[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 96 (Wednesday, July 9, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7115-S7116]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        PETITIONS AND MEMORIALS

  The following petitions and memorials were laid before the Senate and 
were referred or ordered to lie on the table as indicated:

       POM-163. A joint resolution adopted by the General Assembly 
     of the State of Colorado; to the Committee on Environment and 
     Public Works.

                     House Joint Resolution 97-1003

       Whereas, The federal ``Intermodal Surface Transportation 
     Efficiency Act of 1991'' (ISTEA) was designed to be the 
     comprehensive solution to federal surface transportation 
     funding since it replaced the ``Surface Transportation and 
     Uniform Relocation Assistance Act of 1987'', which marked the 
     end of the interstate era; and

[[Page S7116]]

       Whereas, The purpose of ISTEA is ``to develop a National 
     Intermodal Transportation System that is economically 
     efficient and environmentally sound, provides the foundation 
     for the Nation to compete in the global economy, and will 
     move people and goods in an energy efficient manner''; and
       Whereas, When it was proposed, ISTEA was designed to give 
     states and local governments flexibility as to how federal 
     moneys were to be spent in their regions but, in fact and 
     practice, the new federal program specifies how these moneys 
     are distributed as well as how they can be spent by states 
     and local governments; and
       Whereas, Examples of the types of categories for which 
     specified percentages of ISTEA moneys may be spent include, 
     but are not limited to, safety, enhancements, population 
     centers over 200,000 people, areas with populations under 
     5,000 people, transportation projects in areas that do not 
     meet the Clean Air Act standards, and minimum allocation, 
     reimbursement, and hold harmless programs; and
       Whereas, For the six-year duration of ISTEA, Colorado will 
     receive an estimated $1.31 billion in federal moneys, 
     compared to $1.43 billion Colorado received in the previous 
     six years; and
       Whereas, Before the enactment of ISTEA, Colorado was 
     permitted to use a portion of Interstate Maintenance Funds to 
     increase vehicle carrying capacity, but under ISTEA, capacity 
     improvements are limited to High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) 
     lanes or auxiliary lanes in nonattainment areas; and
       Whereas, Since the six-year duration of ISTEA will end 
     after the 1996 fiscal year, Congress will have to reauthorize 
     ISTEA in order to continue the federal surface transportation 
     funding to states and local governments; now, therefore,
       Be it Resolved by the House of Representatives of the 
     Sixty-first General Assembly of the State of Colorado, the 
     Senate concurring herein:
       That the Colorado General Assembly respectfully urges the 
     105th Congress of the United States to consider the following 
     proposals as ISTEA comes under scrutiny for reauthorization:
       (1) Eliminate federal mandates, sanctions, and restrictions 
     that limit the powers of the states and local governments to 
     accomplish their individual transportation needs and reduce 
     federal oversight and reporting requirements;
       (2) Transfer from the General Fund to the Highway Trust 
     Fund, for distribution to the states, the 4.3 cents per 
     gallon fuel tax added by the United States Congress in 1993; 
     and
       (3) Allow the 2.5 cents per gallon fuel tax added by the 
     United States Congress in 1990 to be deposited into the 
     Highway Trust Fund and distributed to the states, given the 
     demonstrated need for moneys for transportation systems.
       Be It Further Resolved, That copies of this Resolution be 
     sent to the President of the United States, the Speaker of 
     the United States House of Representatives, the President of 
     the United States Senate, the Speaker of the House and the 
     President of the Senate of each state's legislature of the 
     United States of America, and Colorado's Congressional 
     delegation.
       POM-164. A concurrent resolution adopted by the Legislature 
     of the State of Hawaii; to the Committee on Environment and 
     Public Works.

                    Senate Concurrent Resolution 242

       Whereas, one of the most important legislative initiatives 
     in the 105th Congress is the reauthorization of the federal 
     highway and mass transit programs, referred to as the 
     Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA); and
       Whereas, the quality of our highways and mass transit 
     systems directly affect the lives of virtually all Americans; 
     and
       Whereas, the United States Department of Transportation 
     reports that an additional $15 billion in highway investment 
     above current spending is needed annually just to maintain 
     existing highway conditions; and
       Whereas, highway users pay for construction and maintenance 
     of highways and mass transit through the Highway Trust Fund, 
     which is financed with the revenues from the federal motor 
     fuels tax; and
       Whereas, in 1993, Congress enacted a 4.3 cent per gallon 
     increase in the motor fuels highway user fee which was 
     directed into the Treasury general fund for deficit reduction 
     rather than into the Highway Trust Fund; and
       Whereas, the allocation of federal highway user fee 
     revenues among the states will be the single most contentious 
     issue in the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act 
     reauthorization debate; and
       Whereas, the allocation debate could effectively be 
     eliminated before it becomes contentious by significantly 
     increasing the total amount of federal highway funds 
     available to be allocated among the states; and
       Whereas, this can be accomplished by swift action on the 
     following two measures:
       (1) Redirecting the revenue from the 1993, 4.3 cent federal 
     motor fuels tax increase into the Highway Trust Fund; and
       (2) Removing the Highway Trust Fund from the unified budget 
     to ensure that all revenues into the Highway Trust Fund are 
     spent; and
       Whereas, failure to act on these two measures before the 
     completion of the fiscal year 1998 budget resolution means 
     this source of additional highway revenues for the State of 
     Hawaii could be lost for the entire six-year duration of the 
     Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act 
     reauthorization measures; now, therefore,
       Be it resolved by the Senate of the Nineteenth Legislature 
     of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 1997, the House of 
     Representatives concurring, that Hawaii's Congressional 
     Delegation is respectfully urged to support and enact 
     measures before the United States House of Representatives 
     and the United States Senate to redirect the revenue from the 
     1993, 4.3 cent federal motor fuels tax increase into the 
     Highway Trust Fund, and to remove the Highway Trust Fund from 
     the unified budget, before Congress completes the fiscal year 
     1998 budget resolution; and
       Be it further resolved that certified copies of this 
     Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the President of the 
     United States, the President of the United States Senate, the 
     Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, 
     Senator Daniel K. Akaka, Senator Daniel K. Inouye, 
     Representative Neil Abercrombie, and Representative Patsy T. 
     Mink.
       POM-165. A resolution adopted by the House of the 
     Legislature of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania; to the 
     Committee on Environment and Public Works.

                          House Resolution 203

       Whereas, on November 15, 1990, the President signed the 
     Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 (Public Law 101-549, 104 
     Stat. 2399); and
       Whereas, the Environmental Protection Agency has 
     demonstrated an inability to effectively promulgate fair and 
     equitable regulations pertaining to vehicle emissions which 
     frustrate the intent of the Congress of the United States to 
     permit the various states to have a range of acceptable 
     options; and
       Whereas, a number of members of Pennsylvania's 
     Congressional delegation have expressed concern over various 
     aspects to the operational parameters of the emissions 
     program as currently mandated by the Environmental Protection 
     Agency; and
       Whereas, it is quite likely that the Commonwealth will be 
     threatened with the loss of up to $1 billion in Federal 
     highway funds and possibly fined on a daily basis by a 
     Federal District Court judge; and
       Whereas, the only remedy for Pennsylvania is Congressional 
     action to relieve these penalties; therefore be it
       Resolved, That the House of Representatives of the 
     Commonwealth of Pennsylvania memorialize Congress to suspend 
     implementation of the vehicle emissions provisions of the 
     Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 and subsequent regulations 
     promulgated by the Environmental Protection Agency until 
     October 1, 1998; and be it further,
       Resolved, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to 
     the presiding officers of each house of Congress and to each 
     member of Congress from Pennsylvania.

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