Call Now for a Better Transit Stimulus

We’re at a critical moment for green transportation in the stimulus
package. The key piece on the table now is Jerrold Nadler’s amendment
to boost transit investment by $3 billion. A decision could be reached
as soon as today, so now is the time to make those phone calls. The
people to reach are the House leadership and the Appropriations
Committee, who must be persuaded to allow more transit investment into
the bill.

As things stand, only one percent of the total
stimulus is devoted to transit, while highway spending and all the
traffic-generating boondoggles that come with it stand to receive more
than three times that amount. If you want to see a stronger recovery
bill that does more to curb oil dependence, reduce pollution, and
enhance the livability of America’s cities, here are the key numbers to
call. Tell these representatives that the Nadler amendment must be
allowed to reach the floor for a vote (check after the jump for talking
points). If it can reach the floor, we’re told, the amendment has a
very good chance to pass. Drop us a line in the comments about how
things go.

House Leadership
Nancy Pelosi (202) 225-4965
Steny Hoyer (202) 225-4131
James Clyburn (202) 225-3315
Chris Van Hollen (202) 225-5341

Appropriations Committee
David Obey, WI (202) 225-3365
John Olver, MA (202) 225-5335
James Moran, VA (202) 225-4376
Lucille Roybal-Allard, CA (202) 225-1766
Barbara Lee, CA (202) 225-2661

Talking points courtesy of the National Association of City Transportation Officials:

• Transit is the future of our nation’s metropolitan regions which
  represent 80% of the US population.  Public transit ridership has been
  surging over the last year, but instead of capitalizing on the public
  demand for more and better transit, cities are being forced to curtail
  service and cut jobs. 
• These modest adjustments
  will result in far-reaching impact on mobility, pollution reduction,
  and economic stimulation in metropolitan regions.
• Discuss
  the transit need in your city and the fact that federal resources for
  transit can absolutely be spent within the timeframes set out by the
  bill. House leadership in particular needs to hear the case for
  transit.  The White House is pushing them to make no changes. The
  leadership needs to hear from the cities about why these amendments are
  critical.