheelers by at least a third, and perhaps even as much as half, which would improve their fuel efficiency by 12 percent or more. A 1 percent improvement in fuel economy in the U.S. heavy truck fleet conserves 200 million gallons of fuel. So a 12 percent improvement means saving more than 2 billion gallons of fuel.

Tom Fuller and his team in the GTRI Center for Innovative Fuel Cell and Battery Technology presented their research with fuel cells. The fuel cell is expected to be the next significant new energy source for transportation. Both Honda and Toyota are road-testing fuel-cell cars, which are much more efficient than today’s hybrids. And last year Georgia Tech successfully flew the largest hydrogen fuel cell-powered aircraft to date.

Coca Cola Enterprises also unveiled the company’s new hybrid Coca Cola delivery vehicles. According to Peters, Georgia Tech researchers are working hard to solve real problems affecting the transportation industry, and Coca Cola Enterprises is showing how new technology is being embraced by industry.

In addition, Secretary Peters announced a new funding plan for the U.S. Transportation Department and used Atlanta as a model for a city willing to try new ways to save and use energy efficiently.

Subcommittee Examines Efficiency of Nation's Transportation Infrastructure

Today, the Subcommittee on Technology and Innovation held a hearing to review ongoing Federal, State, academic, and industry research and development (R&D) activities intended to reduce lifecycle energy consumption and fuel use, and also to promote sustainability for surface transportation infrastructure.

“There are approximately 4 million miles of roads in this country and Americans drive approximately 4 trillion miles per year,” noted Subcommittee Ranking Member Phil Gingrey (R-GA). “To support all this traffic, government expenditures on our highways are approximately $140 billion annually. Unfortunately, even with this constant influx in spending, our infrastructure cannot support our growing traffic needs.”

Gingrey continued, “The priority of research and development in the transportation sector has lagged behind construction and rehabilitation, but the challenges that now face our transportation infrastructure will require innovative designs and technologies.”

The surface transportation sector is a major contributor to energy use and pollution, accounting for approximately 33 percent of carbon emissions in the U.S. annually. While materials and technologies currently exist to combat pollution and energy waste from transportation infrastructure, there are cost and other logistical decisions that have limited their widespread implementation.

Advocating for a larger research budget at the Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA), Rep. Vernon Ehlers (R-MI) spoke highly of efforts to promote a more efficient, sustainable transportation infrastructure, noting that further research would pay for itself in the long term. Within the U.S. Department of Transportation, RITA has sought to effectively prioritize transportation research programs, identify innovation gaps, and coordinate research and technology efforts within the Department, and throughout the transportation community.

Further highlighting the benefits of increased investments in R&D, one of today’s witnesses, Dr. Christopher Poe, Assistant Agency Director at the Texas Transportation Institute (TTI), cited a study conducted by TTI in order to estimate the benefits of improving mobility in congested Texas cities. The 2003 study concluded that an increase in spending of $66 billion, in order to reduce traffic congestion, would generate $540 billion in savings from lower travel delay, reduced fuel consumption and business efficiency. This total return on investment represents an 8 to 1 return ration.

Witnesses at today’s hearing also urged additional technology transfer and education efforts in order to engage policymakers and the public to pursue greater use of these new technologies. They noted that a strong partnership between the research and user communities is vital to ensure that R&D efforts are tied to user needs and that demonstration projects prove the effectiveness of various technologies and materials.

Mayor Franklin’s Testimony at the United States Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs

GFP Note: Mayor Shirley Franklin was one of four mayors who testified before a Congressional Committee on June 12, 2008 on declining infrastructure and the financial impact. The talk is worth reviewing. The chart mentioned in the mayor's talk can be found at at this link.

Good Morning, Chairman Dodd, Ranking Member Shelby and Members of the Committee. I appreciate the opportunity to testify before the Committee on the condition of the infrastructure in the City of Atlanta. As I am sure you are aware, the infrastructure of most, if not all, American cities is in a declining state. We mayors are on the front lines, coping daily with frequent shortfalls in our aging infrastructure while we struggle to address the staggering costs of repairs, and more often than not are unable to even consider the expense of replacement of these critical systems.

When I took office as Mayor of the City of Atlanta in January 2002, it did not take long for me to realize that the City’s severely neglected infrastructure would require my immediate attention, particularly the rebuilding of our water and sewer infrastructure. We recently passed the halfway mark in our $4 billion Clean Water Atlanta Initiative, the details of which I will share with you momentarily.

In Atlanta, there is also a pressing need for a broader and more comprehensive approach to transportation planning and funding focused on a more pedestrian and public transit-oriented system. Last year, I testified before the National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Commission about the City of Atlanta’s transportation vision and its relationships with transportation agencies and transit providers in the Region. Our transportation infrastructure is critical to the economic well-being of Atlanta and its residents, especially given that U.S. Census figures estimate the City’s population will increase to 850,000 residents by the year 2030 – a 75 percent increase above our 2005 population of 483,000. Probably nowhere is our population growth and increasing congestion more visible than on our urban streets and regional freeways.

Mr. Chairman and Members of the Committee, Atlanta’s water and sewer system and transportation infrastructure system are the areas on which I will focus my testimony.
Water and Sewer Infrastructure.

Clean drinking water and wastewater are local, regional and national issues. Cities must continue to do their part to address the challenges facing our water and sewer infrastructure systems. However, we cannot do it alone. We need state support and support from Washington. We need a partner in the federal government. Let me tell you about what we’re doing in Atlanta.

Clean Water Atlanta Initiative

In the Fall of 2002, I announced the launch of the Clean Water Atlanta Program, a comprehensive long-term program involving a complete overhaul of the City’s water and sewer infrastructure. The program includes a $4 billion, court-ordered mandate to repair and replace the City’s water and sewer infrastructure, which will ensure that our residents and businesses have clean drinking water and that our downstream neighbors have safe water supplies.
As part of the Clean Water Program, we have drastically reduced sanitary and combined sewer overflows; separated the sewers, leaving only the downtown area with combined sewers; built more than 120 miles of new water mains; inspected more than 1,000 miles of sewers; and rehabbed about 250 miles of sewers. As a result of these efforts, one of our primary waterways – the Chattahoochee River – is cleaner than it was 10 years ago.

Although we have secured $500 million in low-interest state loans and approximately $6 million in grants from the EPA, we have undertaken this major project largely on the backs of the City’s residents, some 25 percent of whom live at or below the poverty line. Atlanta’s customers are already paying some of the country’s highest water and sewer rates. When you add the challenges associated with our drought to these infrastructure costs, the problem becomes even larger.

The condition of Atlanta’s water and sewer infrastructure has a profound effect not just on the City, but on the entire Metropolitan region. Atlanta is the economic engine of the State of Georgia and the City’s continuing prosperity has impacts well beyond its geographical boundaries throughout the entire Southeast. Atlanta cannot grow in an economically sound and sustainable way without reliable water and sewer systems. And if Atlanta’s growth stalls, Georgia and the Southeast will suffer.

National Scope of Water and Sewer Problems

Atlanta’s situation is not unique. Most American cities either are now or will soon be facing the problems Atlanta is facing. The American Society of Civil Engineers estimates that there is a $534 billion funding gap between what is available and what the needs are nationwide for water projects. The nation’s 54,000 drinking water systems face staggering public investment needs over the next 20 years. Although America spends billions on infrastructure each year, drinking water faces an annual shortfall of at least $11 billion to replace aging facilities that are near the end of their useful life and to comply with existing and future federal water regulations. The shortfall does not account for any growth in the demand for drinking water over the next 20 years.

The drinking water lost from leaking pipes can range from 5 to 40 percent in some cities, which is a tremendous cost in terms of water loss. This is occurring at a time when 35 percent of cities will face water shortages by 2025, according to the U.S. Conference of Mayors’ 2005 survey of cities.

According to a 2004 estimate, the Environmental Protection Agency says the nation’s sewers are in such woeful shape that we are discharging 850 billion gallons of combined sewer
overflows a year into our streams and rivers, and another 10 billion gallons of sanitary sewer overflows.

Local governments are the primary investor in water and wastewater infrastructure in the U.S. According to the U.S. Conference of Mayors, the local government share of spending on sewer infrastructure and services is more than 95 percent, with the state share being less than 5 percent. For water systems infrastructure and services, the local government share is more than 99 percent. The trend is for greater spending on water and sewer infrastructure and services due to a variety of factors including population growth and land use, an aging water infrastructure requiring ongoing maintenance and rehabilitation, and the impacts of climate change.

Attached to my statement is a chart compiled by the U.S. Conference of Mayors, which reflects these trends. As you will see, local governments shoulder a significant portion of these growing infrastructure costs, at the same time that Congressional funding for water infrastructure and services remains nearly the same as funding levels from 10 to 20 years ago.

Completely overhauling the country’s aging infrastructure cannot be a prospect left solely to the cities, many of which struggle daily to provide the services an aging population demands. The cities are not looking for a handout. But at some point the federal government has to make a commitment to the health of the nation’s cities, and that is going to require money. Cities need a direct partner in the federal government because the country’s prosperity depends on the health of its cities.

Transportation Infrastructure

For much of the 20th century, paradigms of transportation planning assumed that building new (primarily road) infrastructure was the key to fostering economic growth. The working premise was that congestion created by new land use development could be remedied with added capacity. This pattern has indeed encouraged rapid growth in the Atlanta region. However, continuing to build such infrastructure in an effort to feed access to cheap outlying land is simply not going to be a feasible spatial or financial option moving forward. In fact, local public agencies responsible for road construction have experienced significant cost increases in recent years, causing projects to be postponed, reduced in scope or canceled altogether. In addition to the capital costs associated with highway construction funding, the growing legacy of road-building leads to higher and higher annual maintenance costs to keep the additional infrastructure safe and operational.

Challenges Facing Atlanta and the Region

Urban population growth is fueling inner-city revitalization, not only in Atlanta, but across the country. Such growth can form the basis for more environmentally-sustainable living patterns. Living and working within close proximity has many benefits. For example, by shortening distances that people travel to work and play, we can reduce our dependence on oil and combat air pollution and other adverse environmental changes that threaten our quality of life.
Unfortunately, in the last decade, we in the Metropolitan Atlanta Region have discovered that the elevated environmental and socio-economic costs of congestion threaten to limit future growth. In Atlanta, congestion is getting worse – supporting the trend of residents moving closer to the City center. This infill movement is increasing the density of the urban core, but is also placing new demands on the transportation infrastructure within the City. Five-mile trips do not require highways; they require streets, sidewalks, transit and bicycle opportunities. Our failure over the past decade to adequately expand the Metro Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority system (MARTA), along with other transportation options leaves us unprepared to accommodate future growth within the urban core.

To address our urban core congestion, the City of Atlanta has undertaken a comprehensive transit project that is part of a wide-ranging economic development initiative, which includes rails, parks, bike routes and walking trails. When completed, the Atlanta BeltLine project will improve connectivity of our existing MARTA rail system, and will ultimately connect forty-five in-town Atlanta neighborhoods. This is an exciting and innovative project that has gained wide recognition and awards as an example of creative planning and commitment to the City’s transit needs.

The bottom line is that growth outside the urban core is reaching the limits of expansion by means of sprawl, and growth inside the urban core is threatened by insufficient investment in transit infrastructure. It is incumbent upon public officials at the local, state and federal levels to focus immediately on this problem.

A vibrant, livable urban core is the necessary cornerstone of any great metropolitan region. For the State of Georgia to thrive, the Metropolitan Atlanta Region must thrive, and for this Region to thrive, the City of Atlanta must thrive. Thus, it is critical that the federal government refocus its policies and priorities to achieve better, more integrated and environmentally sensitive transportation options to better link transportation services among residential, employment and recreational destinations. The federal government must encourage states to recognize that urban areas that grew up in the age of the automobile, now must change their focus to one that embraces and pursues a broad range of transportation options, particularly in the realm of urban mobility and public transit.

Transportation as an Investment

The role of transportation as an economic investment should also be important to each of us. Even in 1998, before the daily rise in fuel prices that we are witnessing today, the average American household spent 18 percent of its income on transportation-related expenses, an amount equal to the combined total amount spent on health care and food. The current “gas crisis” is placing an intolerable financial burden on individuals and families.

Just as we invest our money individually for financial gain, we should invest our resources nationally in public infrastructure with the intent of maximizing public benefit. If we invested differently, could we create greater tax revenue returns from development? Could we create less air pollution and more opportunities for physical activity, thus reducing healthcare costs? Could we lower our dependence on foreign oil and reduce the costs associated with our need for this resource?

Infrastructure Solutions

Mr. Chairman, it is a matter of record that the federal government has reduced its overall commitment to infrastructure investment over the last couple of decades, as measured by the share of GNP allocated to these purposes, among other measures. Importantly, though, the effects of this retrenchment on states and local governments have not been uniform, with local governments bearing a disproportionate share of these reductions. For example, federal investment in wastewater infrastructure, which, as I have indicated, is a key priority for the City of Atlanta given our challenges in this area, has declined dramatically since the 1970s. At the same time, state governments have been helped in relative terms by rising federal commitments to surface transportation infrastructure, which have doubled in the last decade. Unfortunately, that increase does not trickle down to all cities. In moving forward on the legislation before you today, I would urge you to consider modifications to correct for reduced allocations in selected infrastructure areas, such as federal support for wastewater infrastructure.

Mr. Chairman, we are certainly at a point where we must broaden the mix of financing tools as we strive to meet our nation's infrastructure needs. Your legislation would add new federal resources, enabled by new federal financing mechanisms, to accomplish this objective.
As you go forward, there are some broader concerns about some of the key externalities that this legislation should address. Given the structure of this legislation, where current commitments will be financed well into the future, it is important that we focus our available resources in ways that address the challenges before us today and over the next couple of generations.

We know that reducing our energy use and our energy dependency are squarely before us. Related to energy usage is how we deal more aggressively with our significant and growing climate protection challenges. As we invest new resources, we should be embracing investments that give particular emphasis to such issues of the day.

Also, Mr. Chairman, there is the issue of unfunded liabilities. Local governments alone cannot be expected to shoulder the burden of improved infrastructure systems. Unlike unfunded infrastructure projects to build new sewer lines and treatment facilities to serve new development in outlying areas of our region, which are largely discretionary or new obligations, completing projects like Atlanta’s massive infrastructure improvement means that we can accommodate more residents and development within the City, which leads to more efficient use of energy and fewer carbon emissions. With greater transit capacity and other energy saving opportunities, such projects accomplish multiple benefits for the nation. The process for distributing federal funds should recognize and reward projects that achieve such benefits and impact.

Finally, my City is committed to working with its willing partners, the State, and the federal government to plan and finance these solutions to the fullest extent possible. Increased federal funding for infrastructure in the urban core is an essential component of our success, and that funding should come with the recognition and the flexibility to address the infrastructure needs in a comprehensive, multi-faceted manner that will truly be responsive to the demands and challenges the City faces in the 21st century.

This concludes my testimony. Mr. Chairman, thank you for this opportunity. I am pleased to answer any questions you or other Members of the Committee may have at this time.

Governor Perdue Announces IT3 Transportation Plan

Today Governor Sonny Perdue announced a new statewide transportation partnership called Investing in Tomorrow’s Transportation Today or IT3. IT3 is designed to bring the Department of Transportation, Georgia Regional Transportation Authority, the General Assembly, local partners and the executive branch together to formulate strategies that will improve transportation infrastructure throughout the state.

“As we did in education, we will transform the way we look at transportation from counting how much money we spend to an outcomes-based investment strategy to ensure we create a 21st century transportation network throughout the state,” said Governor Sonny Perdue.

Throughout the summer and fall, the state’s transportation agencies will be working in collaboration with the General Assembly’s transportation committees and stakeholders throughout Georgia to develop a business case for transportation investment. Included will be the definition of strategic goals and policies, benchmarking with other states’ transportation successes and examination of ways to financially support outcomes.

During the press conference, Governor Perdue announced that the state will fund 28 new GRTA buses using a combination of state and federal dollars. The Xpress service has proven a successful way to provide reliable commute alternatives for residents of metropolitan Atlanta who have work destinations in the Downtown and Midtown areas of the city of Atlanta. These additions to the Xpress fleet are based on consumer demand on routes originating in Conyers, Stockbridge, Newnan, Buford, Douglasville, Canton and Snellville. These buses will serve new routes and supply more bus departure times on existing routes.

“I think with standing room only on buses and gas at four dollars a gallon, we need more transportation options, and that’s what I am committed to do by funding additional GRTA buses,” said Governor Perdue. “One bus can take up to 57 cars off the road and we understand with the addition of these new buses increased ridership will ease congestion.”

Governor Perdue also voiced his strong support for a commuter rail pilot project from Atlanta to Griffin, previously known as the Lovejoy line. The extension of the line from Lovejoy to Griffin is anticipated to improve ridership by 40 percent while only requiring a marginal increase in operating costs. GDOT will work in partnership with GRTA in executing the next steps in bringing the line to fruition.

Such steps will include obtaining commitments from local governments to partner with state in supporting operations on the Griffin line. Among the criteria for success will include providing reliable service that saves commuters time and money.

“I am fully prepared to support GDOT’s efforts on commuter rail and making the pilot a reality,” said Governor Perdue. “After looking at the operational costs that I’ve seen it makes sense to go all the way to Griffin using this pilot program.”

Governor Perdue was joined at the press conference by DOT Commissioner Gena Abraham and members of the DOT and GRTA boards.

“After nearly two decades in state government at various levels, I believe that this is the best state transportation board I have had the privilege to work with,” Governor Perdue said. “I am eager to continue working closely with them and the General Assembly in this critical effort.”

GDOT Announces Transportation Enhancement Funding Awards

State Transportation Board member Bill Kuhlke, Jr., of Augusta, today announced the recipients of Transportation Enhancement (TE) program funds for Fiscal Year 2008 & Fiscal Year 2009 for the 10th Congressional District.

The TE program is federally-funded and was originally established in 1991 by the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA). The program was continued by the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act – A Legacy For Users (SAFETEA-LU) in 2005. The Georgia DOT’s Planning Office manages the TE program in Georgia.

“I’m delighted to announce these grants,” Kuhlke said. “We received a great many excellent applications from communities and organizations in the 10th District. Unfortunately, we could not fund them all in this grant phase. These which are being funded showed great local government commitment to improving their community’s quality of life and their local elected leaders and state legislators are to be commended.”

The TE program’s goal is to enrich the transportation experience of Georgians through specific types of enhancement projects. The kinds of projects funded by the TE program include multi-use facilities such as walking and biking trails and paths; streetscaping and landscaping projects in cities and towns; historic preservation of transportation-related facilities like railroad depots; and scenic preservation of views and scenic byways.

This year, the Georgia DOT received a total of 285 eligible applications representing combined requests for more than $176 in federal funds from all 13 congressional districts. In this selection round, $54.6 million in federal funds are available for Fiscal Years 2008 and 2009 for distribution statewide.

Up to 80 percent of the funds being used for these projects have been provided by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), with the local government funding the remainder of the total project cost. The local government project sponsor is responsible for implementing the TE project and obtaining federal reimbursement from Georgia DOT.

To aid in the project selection, the Georgia DOT relies on an extensive in-house technical review and the Transportation Enhancement Advisory Panel, which was formed in 1992. The advisory panel group of professionals, representing statewide expertise in the various TE project categories, evaluated each application and forwarded its recommendations to the State Transportation Board for final selection of the funded projects.

The selected projects in the 10th Congressional District are:

· $440,000 to the University of Georgia Board of Regents for a greenway connector in Clarke County – a pedestrian/bike trail across the North Oconee River linking the University of Georgia’s River Trail with Athens/Clarke County’s Oconee River Greenway, advocated by State Senators Bill Cowsert, R-Athens, and Ralph Hudgens, R-Hull, as well as State Representatives Bob Smith, R-Watkinsville, Keith Heard, D-Athens, and Doug McKillip, D-Athens;

· $500,000 to the Town of Grovetown in Columbia County for a one-mile extension of the Euchee Creek Trail from Harlem-Grovetown Road to Reynolds Farm Road, advanced by State Senator Bill Jackson, R-Appling, and State Representatives Barry Fleming, R-Harlem, and Ben Harbin, R-Evans;

· $500,000 to Elbert County for interior renovation of the Rock Gym/Armory which is being converted to a regional conference and welcome center, promoted by Sens. Jackson and Hudgens, as well as State Representative Tom McCall, R-Elberton;

· $238,880 to the Town of Union Point in Greene County for the rehabilitation of a 1962 gasoline station to be used as a welcome center, supported by State Senator Johnny Grant, R-Milledgeville, and State Representative Mickey Channell, R-Greensboro;

· $500,000 to the Town of Demorest in Habersham County for a pedestrian network streetscape project in the vicinity of US Highway 441/Central Avenue and Georgia Street, advocated by State Senator Nancy Schaefer, R-Turnerville, and State Representative Ben Bridges, R-Cleveland;

· $500,000 to the town of Braselton in Jackson County for a streetscape project on State Route 53 through the downtown area, advanced by Sen. Hudgens and State Senator Lee Hawkins, R-Gainesville, as well as Rep. McCall and State Representative Tommy Benton, R-Jefferson;

· $400,000 to the Town of Thomson in McDuffie County for the rehabilitation of the circa 1860-Thomson Depot for use as a community center, promoted by Sen. Jackson and State Representative Sistie Hudson, D-Sparta;

· $442,000 to the City of Watkinsville in Oconee County for the extension of its pedestrian network to link the central business district with the commercial and arts&park districts, supported by Sen. Cowsert and Rep. Smith;

· $600,000 to Augusta State University in Richmond County for the development of a multi-use trail and historical and archaeological interpretative displays through the school’s campus, advocated by State Senator Ed Tarver, D-Augusta, and State Representative Barbara Sims, R-Augusta; and

· $80,000 to the City of Tignall in Wilkes County for the construction of sidewalks and recreation areas being lost as the result of an economic development expansion, advanced by Sen. Jackson and Reps. Channell and Fleming.

Kuhlke said the support of the various legislators listed above was key to their respective projects’ successful funding.

More information on the TE program and applications are available on the Georgia DOT Web site. --- http://www.dot.state.ga.us/dot/plan-prog/planning/projects/te/index.shtml