House Environment Committee to discuss effects of transportation
The House Environment and Natural Resources Committee will meet Thursday to discuss the environmental effects of automobiles and ways to improve public transit in Rhode Island. CTC encourages stakeholders to attend.
The meeting, which is scheduled Thursday, Dec. 2, at 2 p.m. in Room 35 on the basement level of the State House, will feature a presentation by environmental expert Dr. Catherine Lutz, Chair of the Department of Anthropology at Brown University. Other presenters will include Michael P. Lewis, Director of the Department of Transportation, John Rupp, Chairman of the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority, Ed Cooney, Co-Chair of the Transit 2020 Action Group and John Flaherty, Co-Chair of the Coalition for Transportation Choices.
"Improving our transportation system and public transportation options is one of the most effective and fastest ways the state can make a significant improvement in air quality, prevent water pollution and protect our open spaces," said Environment and Natural Resources Committee Chairman Arthur Handy (D-Dist. 18, Cranston). "Strengthening public transportation and creating more walkable neighborhoods are also effective ways for our urban, town and village centers to accommodate more economic growth without increasing traffic and congestion while protecting our open spaces."
The Department of Energy reports that the transportation sector is the second largest end-user of energy and is still growing each year. Transportation is also the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in New England. Improving public transportation options and reducing dependence on single occupancy vehicles would dramatically improve air quality and reduce global warming pollution.
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Jerry Elmer of the Conservation Law Foundation and Sheila Dormody, Co-Chair of the CTC confer with Rep. Arthur Handy prior to a hearing during the 2010 General Assembly. |
The CTC's centerpiece legislative proposal for the coming year will be the creation of a Transportation Trust Fund that addresses the critical need for sustainable transportation funding and state match required for federal investments in Rhode Island's transportation infrastructure.
Most leaders agree that the funding mechanism for our transportation system in severely broken. The CTC (and its member organizations) is the only voice advocating for and proposing systemic reform. We understand that state finances are in crisis and yet we also know that our transportation system is vitally connected to our economic well-being. The measures we propose will not come without pain, but they are long overdue. Failure to address this challenge will only result in a more difficult problem to overcome.
