[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 100 (Wednesday, June 20, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1351-E1352]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              ARC FUNDING

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. NICK J. RAHALL II

                            of west virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 19, 2007

  Mr. RAHALL. Madam Speaker, ``a rising tide,'' President Kennedy told 
us, ``lifts all boats.'' And so one of President Kennedy's legacies was 
created in 1965 with a unique mission to serve a unique part of the 
Nation, the Appalachian region.
  Historically, the counties of Appalachia have ``faced high levels of 
poverty and economic distress resulting from geographic isolation and 
inadequate infrastructure.''
  It was with these concerns in mind that ARC was created and it is 
these concerns ARC has been addressing vigorously for the past 40 
years.
  Take for example the area of transportation, a major focus for ARC. 
ARC was developed, in part, because of the severe isolation experienced 
in Appalachia and that in order to develop Appalachia and give its 
people an opportunity to compete, a system of highways was needed. 
Enter the Appalachian Development Highway System, which was created to 
serve the transportation needs of Appalachian residents by assisting in 
the construction of highways so critically needed by Appalachian 
communities for economic growth and development.

[[Page E1352]]

  The ADHS now encompasses over 3,000 miles of Appalachian highways and 
nearly 85 percent of those roads are complete or under construction. 
The ADHS is truly a success story for ARC and all of Appalachia. 
Despite the Presidents recent budget, which requests eliminating 
funding for the Appalachian Development Highway System, it is my strong 
conviction that this program be continued at the agreed upon level set 
forth in SAFETEA-LU.
  If Members review a recent report, entitled, The Potential for an 
Uncontrolled Mass Evacuation of the DC Metro Area Following a Terrorist 
Attack: A report of Survey Findings, by West Virginia University, it 
becomes readily clear that the ARC's development highways will 
critically serve another national purpose in times of ``mass 
spontaneous evacuations,'' particularly from here, Madam Speaker, our 
Nation's Capital. This may surprise many, but about 83 percent of the 
people here plan on probably leaving, and 88 percent of those plan on 
leaving by car.
  Without doubt Appalachia, West Virginia, in particular, must be ready 
to handle such future fateful events. The ARC can be a catalyst in 
preparing for such an eventuality, but they do not have the resources, 
nor the mandate to fulfill this function. I hope this lone call, will 
signal, first the need, and secondly the will, of this Member of 
Congress, that we need full partners in the federal government to work 
with ARC and other appropriate agencies to plan for evacuations now 
rather than some distant day.
  ARC has also been a responsible steward of the federal funds it has 
received over the years. For example, in FY 2006, across all investment 
areas, each dollar of ARC funding was matched by $3.14 in non-ARC 
public project funding, and each ARC dollar invested leveraged $11.55 
in private investment in ARC projects over time.
  And while a major focus of ARC remains on highways and Appalachian 
transportation infrastructure, as the times have changed so has ARC.
  As much of the United States has been able to take advantage of the 
technological boom of the late 20th and early 21st Centuries, 
Appalachia once again is in danger of being left behind and unable to 
compete in the global marketplace.
  In the most recent FCC data on high-speed connections for Internet 
access, released on January 31, 2007, you can track the Appalachian 
mountain range by just how spotty the provider coverage is on the FCC's 
provider map. In fact, West Virginia is significantly below the average 
in broadband use nationwide.
  Again, ARC is there to offer significant support, bringing broadband 
access to our communities, which is essential to leveling the playing 
field and giving our communities an opportunity to compete. Schools, 
businesses, local governments and individual homes all have benefited 
from ARC involvement in the expansion of broadband access in 
Appalachia, and continue to do so.
  I have been working with ARC, private telecommunications companies, 
and local economic development leaders to bring broadband technology 
into southern West Virginia. For example, through the E-commerce 
training initiatives being offered by ARC and others we are working to 
connect local small businesses to broadband, opening doors to Internet 
sales and services that just weren't there a couple of years ago.
  It is ARC's ability to serve its mission by adapting its actions to 
fit the times that makes ARC such an invaluable resource to Appalachia 
and the Nation. From the Appalachian Development Highway System to the 
E-commerce and broadband initiatives, ARC continues to serve its 
mission by advocating for and partnering with the people of Appalachia 
to create opportunities for self-sustaining economic development and 
improved quality of life.
  I applaud the efforts of Federal Co-Chair Anne Pope who, as a native 
daughter of Appalachia, executes so well the mission of ARC in each of 
Appalachia's communities. I have said this before and am happy to do so 
again on the record, Anne is one of the finest Federal Co-Chairs to 
ever serve the people of Appalachia and I look forward to our continued 
strong relationship serving the needs of southern West Virginians, 
together.
  I strongly support ARC, its mission and the incredibly successful 
initiatives it has undertaken to better the lives of the people of 
Appalachia and West Virginia. It is why I signed a bipartisan letter of 
support for increasing the funding which the ARC receives, which I 
request be included in the Record, and I continue to support strong and 
robust funding to maintain the vision which President Kennedy laid 
before us, some 40 years ago.

                                Congress of the United States,

                                   Washington, DC, April 24, 2007.
     Hon. Peter Visclosky,
     Chairman, Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development, House 
         Committee on Appropriations, Washington, DC.
     Hon. David Hobson,
     Ranking Member, Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development, 
         House Committee on Appropriations, Washington, DC.
       Dear Chairman Visclosky and Ranking Member Hobson: We 
     respectfully request that you include funding in the amount 
     of $75 million for the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) 
     in the Fiscal Year 2008 Energy and Water Development 
     Appropriations bill.
       Since 1965, the ARC has contributed significantly to 
     improving the quality of life for the 23 million Americans in 
     the Region by working closely with its federal, state, and 
     private sector partners and local communities.
       As Representatives from Appalachia, we see first hand the 
     successes that have resu1ted from the ARC's economic 
     development initiatives. For example, the Region's poverty 
     rate has been cut in half, the infant mortality rate has been 
     reduced by two-thirds, the high school graduation rate has 
     increased by over 70 percent--comparing favorably with the 
     national average, and the Commission's initiatives have 
     helped create approximately 1.6 million jobs.
       We are requesting this modest increase to help the ARC 
     address more aggressively the Region's infrastructure 
     deficiencies and the continuing human capital and leadership 
     deficits which result in concentrated areas of poverty and 
     unemployment. Over the last ten years, funding for the ARC 
     has remained level at around $65 million and the Region 
     continues to receive less federal assistance per capita than 
     the rest of the country.
       The ARC has been a responsible steward of the federal funds 
     it has received over the years. For example, in FY 2006, 
     across all investment areas, each dollar of ARC funding was 
     matched by $3.14 in non-ARC public project funding, and each 
     ARC dollar invested leveraged $11.55 in private investment in 
     ARC projects over time.
       With the advent of the global economy, the ARC faces more 
     complex and profound challenges while third world conditions 
     still exist in the Region and require the Commission's 
     continued focus. For example, according to a recent analysis 
     completed by the University of North Carolina Environmental 
     Financing Center, the counties in the Region require 
     estimated investments of $11.4 billion to meet current 
     drinking water needs and $14.3 billion for wastewater 
     needs. This is substantially more than the funding that is 
     currently available from combined state and federal 
     programs. Without basic infrastructure, economic 
     development, and improvements in the overall quality of 
     life, the Appalachian Region will continue to lag well 
     behind the rest of the nation.
       Currently, the rural areas in the Region lag behind the 
     nation in access to cable modem and DSL services and other 
     forms of high speed internet access. We know the deployment 
     of telecommunications infrastructure throughout the Region 
     has become an absolute necessity if Appalachians are going to 
     compete in the national and global economies. Today's 
     globalization comes with a higher threshold for success: high 
     technology jobs rather than manual labor, college education 
     rather than basic literacy and the need for modern 
     telecommunications infrastructure to facilitate economic 
     development.
       Despite the impressive accomplishments of the ARC, the 410-
     county Region still faces a complex set of economic and 
     social challenges and will need continued support from 
     Congress if the Commission's goal for the Region--socio-
     economic parity with the rest of the nation--is to be 
     reached.
       Looking to the future, the ARC expects to capitalize on the 
     Region's abundant energy assets to promote job creation in 
     the energy sector with energy efficiency and renewable energy 
     initiatives as well as with conventional fuels.
       Appalachia's future remains at risk. Therefore, on behalf 
     of the citizens in the Region we urge you to support a 
     funding level of $75 million for FY 2008. We believe this 
     level will allow the agency to continue its important work to 
     improve the quality of life in Appalachia, particularly in 
     the poorest and most underdeveloped counties.
       Thank you for consideration of our request.
           Sincerely,
         Zack Space, David Scott, David Davis, Heath Shuler, 
           Michael A. Arcuri, Lincoln Davis, Roscoe G. Bartlett, 
           Spencer Bachus, Rick Boucher, Charles A. Wilson, Phil 
           English, Shelley Moore Capito, Tim Holden, Christopher 
           P. Carney, Ed Whitfield, Hank Johnson, Jr., Jason 
           Altmire, Paul E. Kanjorski, John J. Duncan, Jr., Nick 
           J. Rahall, II, Brian Higgins, Kirsten E. Gillibrand, 
           Geoff Davis, Chip Pickering, and Phil Gingrey.
     Members of Congress.

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