My Letter to Congress: H.R.272 Freight Rail Infrastructure Capacity Expansion Act of 2009 
Contact Congress
This letter was sent by OpenCongress user
jml3189
on
October 26, 2011
in support of
H.R.272 Freight Rail Infrastructure Capacity Expansion Act of 2009.
Privacy setting:
PUBLIC
To:
-
Sen. Robert Casey [D, PA] Vote on Passage of H.R.272: Not Voted Yet -
Rep. Chaka Fattah [D, PA-2] Vote on Passage of H.R.272: Not Voted Yet -
Sen. Patrick Toomey [R, PA] Vote on Passage of H.R.272: Not Voted Yet
H.R.272 Freight Rail Infrastructure Capacity Expansion Act of 2009
I am writing as your constituent in the 2nd Congressional district of Pennsylvania. I am writing as your constituent in the 2nd Congressional district of Pennsylvania. I support H.R.272 - Freight Rail Infrastructure Capacity Expansion Act of 2009, and am tracking it using OpenCongress.org, the free public resource website for government transparency and accountability.
Sincerely,
John Linday
Sincerely,
John Linday
This letter was a reply from the office of Sen. Patrick Toomey [R, PA] on October 26, 2011.
Thank you for your message
Dear John,
Thank you for contacting my office. I appreciate your taking the time to share your thoughts about current issues. Please be assured that constituent correspondence will receive a reply in the near future.
Sincerely,
Pat Toomey
U.S. Senator, Pennsylvania
Thank you for contacting my office. I appreciate your taking the time to share your thoughts about current issues. Please be assured that constituent correspondence will receive a reply in the near future.
Sincerely,
Pat Toomey
U.S. Senator, Pennsylvania
This letter was a reply from the office of Sen. Robert Casey [D, PA] on December 08, 2011.
Response from Senator Casey
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Dear Mr. Linday:
Thank you for taking the time to contact me regarding freight rail transportation programs. I appreciate hearing from you regarding this issue.
Freight rail transportation programs receive most of their funding under the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU), which was enacted in 2005, expired in 2009 and has been extended by a series of short-term measures. As you may know, the Senate passed an additional funding extension that will expire in March 2012. On November 9, 2011, the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works unanimously approved S. 1813, the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century act, which would reauthorize the Nation?s transportation programs for two years.
Recently, there has been increased demand for freight rail services which has caused congestion throughout the freight rail system. This congestion is especially problematic in cities that contain important freight hubs such as ports, airports, border crossings and rail yards. Investing in freight rail infrastructure can improve highway safety, reduce congestion and lead to increased economic development. I am committed to working with my colleagues to find ways to strengthen federal investment in our Nation?s passenger and freight rail network with funding that is both sufficient and sustainable.
Long-term reauthorization has become increasingly difficult during the last two decades, primarily due to the controversy over how to fund the Nation?s transportation programs. Nevertheless, I believe that consideration of a comprehensive multi-year bill that includes funding for freight rail is long overdue.
The most difficult issue when considering such reauthorization is how to finance it. While the Highway Trust Fund and revenue sources had been a reliable mechanism for financing highway and transit programs for five decades, this is no longer the case. The increased prevalence of fuel-efficient vehicles coupled with the economic downturn has resulted in a reduction in revenue from the federal gas tax, which is a primary source of highway and transit funding across the Nation. In order to maintain our roads and infrastructure, we must pursue alternative sources of funding for these programs.
Over the course of the next several months, Congress may consider legislation that invests in our aging infrastructure and creates jobs. As our Nation takes steps to compromise on a path toward economic recovery, putting Americans to work by repairing and expanding our transportation infrastructure can help meet important policy goals while providing a boost to our economy. By focusing on infrastructure, we can increase the efficiency of our transportation system and make important investments in our local communities that will create the foundation for long-term economic growth.
Again, thank you for sharing your thoughts with me. Please do not hesitate to contact me in the future about this or any other matter of importance to you.
If you have access to the Internet, I encourage you to visit my web site, http://casey.senate.gov. I invite you to use this online office as a comprehensive resource to stay up-to-date on my work in Washington, request assistance from my office or share with me your thoughts on the issues that matter most to you and to Pennsylvania.
Sincerely,
Bob Casey
United States Senator
Dear Mr. Linday:
Thank you for taking the time to contact me regarding freight rail transportation programs. I appreciate hearing from you regarding this issue.
Freight rail transportation programs receive most of their funding under the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU), which was enacted in 2005, expired in 2009 and has been extended by a series of short-term measures. As you may know, the Senate passed an additional funding extension that will expire in March 2012. On November 9, 2011, the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works unanimously approved S. 1813, the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century act, which would reauthorize the Nation?s transportation programs for two years.
Recently, there has been increased demand for freight rail services which has caused congestion throughout the freight rail system. This congestion is especially problematic in cities that contain important freight hubs such as ports, airports, border crossings and rail yards. Investing in freight rail infrastructure can improve highway safety, reduce congestion and lead to increased economic development. I am committed to working with my colleagues to find ways to strengthen federal investment in our Nation?s passenger and freight rail network with funding that is both sufficient and sustainable.
Long-term reauthorization has become increasingly difficult during the last two decades, primarily due to the controversy over how to fund the Nation?s transportation programs. Nevertheless, I believe that consideration of a comprehensive multi-year bill that includes funding for freight rail is long overdue.
The most difficult issue when considering such reauthorization is how to finance it. While the Highway Trust Fund and revenue sources had been a reliable mechanism for financing highway and transit programs for five decades, this is no longer the case. The increased prevalence of fuel-efficient vehicles coupled with the economic downturn has resulted in a reduction in revenue from the federal gas tax, which is a primary source of highway and transit funding across the Nation. In order to maintain our roads and infrastructure, we must pursue alternative sources of funding for these programs.
Over the course of the next several months, Congress may consider legislation that invests in our aging infrastructure and creates jobs. As our Nation takes steps to compromise on a path toward economic recovery, putting Americans to work by repairing and expanding our transportation infrastructure can help meet important policy goals while providing a boost to our economy. By focusing on infrastructure, we can increase the efficiency of our transportation system and make important investments in our local communities that will create the foundation for long-term economic growth.
Again, thank you for sharing your thoughts with me. Please do not hesitate to contact me in the future about this or any other matter of importance to you.
If you have access to the Internet, I encourage you to visit my web site, http://casey.senate.gov. I invite you to use this online office as a comprehensive resource to stay up-to-date on my work in Washington, request assistance from my office or share with me your thoughts on the issues that matter most to you and to Pennsylvania.
Sincerely,
Bob Casey
United States Senator
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