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A transportation train wreck
Everyday 8.5 million residents of the Tri-State area use New York City's mass-transit system. They rely on the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's (MTA) buses, trains and subways to get them to and from work, visit loved ones, or simply enjoy everything this great city has to offer. Likewise, the 49 million tourists the City welcomes every year use the City's transit system to explore the five boroughs, visit our world-class museums or see the sights.
The images and iconography of New York City's transit system are equally well traveled. Whether it's the main concourse at Grand Central Terminal or the iconic letters and numbers that guide travelers through the subway, when one rides our transit system there is a distinct feeling that you are a part of something that is central to New York City's character. But, what most riders don't realize is that this system is as much a part of New York State as it is the City; when you ride a MTA bus it's likely that the bus was built in Oriskany, NY, in the state's Central Region. Or, the subway car you take downtown was built with parts from Auburn and Hornell, NY. This experience that seems to be inseparable from the character of New York City is really about much more. It is about a state and city in the business of getting people to work. Whether that be on the factory floor of a bus manufacturer upstate or on the 7 Line headed from Woodside, Queens to Manhattan, the MTA is among the state's most important job creators and enablers. In fact, the MTA's 2005-2009 Capital Program resulted in $41 billion in economic activity and created 325,000 jobs throughout the state.
Over the past few weeks, Congress has debated the long overdue surface transportation reauthorization, The American Energy and Infrastructure Jobs Act (H.R. 7). This bill provides the guiding authorization for funding our highways, bridges and mass-transit systems, in addition to setting key safety regulations and environmental rules. Unfortunately, this bill was written and brought to the floor in the most partisan of manners, making it what Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, a former House Republican, called "the worst transportation bill" in decades.
There is a litany of reasons why this bill is disastrous, but chief among them is the attempt to deprive transit systems of a dedicated and reliable stream of funding. Under current law, the Mass Transit Account of the Highway Trust Fund receives 2.86 cents for every gallon of gasoline purchased. While insufficient to meet the growing needs of our nation's mass-transit systems, this dedicated stream of funding provides certainty to states and transit authorities so that they can plan, borrow and build in the most efficient and cost-effective manner possible. The House Republican bill; however, would change all of this by eliminating this dedicated revenue stream and making less money available for mass-transit.
For my constituents, and millions of Americans, these are serious and potentially detrimental changes. Without a predictable stream of funding, the MTA will have a harder time raising capital for new projects, which in turn will raise the cost of borrowing and limit their ability to build and maintain their infrastructure. This will lead to fewer capital projects and construction jobs, and also to higher fares on older trains and buses. The consequences of these cuts on urban areas such as Queens and the Bronx are readily apparent. However, what most don't realize is that this bill is equally bad for cities like Auburn, Oriskany and Hornell. Cuts to mass-transit are cuts to these communities as well.
Congress must do right by our constituents and by our country and oppose H.R. 7 and its dangerous cuts to mass-transit.
Rep. Joseph Crowley (D-NY) serves on the Committee on Ways and Means
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