[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 95 (Wednesday, May 18, 1994)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 25783-25784]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-12287]


[[Page Unknown]]

[Federal Register: May 18, 1994]


  


                        Presidential Documents 



                Proclamation 6689 of May 16, 1994

 

National Defense Transportation Day and National 
                Transportation Week, 1994

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                The United States has entered a new era in 
                transportation. We are in the midst of a technology 
                explosion, and our Nation's transportation 
                infrastructure stands to benefit tremendously from 
                these innovations. New industries are racing to meet 
                the demands of reinventing American transportation, 
                creating jobs and economic opportunities for companies 
                and individuals alike.

                A smoothly-functioning transportation system is a 
                fundamental building block of a growing economy and a 
                prosperous society. The ability to move people and 
                materials safely and efficiently affects the price of 
                goods in our markets, our ability to sell our products 
                overseas, and the lives and livelihoods of all 
                Americans. The decisions we make now in transportation 
                will serve as the catalyst for improving both the 
                safety and quality of life for our citizens for decades 
                to come.

                This new era requires a new way of thinking about 
                transportation needs. The challenges we face in today's 
                transportation arena involve making what we have 
                already built work better. By reinforcing and 
                modernizing the existing infrastructure, we can create 
                jobs, spur even more technological development, and 
                fuel long-term economic growth. Even in this time of 
                limitation and deficit reduction, strategic investments 
                and continued leadership can make technology work to 
                meet the needs of our country's transportation system.

                One important effort toward reaching that goal is the 
                Technology Reinvestment Project, designed both to 
                encourage research and to deploy ``dual-use'' 
                technologies. Such innovations can be applied to both 
                defense and civilian use, making possible, for example, 
                the application of materials from the Stealth bomber to 
                build new bridge projects. This is the kind of 
                ingenuity that has made America great and the kind of 
                leadership that will enable American companies to find 
                continued success in the international marketplace.

                In December 1993, my Administration submitted a 
                proposed National Highway System (NHS) to the Congress. 
                The NHS identifies priorities for a high-quality 
                interconnected system of highways that will serve major 
                population centers, international border crossings, 
                ports, airports, rail terminals, public transportation 
                facilities, intermodal transportation facilities, and 
                major travel destinations; meet national defense 
                requirements; and serve interstate and interregional 
                travel. The NHS will enhance economic growth, 
                international competitiveness, and national security.

                At the same time, the Department of Transportation has 
                also announced the beginning of an effort to identify a 
                National Transportation System (NTS) for the 1990s and 
                beyond. Not just roads, but air and waterways, ports, 
                pipelines, rail, and mass transit--all will be working 
                together to form an integrated system with the common 
                goal of moving people and goods as expediently and 
                securely as possible.

                For the first time in American history, and for 
                generations to come, the NTS will force us to look at 
                America's transportation system as a whole instead of 
                as individual projects--to pinpoint our weaknesses and 
                to correct them; to identify our strengths and to build 
                upon them; to not just answer our questions, but to 
                help us anticipate and answer questions that have not 
                even yet been asked. With new tools in technology and 
                by wisely using strategic planning and investment, we 
                will bring America into the 21st century, well-prepared 
                for the challenges ahead.

                In order to honor the men and women who work so 
                diligently to meet America's transportation needs, the 
                Congress, by joint resolution approved May 16, 1957 (36 
                U.S.C. 160), has requested that the third Friday in May 
                of each year be designated as ``National Defense 
                Transportation Day'' and, by joint resolution approved 
                May 14, 1962 (36 U.S.C. 166), that the week in which 
                that Friday falls be proclaimed ``National 
                Transportation Week.''

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, President of the 
                United States of America, do hereby designate Friday, 
                May 20, 1994, as National Defense Transportation Day 
                and the week of May 15 through May 21, 1994, as 
                National Transportation Week. I urge all Americans to 
                observe these occasions with appropriate ceremonies and 
                activities and to give special recognition to those who 
                build, operate, safeguard, and maintain our vast and 
                complex system of transportation.

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                sixteenth day of May, in the year of our Lord nineteen 
                hundred and ninety-four, and of the Independence of the 
                United States of America the two hundred and 
                eighteenth.

                    (Presidential Sig.)>

[FR Doc. 94-12287
Filed 5-16-94; 3:12 pm]
Billing code 3195-01-P