[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 38 (Friday, March 21, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E562-E563]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 BART EXTENSION OF THE SAN FRANCISCO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT IS ESSENTIAL

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. TOM LANTOS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 20, 1997

  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the 
reauthorization of the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act 
[ISTEA]. Bipartisan passage of ISTEA in 1991 unveiled a new era in 
transportation funding by establishing a critical balance between 
meeting national policy objectives and providing flexibility to States 
and local governments. ISTEA works well and major changes to this 
important law are not necessary.
  Mr. Speaker, last week, I testified before the House Subcommittee on 
Surface Transportation in support of ISTEA reauthorization. ISTEA must 
maintain its focus on national priorities, intermodalism, local and 
public involvement, and consideration of environmental concerns. It 
must also be adequately funded.
  Mr. Speaker, I would like to share my thoughts with my colleagues 
here in the House of Representatives on the effectiveness of ISTEA 
programs in my region and in support of the reauthorization of the BART 
Extension to San Francisco International Airport. I respectfully 
request that my statement be included in the Record.

 Statement of Congressman Tom Lantos Before the House Subcommittee on 
                         Surface Transportation

       Good afternoon, Mr. Chairman and members of the 
     Subcommittee. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to 
     testify on what is one of the most significant issues before 
     the 105th Congress: the reauthorization of the Intermodal 
     Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA). Passage of 
     ISTEA by a large bipartisan majority of the Congress in 1991 
     was a watershed event for federal transportation policy. As 
     you know, the new law was designed to make federal programs 
     in the post-interstate era better, not bigger, by emphasizing 
     system preservation, the efficient operation of existing 
     networks, improved intermodal integration, and increased 
     state and local control over investment decisions. ISTEA has 
     been a visionary document, fostering a more diversified and 
     strengthened transportation infrastructure to enable 
     Americans to meet future challenges and opportunities.
       A key ISTEA provision for the San Francisco Bay Area is the 
     Section 3 New Rail Starts authorization for the BART 
     Extension to the San Francisco International Airport. As you 
     know, the BART Extension was authorized in the last 
     authorization of ISTEA and I strongly urge its 
     reauthorization. The project, which is located in my 
     Congressional district, will dramatically improve mobility 
     and alleviate traffic congestion by creating a state-of-the-
     art connection between the 81-mile BART system and the 
     bustling San Francisco International Airport (SFO). The SFO 
     Extension enjoys the unanimous support of the entire Bay Area 
     Congressional delegation and I am wholeheartedly committed to 
     ensuring that we build this long-awaited, national-
     significant transit project. In a few minutes, BART Board 
     Director Dan Richard will elaborate on the region's 
     reauthorization request for the SFO Extension.
       In the San Francisco Bay Area, I am happy to report, that 
     the overall implementation of ISTEA has had a profound and 
     decidedly beneficial impact on transportation planning and 
     project selection. Thanks to the superb guidance and 
     leadership of our nine-county Metropolitan Transportation 
     Commission (MTC), which has overseen implementation of the 
     program, our region has been able to seize upon the new 
     opportunities provided by ISTEA and immediately put our 
     federal dollars to work.
       Barely one month after the passage of ISTEA, MTC formed the 
     Bay Area Partnership--a consortium of local, state and 
     federal agencies--to collaborate on the optimum use of 
     ISTEA dollars. The Partnership quickly initiated a process 
     to screen and rank project proposals based on ISTEA goals 
     for efficiency, equity and multi-modalism. Working by 
     consensus engendered strong local support, which enabled 
     the Bay Area to obligate nearly 200 of its first round of 
     Surface Transportation Program (STP) and Congestion 
     Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) Improvement Program 
     projects years ahead of official obligation deadlines.
       In terms of the MTC region, ISTEA's flexible funding 
     provisions have been pivotal to the program's success. ISTEA 
     has literally revolutionized the way transportation 
     priorities are set and how projects are selected for funding 
     in the Bay Area. Instead of the rigid funding categories of 
     the past, Bay Area communities have the latitude to invest in 
     smaller, more cost-effective projects that deliver more 
     immediate results.
       Local flexibility has also enabled many worthy projects to 
     advance--everything from a joint intermodal terminal at the 
     Port of Oakland to BART rail rehabilitations to expansion of 
     MIC's popular roving Freeway Service Patrol tow trucks and 
     various highway and local street improvements throughout the 
     region. In all, MTC, with the Partnership's help, has 
     approved 432 projects worth more than $460 million in STP and 
     CMAQ funds. Along the way, the process continues to be 
     refined and improved to elevate only the most efficient, 
     effective transportation projects for funding. The success of 
     each of these transportation projects is an extraordinary 
     testament to the value of local decision-making coupled with 
     the inherent flexibility of ISTEA.

[[Page E563]]

       Mr. Chairman, as your Subcommittee prepares to mark up a 
     surface transportation reauthorization measure, I urge you to 
     retain ISTEA's basic program structure, which has proven so 
     successful in the San Francisco Bay Area and in other parts 
     of the country. I also encourage you to oppose efforts to 
     repeal or reduce the federal gas tax. These ill-advised 
     policies would wreak havoc on the federal Treasury, weaken 
     our economic competitiveness, and could undermine national 
     security interests. Finally, I urge members of the 
     Subcommittee to consider the financial burdens that transit 
     operators must bear in meeting the paratransit requirements 
     of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Transit operators are 
     already reeling from steep reductions in Section 9 operating 
     assistance and can ill-afford to absorb these new costs 
     without federal assistance.
       Mr. Chairman, at this time I would like to introduce Dan 
     Richard, a member of the BART Board of Directors, who is here 
     to address the BART Extension to the San Francisco 
     International Airport, our region's number one priority for 
     federal New Rail Starts. I look forward to the day in the not 
     too distant future when BART initiates service to the 
     airport. With your Subcommittee's continued support, Mr. 
     Chairman, I am confident that we will reach that goal, and 
     when we do, it will be a proud achievement for all Americans.
       Again, thank you for the opportunity to testify. I look 
     forward to continuing to work with you and in supporting your 
     efforts to enact a strong surface transportation bill which 
     will meet our nation's transportation infrastructure needs in 
     the next century.

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