[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 28 (Tuesday, March 14, 2000)]
[House]
[Page H956]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
CONGRESSIONAL RURAL CAUCUS/RURAL TRANSPORTATION
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Deal of Georgia). Under a previous order
of the House, the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Ney) is recognized for 5
minutes.
Mr. NEY. Mr. Speaker, tonight I rise, along with my colleagues before
me, to promote the kick-off of the Congressional Rural Caucus. I am
proud to be a member of this caucus, which will work to better
represent the interests of rural America by raising awareness of the
needs of communities in these areas.
Mr. Speaker, my district, the 18th Congressional District of Ohio, is
mostly rural, made up of people who proudly support the coal and steel
industries, agriculture, and various other manufacturing industries. A
native of the Ohio Valley, I have represented this district for a
number of years, both as a State Representative and a State Senator,
and now in Congress. I am well aware of the needs of the people who
live there.
Tonight previously Members heard from colleagues who talked about
education in rural America. We also heard about telecommunications.
Tonight I want to focus on transit, but there are a lot of other needs
today. There is housing.
We were visited by Bruce Veldt from the Ohio Department of
Development who was talking to us about rural housing initiatives. We
have had many people who are concentrating on the things that are
important, and they are coming from the State of Ohio. They are
communicating more. But I think this kick-off of our Congressional
Rural Caucus is something that is going to be able to work across all
50 States to help rural America.
Mr. Speaker, unfortunately, too often rural communities have been an
afterthought in Federal policy discussions and program development. The
establishment of the bipartisan Congressional Rural Caucus, which
currently has 112 members, will help to ensure that the interests of
rural America are properly represented in Federal policy and
legislation.
One area that undoubtedly exhibits the need for better representation
of rural America is the transportation arena. Rural areas are often
left out of negotiations when State transportation planning is being
planned, with most of the decision-making power being left to the State
and metropolitan officials, who have a place at the table.
In June of 1998, when Congress passed the landmark Transportation
Equity Act for the 21st century, better known as TEA-21, it marked the
beginning of a new era in rural transportation. In addition to
providing more Federal funds to help improve the infrastructure and
services in rural America, the new law reinforces the intermodal
philosophy and takes an important first step in strengthening the role
local officials wield in the decision-making process and planning
process.
As a member of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, I
was privileged to have served on the TEA-21 conference committee. I am
proud to have fought for the language which increased the presence of
local rural officials in the transportation and planning process. This
is good for rural America and it is good for transportation.
However, challenges abound in rural areas. The needs still greatly
outpace Federal, State, and local resources. I would like to just give
a few examples.
One in every 14 households in rural America is without a vehicle,
despite being the most prevalent mode of transportation. Nearly 38
percent of county roads are inadequate for current travel, and nearly
half of major rural bridges are structurally deficient.
This is significant, as 81 percent or 3.1 million miles of the
Nation's public highway system exist in rural America.
While still an important mode of transportation, inner city bus
service has almost completely disappeared off the face of rural
America. In 1965, 23,000 communities were linked together with daily
bus service. As we start the new century, that number has dwindled to a
mere 4,500, from 23,000 down to 4,500. Those are communities with rural
routes. Too often the rural routes are the ones that are eliminated.
This decline has implications, not only for passenger service, but
also for essential freight services, as intercity buses often provide
the only daily package express service in remote rural communities.
Public transit is becoming a vital source of transportation in rural
areas, especially as disabled and elderly populations rise. Yet, 38
percent of rural residents live in an area without any form of public
transportation. This can be directly linked to the fact that less than
10 percent of Federal spending for public transportation goes to rural
communities.
Air service is often seen as an essential factor in attracting and
retaining businesses in rural communities, but the high cost of
subsidizing service limits its availability. On this, the eve of the
day when Congress is scheduled to take up the Aviation Investment and
Reform Act, or known as AIR-21, the conference report, a bill which
will reauthorize and increase funding for Federal aviation programs, as
well as provide improved passenger service to rural areas, on this eve,
I wish to thank the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Shuster) and the
rest of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure who, on a
bipartisan basis, have recognized the needs of rural America when it
comes to aviation.
TEA-21 does help ensure rural elected officials and communities are
represented in the planning process, which is best described as the
gateway for accessing Federal transportation funds. This will help
States develop comprehensive plans that use our limited resources most
wisely, as well as contribute to the economic and social growth of
rural areas.
Even with the new TEA-21 provisions, however, rural elected officials
are still on an uneven playing field with urban and state officials.
That is why members of groups like the National Association of
Counties, National League of Cities, National Association of
Development Organizations and the American Public Works Association
continue to advocate federal legislation that closes the equity gap in
planning and programming.
In conclusion, Mr. Speaker, transportation is an essential component
of addressing the needs of rural America. It not only connects people
to jobs, health care and family in a way that enhances one's quality of
life, but it also serves as the lifeline of the rural and national
economies. I look forward to serving with the other members of the
Congressional Rural Caucus and to bettering the lives of those we
serve.
I just want to pay tribute to the rural caucus, who is going to
absolutely make life better across rural America by their bipartisan
effort.
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