[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 567 Introduced in House (IH)]






107th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 567

Recognizing the importance of surface transportation infrastructure to 
interstate and international commerce and the traveling public and the 
 contributions of the trucking, rail, and passenger transit industries 
            to the economic well being of the United States.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            October 1, 2002

Mr. Gary G. Miller of California (for himself, Mr. Young of Alaska, Mr. 
Oberstar, Mr. Blumenauer, Mr. Honda, Mr. Rogers of Michigan, Mr. Otter, 
 Mr. Graves, Mr. Shuster, Mr. Platts, Mr. Brown of South Carolina, Mr. 
Isakson, and Mr. Boozman) submitted the following resolution; which was 
     referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
Recognizing the importance of surface transportation infrastructure to 
interstate and international commerce and the traveling public and the 
 contributions of the trucking, rail, and passenger transit industries 
            to the economic well being of the United States.

Whereas prior to 1890, the United States lacked a holistic, intermodal surface 
        transportation system that linked rural towns and farmland to urban 
        areas and cities for the purposes of travel and interstate commerce;
Whereas the emergence of the automobile and truck after 1900 created a public 
        demand and economic need for improved roads, highways, and byways;
Whereas the United States transportation construction industry has built 
        3,900,000 miles of roadways, 200,000 miles of freight and passenger 
        railroad track, and 5,800 miles of mass transit track with more than 
        2,300 stations;
Whereas the construction of roads and highways requires the skills of numerous 
        occupations, including those in the contracting, engineering, planning 
        and design, materials supply, manufacturing, distribution, and safety 
        industries;
Whereas by 2020 the number of registered vehicles in the United States is 
        expected to grow from 225,000,000 to about 275,000,000, requiring 
        improvements to roads and highways;
Whereas the industries which design, construct, and maintain roads and highways 
        generate $200,000,000,000 for the economy annually and sustain about 
        2,200,000 jobs;
Whereas the advent of the truck, and technological advances expanding its cargo 
        capacity, dramatically increased the ability of the United States to 
        transport goods more quickly and efficiently;
Whereas the trucking industry had $606,000,000,000 in gross freight revenues, 
        representing 87.5 percent of the Nation's freight bill in 2000;
Whereas intercity trucks logged 1,093,000,000 ton-miles in 1999, representing 
        almost 30 percent of the total domestic intercity ton-miles logged by 
        all modes;
Whereas commercial trucks consumed more than 44,000,000,000 gallons of fuel and 
        paid $30,500,000,000 in Federal and State highway-user taxes in 1999;
Whereas by 2013 the total number of commercial trucks will increase by a third, 
        from 6,000,000 to 8,000,000;
Whereas there were 3,090,000 truck drivers in 2000 and 9,900,000 employed 
        throughout the United States economy in jobs that relate to the trucking 
        industry in 1999;
Whereas trucks transported more than 83 percent of the value of trade between 
        the United States and Mexico and more than 73 percent between the United 
        States and Canada in 1999;
Whereas prior to the development of a national system of roads and highways for 
        automobiles and trucks, the railway system served as the primary mode of 
        interstate travel for the American public and facilitated goods movement 
        throughout the United States;
Whereas America's freight railroads carry more than 40 percent of the Nation's 
        intercity freight, including approximately 70 percent of vehicles from 
        domestic manufacturers and more than 65 percent of the Nation's coal to 
        coal-fired plants;
Whereas railroads in the United States originated nearly 33,000,000 carloads of 
        freight, including more than 9,000,000 intermodal trailers and 
        containers, and had a freight volume of 1,530,000,000,000 ton-miles in 
        2000;
Whereas on average it costs 29 percent less to move freight by rail in 2000 than 
        it did in 1981 and 59 percent less in inflation-adjusted dollars;
Whereas from 1980 to 2001 Class I freight railroads invested more than 
        $290,000,000,000 to maintain and improve infrastructure and equipment 
        and reduced the number of train accidents per million train-miles by 64 
        percent;
Whereas the railroad industry employed more than 230,000 workers in 2001, 
        including engineers, conductors, clerks, executives, and maintenance 
        workers;
Whereas railways and railroads move people and commodities in an efficient way 
        and contribute more than $30,000,000,000 to the economy through wages, 
        fringe benefits, purchases, and taxes;
Whereas the public transportation system in the United States includes buses, 
        trolley-buses, vanpools, jitneys, heavy railways, light railways, 
        commuter railways, cable cars, monorails, aerial tramways, and 
        ferryboats;
Whereas Americans used public transportation a record 9,500,000,000 times in 
        2001 and transit ridership has grown 23 percent since 1995;
Whereas public expenditures to operate, maintain, and invest in public 
        transportation systems in America amount to about $15,400,000,000 each 
        year;
Whereas there are more than 360,000 transit employees who work to operate, 
        maintain, and manage America's public transportation system;
Whereas public transit helps to reduce vehicular traffic congestion on roads and 
        highways and leads to cleaner air;
Whereas public transit continues to be one of the safest modes of travel and 
        helps conserve energy and reduce America's dependency on foreign oil; 
        and
Whereas public transit has provided the elderly and millions of Americans with 
        disabilities expanded mobility and freedom to travel United States: Now, 
        therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives recognizes the 
transportation construction, trucking, railroad, and passenger transit 
industries, and those professionals who design, operate, build, and 
maintain the rights of way along which trucks, freight trains, buses, 
and commuter trains travel--
            (1) for the immense contribution they make to the economy 
        by facilitating international and interstate commerce;
            (2) for their contribution to the freedom of the traveling 
        public which uses roads, highways, and railways for the 
        purposes of business and leisure; and
            (3) for their conscientious effort to improve safety, 
        increase efficiency, and better the environment in communities 
        throughout the United States.
                                 <all>