[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 132 (Monday, September 28, 1998)]
[House]
[Page H9085]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          LIVABLE COMMUNITIES

  Mr. BLUMENAUER. Mr. Speaker, 10 days ago our community in Portland, 
Oregon celebrated an opening of a new light rail line, but what brought 
together the Vice President of the United States, numerous 
administration officials and over a quarter million Oregonians was not 
just an engineering achievement but it was, indeed, to celebrate 
another chapter in Oregon's success story of livable communities.
  It showed the power of careful investments in transportation and land 
use planning. For less than the cost of an additional freeway lane, 
which would have been very hard to build even if we had the extra 
money, we have been able to move over 25,000 people per day on the new 
line and, indeed, have the potential to double that capacity for the 
relatively modest additional investment of buying more rail cars.
  The investment has also sparked 6,000 new housing units that have 
been built, that are under construction or through the permit process 
along the light rail line and, indeed, has strengthened our downtowns, 
not just in the city of Portland but smaller communities along the 
line.
  This billion dollar investment in light rail by integrating 
engineering and artists into the planning process also provided 
fascinating public art which will enrich the community for decades to 
come. Vice President Gore clearly articulated the administration's 
commitment to protect our environment, avoiding sprawl, and giving more 
choices to families.
  That is an important part of why I am in Congress, so that we can 
deal with what America's families really care about, making sure that 
children are safe when they go out the door to school in the morning, 
that the families are economically secure and healthy, physically and 
environmentally.
  It is not too late for this Congress to address ways to promote more 
livable communities. We can begin by implementing the transit pass rule 
change that has been finally approved by the House so that we do not 
just give free parking to our employees, encouraging them to clog our 
already congested highways and pollute the air, but maybe an incentive 
to use the $10 billion transportation system that the Federal 
Government has helped invest in. The Federal Government can also lead 
by example, by having higher standards of building design. Maybe even 
the House will approve my legislation with an amendment in the 
Treasury, Postal bill that would require the post office to not build 
in floodplains, that it would not violate local regional transportation 
plans, and to work with citizens in the downtowns of our cities, large 
and small.
  Perhaps the national park system could be a laboratory in Yellowstone 
or Yosemite for how to plan the transportation and land use. Or I would 
hope that perhaps the Federal Government could address the foolish use 
of taxpayer dollars like the $114,000 home in metropolitan Houston that 
we have already spent over $800,000 repairing flood damage over the 
last 20 years.
  Every year we make huge expenditures for economic development, crime 
and education, which are in fact merely spending to fight the symptoms 
of dysfunctional communities. Last week in Portland we celebrated smart 
growth of a livable community. My hope is that we in Congress will do 
everything in our power to give every American community those tools.

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