Several major news articles have reported recently that President-Elect Barack Obama plans to make transit among his first priorities when he takes office:
The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday:
- "Mr. Emanuel (Obama’s new Chief-of-Staff) promised that a major economic stimulus would be "the first order of business" for Mr. Obama when he takes office Jan. 20. The focus of spending will be on infrastructure, specifically "green infrastructure," which he said would include mass transit, upgraded electricity transmission lines, "smart" electrical meters that allow consumers to save money by using electricity at off-peak hours, and universal broadband Internet access, which he said would encourage telecommuting."
US News and World Report stated:
- " Rep. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and policy assistant to Speaker Nancy Pelosi, told reporters Wednesday. . . "An economic recovery plan will be the first thing out of the box," he said. The money would go for infrastructure projects including roads and bridges, public transit, and items in line with President-elect Barack Obama’s plan to spend $150 billion over 10 years on renewable energy and energy efficiency projects."
In a letter to the Transportation for America campaign, then-candidate Obama stated:
- "Now is the time to invest in our future and strengthen our core infrastructure. . . . I’ll put two million more Americans to work rebuilding our crumbling roads, bridges and transit systems – because it is time to build an American infrastructure for the 21st century. Early in this campaign, I had already proposed creating a National Infrastructure Reinvestment Bank, funded with $60 billion over 10 years, to expand and enhance, not replace, existing federal transportation investments. . . . I support Amtrak funding and the development of high-speed freight and passenger rail networks across the country. As you may know, I cosponsored the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act in the U.S. Senate. . . . I will also re-commit federal resources to public mass transportation projects across the country. I’ve worked to improve transportation access to jobs for people with lower incomes since my time in the Illinois State Senate, and I will continue this work as President. And I will further promote transit by creating incentives for transit usage that are equal to the current incentives for driving."
While no guarantee, it sure looks like we’ll have much more support from the federal level for transit. Let’s keep working to make sure it happens and to make sure Michigan is ready to receive it!