On Thursday, as more than 120 U. S. Representatives called for Congress to fully fund public transit Capital Investment Grants (CIG), the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) said it agreed with their stance.
In a letter to the leaders of the House Transportation, Housing and Urban Development and Related Agencies, 124 representatives joined U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) in calling for Congress to appropriate $3 billion for CIG in fiscal 2024. When combined with money provided by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the appropriate would bring $4.6 billion for CIG.
The Congressmember’s letter also called for Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg to expedite the CIG review process.
“Local taxpayers rely on partnerships with the federal government to develop essential transit projects like those supported by CIG, and this funding is critical to developing a future-oriented transportation system that will meet the needs of our communities to reduce congestion, expand access to economic opportunity, and provide transportation options,” the letter said.
APTA said it agrees with the Congress members’ call for increased funding.
“Strong public transportation grows the economy by connecting people to jobs, education, healthcare, businesses, and opportunities. Investing in public transportation benefits all Americans,” APTA President and CEO Paul P. Skoutelas said. “Public Transit Capital Investment Grants are critical to building communities. I thank Representative Blumenauer and his colleagues for leading this effort.”
APTA said the CIG investment would help address funding needs for 65 critical public transit capital projects in 23 states. Those projects are requesting $46 billion in CIG funds, APTA said. Additionally, APTA said for every $1 billion invested in public transportation, 50,000 jobs are created across the economy, and for every $1 invested in public transportation, $5 in long-term economic return is generated.