[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 30, Number 20 (Monday, May 23, 1994)]
[Pages 1094-1095]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Proclamation 6689--National Defense Transportation Day and National 
Transportation Week, 1994

May 16, 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

[[Page 1095]]

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.
                                            William J. Clinton

[Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 3:12 p.m., May 16, 1994]

Note: This proclamation was published in the Federal Register on May 18.