TEA-21 One Year Anniversary Highlights of Accomplishments, June 9, 1999

	TEA-21 - Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century *Moving Americans into the 21st Century*
	ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY	JUNE 1999
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TEA-21
THE TRANSPORTATION EQUITY
ACT FOR THE 21st CENTURY

One Year Anniversary
Highlights of Accomplishments

June 9, 1999

"President Clinton and Vice President Gore challenged us to help rebuild America by putting safety first, protecting our environment and creating jobs throughout our economy. Working with Congress, we have produced a fiscally responsible bill which is true to our values and will expand opportunity for every American."

Rodney E. Slater
Secretary
U.S. Department of Transportation

June 9, 1998

The landmark Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century affirmed President Clinton's key priorities:

Rebuilding America
Enhanced Safety
Protecting our Environment
Expanding Opportunity
Promoting Economic Growth and Trade

REBUILDING AMERICA

President Clinton and Vice President Gore continue to rebuild America. Our world class transportation system moves people and products efficiently and quickly. TEA-21 strengthens America by providing record-level, balanced transportation investment for the transportation system of the 21^st century.

Record-level Investment: The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has distributed TEA-21 funds totaling $29.5 billion in FY 1998 and $35.1 billion in FY 1999 for highways, transit, and highway safety. Of these amounts, TEA-21 guaranteed that $27.4 billion would be available in FY 1998 and $32.0 billion in FY 1999.
Core Highway and Transit Infrastructure: Bridge and pavement conditions continue to improve as record-level funding is made available to states for protecting and enhancing the highway infrastructure. TEA-21 funds are stabilizing the existing transit infrastructure and supporting new rail transit investments at historic levels.
Flexibility Features: TEA-21provides our partners more flexibility in the use of funds. We have issued guidance on project oversight, transfers among programs, combining steps in authorizing projects, and finance plans. These changes establish a more streamlined delivery system.
Transit Preventive Maintenance: The elimination of transit operating assistance for large urbanized areas has been accomplished smoothly through the expanded definition of capital, which provides local systems with more flexibility.
Operations/ Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS): TEA-21 underscored the necessity for a better operating national transportation system in the 21^st century to deliver increased mobility, enhanced safety, a livable environment, and a higher quality of life. To effectively deploy intelligent transportation systems, DOT issued interim guidance on October 2, 1998, to ensure that ITS projects conform to a national architecture and standards. The TEA-21 report identifying critical ITS standards has been completed.
Planning: The FHWA and FTA are jointly developing revised planning and environmental regulations and anticipate issuing a notice of proposed rulemaking by the end of FY 1999. Linking the consideration of these two elements earlier and more comprehensively in the process will result in better coordination of local transportation decision making.
High Speed Ground Transportation: On May 24, 1999, grants were awarded to seven states and authorities for preconstruction planning for magnetic levitation (MAGLEV) projects, with one of the projects to be selected to construct and deploy by May of 2000. Under the Next Generation High Speed Rail program, an agreement was announced on October 8, 1998, to build a demonstrator light-weight, non-electric locomotive which will operate at up to 150 miles per hour over shared rights-of-way.
Research and Technology (R&T): DOT has completed the strategic plan for transportation R&T as required by TEA-21, which we will use to determine our R&T development priorities and to measure the results of our efforts. We are actively working with key partners and customers to advance transportation research across all modes.
Federal and Indian Lands: Over $1 billion was made available for FYs 1998 and 1999 to improve transportation infrastructure serving federal and Indian lands.

ENHANCED SAFETY

Safety is President Clinton's and Vice President Gore's number one transportation priority. More than 40,000 Americans die and three million are injured in highway crashes each year, inflicting a tragic toll and costing our economy an estimated $150 billion annually. The fatality rate is at an historic low under the leadership of President Clinton and Vice President Gore, and our challenge is to continue this progress even as traffic increases.

Protecting Drivers and Passengers: New TEA-21 incentive grants that encourage increased seat belt use rates have been made to 38 States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. The $53 million awarded represents the savings in federal medical costs in those states.
Fighting Drunk Driving: In response to TEA-21 incentives, 11 states and the District of Columbia have adopted tough 0.08 blood alcohol concentration standards for drunk driving, bringing the total number of states to 17.
Safe Communities: DOT is working with federal, state, and local partners to establish "Safe Communities"--community-based injury control programs. There are now 632 communities in this program, and we hope to have 1,000 by the end of the year 2000.
Motor Carrier Safety: DOT has established a bold goal to reduce fatalities in crashes involving commercial vehicles by 50 percent over the next decade. TEA-21 authority for stronger enforcement, including a doubling of compliance reviews, tougher penalties, and new regulations is being used to meet this goal. Ahead of the schedule called for in TEA-21, every state now has a Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program based on achieving crash reduction outcomes. Eleven states are now participating in a program imposing progressively stronger sanctions to improve the safety of high-risk motor carriers, and nine states have received special funding to improve driver history data.
Improving Road and Rail-Highway Grade Crossing Safety: In June 1999, we will award $7.1 million for an expanded program of grade crossing hazard elimination in high speed rail corridors. With the overall increase in funding and the dedication of a portion of the funds exclusively for hazard elimination and rail-highway crossings, TEA-21 enables us to make more improvements to the safety infrastructure, ultimately saving lives.
One Call: As required by this new TEA-21 program, DOT has been studying practices used to prevent damage to underground facilities during excavation. Announcement of the results on June 30, 1999, will kick off a national damage prevention campaign.
Recreational Boating Safety: TEA-21 created a stable funding base-$59 million for the States, and $5 million for the Coast Guard-to improve recreational boating safety. Recreational boating fatalities currently account for the second highest number of transportation-related deaths.

PROTECTING OUR ENVIRONMENT

Under President Clinton's leadership we continue to protect and enhance our environment. The strong transportation planning provisions and funding flexibility in TEA-21 will help communities reduce air pollution , clean up brownfields and preserve green space, while easing traffic congestion.

Livable Communities: TEA-21 gives states and communities an opportunity to select a broad range of transportation facilities and services that best meet local transportation priorities and contribute to making our communities more livable. Use of Federal funds can be tailored to meet local needs, whether they are for transit, bicycle and pedestrian facilities, highways, shared-ride programs, safety projects, intermodal connections, or other improvements.
Environmental Streamlining: DOT is leading the effort to develop a national memorandum of understanding that will commit national environmental, resource, and permitting agencies to improved decision making while ensuring that all environmental requirements are met.
Commuter Choice: The Commuter Choice initiative promotes a greater range of employer-provided commuting options designed to reduce traffic congestion, improve air quality and allow employers to tailor transportation benefits to individual employee needs. An outreach and technical assistance program to publicize these expanded tax-free benefits (transit and vanpool benefits of $65 and parking benefits of $175 per month or less are not taxable) is underway.
Transportation and Community and System Preservation Pilot (TCSP): On May 3, 1999, the Department announced 35 grant awards totaling $13.1 million for this program. These grants will help communities preserve green space, ease traffic congestion, and employ "smart growth" strategies, allowing us to protect the environment while strengthening our economy.
Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program: DOT has issued final implementation guidance for this program, reflecting the modifications and changes made by TEA-21, thus assuring continuation of this effective environmental program.
Advanced Vehicle Technologies Program: Beginning in FY 1999, TEA-21 provides funding for this program aimed at improving energy efficiency and reducing environmental emissions, including greenhouse gases, in medium and heavy-duty vehicles. TEA-21 will enable DOT to leverage over $250 million of defense and non-federal funds to deploy civilian advanced vehicle technologies.
National Scenic Byways: More than $40 million was made available for FYs 1998 and 1999 for scenic byways projects in 41 states.
Bicycle Transportation and Pedestrian Walkways: DOT published a brochure explaining the TEA-21 funding opportunities for bicycle and pedestrian projects and issued guidance calling for inclusion of bicycling and walking in the planning, design, and operation of the nation's transportation system.

EXPANDING OPPORTUNITY

DOT vigilantly works to deliver a transportation system that is international in its reach, intelligent in its character, intermodal in its form and inclusive in its service. TEA-21 expands opportunity for all Americans through the Clinton/Gore Administration's Access-to-jobs program and a continuation of successful disadvantaged business enterprise, labor protection, and workforce training programs.

Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Program: This important program ensures that minority- and women-owned businesses will continue to have the opportunity to participate in rebuilding transportation across the nation. The revised rule, issued February 2, 1999, responds to public comment and points raised in recent court cases.
Access to Jobs: Grants totaling $71.3 million were announced on May 13, 1999, to help lower-income workers and those making the transition from welfare rolls to payrolls get to their jobs.
Accessibility: TEA-21 requires bus operators to ensure that passengers with disabilities can use new over-the-road buses. Applications are currently under review for funds authorized to help pay the costs associated with complying with this requirement.
Rural Transportation Initiative: TEA-21 provides substantial funding to build and improve rural transportation infrastructure and enhance transportation service, providing better access to job opportunities, health care, and educational resources. Rural residents will benefit from new and rebuilt roads, expanded life-line paratransit services, and a greater voice in transportation investment decision-making.
Appalachian Development Highway System: Completion of this system will improve access to jobs, health care, and education for residents of the 13 States in the region. Of the 3,025 miles authorized, a total of 2,300 are open to traffic, and construction is currently underway to complete an additional 110 miles. DOT recently cohosted an Appalachian transportation summit in Lexington, Kentucky, to encourage further cooperation and intermodal planning.
Protecting American Workers: DOT is continuing to work with financial assistance recipients to promote vital labor protections for transportation workers on DOT-assisted construction projects.
Training the Workforce of the Future: To ensure a trained, diverse workforce for the future, DOT spent $17.7 million on workforce training, including special provisions for welfare recipients and reserved training slots. TEA-21 funded the National Summer Transportation Institute to attract young people to careers in transportation. Through the Garrett A. Morgan Transportation and Technology Futures program, we have established a school-to-work pilot project that will integrate transportation examples into kindergarten through 12^th grade curriculum, creating a model to be used nationwide. We are well on our way to achieving our goal to reach one million students by the end of the year 2000.
University Transportation Centers: Grants have been awarded to establish or maintain all 33 university-based centers of excellence authorized in TEA-21 for conducting multidisciplinary programs of transportation education, research, and technology transfer.

PROMOTING ECONOMIC GROWTH AND TRADE

Under President Clinton's leadership, America is the most economically competitive nation in the world. This is due in great measure to our transportation system's reliability and low costs. Keeping transportation efficient is crucial to our continued competitiveness in the increasingly global economy.

Border Crossings and Trade Corridors: These new TEA-21 programs support trade and improved security at our borders with Canada and Mexico, and assist in designing and constructing trade corridors of national significance. On May 27, 1999, grants of nearly $124 million were awarded for 55 projects in 32 states.
Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA): On June 2, 1999, the final rule was published implementing this new TEA-21 program which offers credit assistance to help secure private funding for large highway, transit, and passenger rail projects of national or regional significance. We expect to select projects for the initial round of funding by the end of FY 1999.
Railroad Rehabilitation and Improvement Financing Program: A notice of proposed rulemaking was published on May 20, 1999, seeking comments on the establishment of this TEA-21 program that provides up to $3.5 billion in direct loans and loan guarantees to improve railroad infrastructure, acquire railroad equipment, develop new intermodal railroad facilities, and refinance railroad debt.
Intermodal Freight Connectors: As required by TEA-21, DOT is completing a study on the condition and improvements made to National Highway System connectors to seaports, airports, and other intermodal freight transportation facilities.
International Data: DOT, primarily through its Bureau of Transportation Statistics, places additional emphasis on improving international trade data through the mandate of TEA-21. This effort is essential to the long-term effort to more fully understand transportation's role as it relates to U.S. global competitiveness.

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