[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 112 (Friday, July 25, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1588]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          METROPOLITAN WASHINGTON REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JAMES P. MORAN

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 24, 2003

  Mr. MORAN of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to join my House 
colleague, Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton today, in introducing the 
``Metropolitan Washington Regional Transportation Act.''
  No one would expect the road system and limited transit service that 
existed in the 1970s to serve us today. Yet much of the transportation 
infrastructure in this region was designed and built more than 30 years 
ago and has already reached the saturation point. A disruption on any 
single thoroughfare, be it rail or road, can overwhelm other roadways 
and shut down the entire region. Rush hour conditions in this region 
are becoming a 24-hour phenomenon. For more than a decade we have 
suffered some of the worst traffic congestion in the nation. According 
to the Greater Washington Board of Trade, this increased commuting time 
and congestion costs each man, woman, and child in the region close to 
$1,600 for each rush-hour driver in lost time, wasted fuel, and 
environmental damage. Long commutes and traffic congestion have also 
become quality-of-life issues to area residents, robbing many families 
of the one commodity Washingtonians never seem to have enough of--time.
  Some drivers facing a longer commute have even become a safety hazard 
as they race recklessly to cut a precious few minutes from their daily 
commute. For those who lack cars, the distance between employment 
opportunities and affordable housing has grown more and more difficult 
to traverse. Our economic prosperity and quality of life hinge on 
improving our congestion problem.
  Unfortunately, as we look to the future the traffic situation only 
grows worse. Even with the increase in Federal funds that Virginia, 
Maryland and DC will receive under legislation reauthorizing Federal 
surface transportation programs, ``TEA-21,'' this region will still 
fall seriously short of meeting the growing demand for transportation 
improvements. For the period of 1990 through 2020, this region can 
expect both a 43 percent increase in population and a 43 percent 
increase in employment. This growth and increased dependency on the 
automobile is expected to increase, by 79 percent, the number of 
vehicle miles traveled in the region by 2020. The Board of Trade 
estimates that transportation spending is expected to fall short of the 
region's transportation needs by more than $500 million annually.
  Any solution to current and future congestion demands strategic 
investment in both our road and mass transit system. It demands better 
land use and planning decisions and better interjurisdictional 
cooperation. And it also demands that this region come together and 
raise additional revenue to finance priority transportation projects 
that will provide immediate congestion relief. It may not be a popular 
idea, particularly in light of Northern Virginia's failed attempt to 
enact a regional sales tax for transportation improvements. I think the 
key to success, however, is with some healthy Federal incentives that 
encourage this region to do more.

  The legislation I am introducing provides a new option to help the 
metropolitan Washington region more effectively address its 
transportation needs. It has seven key elements: it turns the National 
Capital Region Transportation Planning Board into a regional 
transportation authority with the power to issue bonds, receive Federal 
grants and local funds; it directs the new authority to develop a list 
of critical congestion relief projects that have not been funded under 
current and forecasted Federal, State, or local transportation plans; 
it directs the authority within two years to contract out through the 
States, local governments or the private sector to build the approved 
list of projects; it allows tolls on interstate highways for the 
purposes of building more HOV and new HOT lanes; it grants consent to 
the metropolitan Washington region jurisdictions to enter into an 
interstate compact or agreement to create a more permanent authority 
that would help meet the region's long-term transportation needs; it 
provides $100 million annually in Federal grants to leverage more State 
and local funds; and it provides $5 million annually for expanding the 
network of non-motorized trails within the region.
  This legislation provides the framework under which regional 
transportation needs could be addressed. It requires consultation with 
State and local officials at every level and in an effort to win State 
support, the legislation preciously guards State control of both the 
corporation and the authority through veto power. It does not raise 
anyone's taxes, but it does provide a mechanism or a ``vehicle'' 
through which the local jurisdictions could coordinate and commit 
future revenues to finance the construction of specific transportation 
projects that otherwise will not get built or built anytime soon.
  The ``Metropolitan Washington Regional Transportation Act'' gives us 
a choice and helps start a debate on how we should take control and 
improve our future transportation system and improve our quality of 
life. Our failure to act and meet our transportation needs will have a 
much higher cost. The Board of Trade places the cumulative regional 
economic losses from the failure to meet our transportation needs in 
the year 2020 at between $70.2 billion to $182 billion. That economic 
loss includes: a 350 percent or $345 million increase in shipping 
costs; $1.3 billion to $2.6 billion in higher warehousing and inventory 
costs; $1,365 per household, per year, higher consumer costs; and more 
than $1,000 per household, per year, in higher personal travel costs.
  In the past, leaders from this region have shared a vision and worked 
together successfully to address important transportation needs, 
through such institutions as the Metropolitan Washington Airports 
Authority, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, and the 
National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board at the 
Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments. We need a similar 
vision to carry us forward another 30 years. The Metropolitan 
Washington Regional Transportation Act will help us craft this vision.

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