[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 102 (Thursday, June 19, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1283-E1284]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  TO SUPPORT THE GOALS OF THE THIRD ANNUAL NATIONAL DUMP THE PUMP DAY

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                         HON. JAMES L. OBERSTAR

                              of minnesota

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 19, 2008

  Mr. OBERSTAR. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of an innovative 
approach to increasing use on our Nation's public transportation 
network. Today, June 19, Americans

[[Page E1284]]

across the country will ``dump the pump'' and ride public 
transportation as part of the Third Annual Dump the Pump Day. This 
important cause is sponsored by the American Public Transportation 
Association, APTA, and more than 100 public transportation systems will 
take part in ``dump the pump'' activities across the United States to 
encourage increased ridership on our Nation's transit systems.
  Activities for Dump the Pump day include having public events with 
drawings for free transit passes and other prizes, offering free or 
reduced rides, doing radio promotions, and providing ``transit 
ambassadors'' to help new riders.
  As the price of gas has now surpassed $4 a gallon, even more 
commuters are choosing to ride the train or the bus to work rather than 
drive alone in their cars. In the first quarter of 2008 commuters took 
more than 2.6 billion trips on trains, subways, light rail, and buses 
nationwide, an increase of 3.3 percent over the first quarter of 2007. 
Light rails saw the largest jump in ridership with a 10 percent 
increase to 110 million trips. Transit systems in metropolitan areas 
are reporting increases in ridership of 5, 10, and even 15 percent over 
last year's figures. Some of the biggest increases in ridership are 
occurring in many areas in the South and West where new bus and light 
rail lines have been built in the last few years.
  Recently, public transportation has experienced a renaissance in 
American cities and towns. In 2007, Americans took over 10.3 billion 
trips on public transportation, the highest level in 50 years. Public 
transportation use is up 32 percent since 1995, a figure that is more 
than double the growth rate of the population and is substantially over 
the growth rate for the vehicle miles traveled on our Nation's highways 
for that same period. All around the country, voters continue to 
approve State and local ballot initiatives to support public 
transportation, even when it means local taxes will be raised or 
continued.
  Despite these dramatic increases in usage, only 5 percent of workers 
nationally commute by public transit. Efforts to increase this 
statistic, such as Dump the Pump Day, are critical to assisting 
American commuters in making the switch to public transit in their 
daily commutes.
  Another important goal of Dump the Pump Day is to reduce the United 
States dependence on foreign oil by encouraging more people to use 
public transportation. According to a recent study, if Americans used 
public transit at the same rate as Europeans--for roughly 10 percent of 
their daily travel needs--the United States could reduce its dependence 
on imported oil by more than 40 percent, nearly equal to the 550 
million barrels of crude oil that we import from Saudi Arabia each 
year. When a solo commuter switches from a single occupancy vehicle to 
a transit commute, this single mode shift can reduce carbon dioxide 
emissions by 20 pounds per day--more than 4,800 pounds in a year.
  Public transportation use in all of its forms--bus, rail, vanpool, 
ferry, streetcar, and subway ridership to name a few--saves fuel, 
reduces emissions, and saves money. The direct petroleum savings 
attributable to current public transportation use in the United States 
is 1.4 billion gallons per year. When the secondary effects of transit 
availability on travel are also taken into account, the equivalent of 
4.2 billion gallons of gasoline is saved annually--more than 11 million 
gallons of gasoline per day.
  This is why I have introduced H.R. 6052, the ``Saving Energy Through 
Public Transportation Act of 2008.'' This bill provides much needed 
support to public transportation agencies and greater incentives for 
commuters to choose transit options, thereby reducing their 
transportation-related energy consumption and reliance on foreign oil. 
The Saving Energy Through Public Transportation Act of 2008 authorizes 
funding for transit agencies nationwide that are temporarily reducing 
transit fares or expanding transit services to meet the needs of the 
growing number of transit commuters. H.R. 6052 also extends the Federal 
transit pass benefits program to require all Federal agencies in the 
United States to offer transit passes to Federal employees working in 
urbanized areas with fixed route transit systems nationwide.
  Both increased use of public transportation and increased Federal 
investment in transit are crucial steps we must take to address 
skyrocketing gas prices, environmental degradation and gridlocked 
roadways across the Nation.
  For these reasons and more, I support the Third Annual Dump the Pump 
Day to promote public transportation usage in the United States and 
help America break its addiction to foreign oil, reduce greenhouse gas 
emissions and free our highways from the crippling effects of 
congestion. I also urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 
6052, the Saving Energy Through Public Transportation Act of 2008.

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