March 10, 2003
State Senator Ben Stevens has proposed legislation that jeopardizes "local control" of how much of Anchorage's Federal highway dollars can be devoted to "Enhancements". Enhancements include trails, pedestrian safety, landscaping and historic preservations. The bill would also forbid Anchorage and Fairbanks from steering more than 10 percent of their federal road money to enhancement work. .
What you can do:
Call - BEFORE NOON ON MONDAY so your comments will be entered into the record.
Call your Senator and the members of the Senate Finance Committee and tell them what you think about SB71. (See talking point and background info below)
Visit the following link for your Senators phone number.
Toll free senate telephone numbers in Juneau: http://w3.legis.state.ak.us/infodocs/tollfree.pdf
Senate Finance Committee -Weekend calls are great, just leave a message
Con Bunde 800 892 4843
Lyda Green 877 465 6601
Lyman Hoffman 866 465 4453
Donny Olson 800 597 3707
Ben Stevens 866 465 4993
Gary Wilken 800 451-5501
Senate Bill 71
restricts the funding for Trails and Recreational Access for Alaska,
sets a maximum limit for Anchorage and Fairbanks when spending their federal enhancement dollars (not more than ten percent) and
sets minimum funding levels for statewide "community transportation" projects &endash; typically new roads.
Talking Points - Issues this bill Affects:
Safe walking &endash; Enhancement projects allow people to walk, bike and ski safely away from high speed traffic and vehicle exhaust.
Local Control &endash; It's not legal for the state to tell local governments how to spend their federal transportation dollars.
Healthy Communities &endash; People of all ages need safe paths and walkways to stay healthy and fight heart disease and obesity.
Enhancements were first found in ISTEA*, a national transportation reform law that mandated states spend some of their transportation money on safe walking, biking, non-motorized transportation, historic preservation, landscaping and beautification. They were so popular with local governments that enhancements survived in TEA 21**.
Most local governments support enhancement spending because it supports tourism, attracts businesses, promotes public health and pedestrian safety and generally makes communities a better place to live.
In Juneau, shortly after he started work, ADOT Commissioner Barton issued a directive to cut back statewide enhancement spending, and rumor has it, ADOT has removed many enhancement projects from the state's draft Transportation Improvement Program or budget.
*Intermodel Surface Transportation Efficiency Act, 1991
** Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century, 1998
Call your Senator and the members of the Senate Finance Committee and tell them what you think about SB71.
THANKS!