Transportation for America Partners

Let someone else know about the campaign by clicking here. Regional Calls: ALL calls are Thursday, November 20th Northeast: 11am EDT (ME, NH, VT, MA, CT, RI, NY, NJ, PA, DE) South: 1pm EDT/12pm CDT (VA, MD, WV, NC, TN, SC, GA, AL, FL, MS, LA, AR, KY) Midwest: 2pm CDT/3pm EDT (OH, IN, MI, IL, WI, MN, IA, MO, ND, SD, KS, OK) West: 1pm PDT/4pm EDT (TX, NM, CO, WY, MT, ID, UT, AZ, NV, CA, WA, OR, HI, AK) CALL-IN INFORMATION: 1-866-528-9731 Conference Code: 5102688602

Once again, the swift and enthusiastic response from our partners enabled us to send a forceful message to Congress through our Economic Stimulus Sign-on Letter. The call to include transportation investments in an economic stimulus package resonated with public officials, transit agencies, national, state and local groups, and the many diverse constituencies that make up our coalition. Thanks to the outreach of our partners, over 140 groups and individuals have signed on to the letter, and we receive additional requests to join the list daily.

Thank you to those that have already signed on and recruited signatories through your networks! For those that have not signed on, it's not too late! While the original message blast went out to Congress last week, we are still collecting signatures for the letter to use it as a tool on our upcoming Capitol Hill visits. The letter is available on our coalition website:

coalition.t4america.org
Username: t4apartner
Password: tea4usa08

Please contact Natalie Robles at natalie.robles@t4america.org if you would like to sign on.

November 20th Regional Calls Agenda:

• Economic Stimulus Discussion
• New Resources for Partners
• Project of the week: Take the lead in your state! Will you schedule a call with other partners in your state to discuss a localized plan of action with the Transportation for America team?
  

In this update:
I. New Partners
II. New Resources on the Coalition Partner website
III. News from Capitol Hill
IV. Campaign press features

Looking forward to our calls on Thursday,

Ilana Preuss
Outreach and Field Director
202-207-3355 x14
ilana.preuss@t4america.org

Suggestions for the Transportation for America update? Please contact me at the address above.

I. Campaign Partner Updates

We'd like to welcome the following partners who have signed on to the campaign in the past week:

Connecticut Fund for the Environment
Michigan Environmental Council
Environment Colorado
Livable Communities Coalition
Greenbelt Alliance
Green Millennium
Smart Growth Partnership
Dane Alliance for Rational Transportation (DART)
New Jersey Future
ConnPIRG
MassPIRG
Maryland PIRG
WISPIRG
San Louis Obispo County Bicycle Coalition
Green Wheels
CEOs for Cities
Real Estate Round Table
The Transit Coalition

Welcome to the coalition!

II. New Resources

Issue Fact Sheets have been posted to the partner website that address Gas Prices, Economic Impacts, and Climate as they relate to the transportation discussion. Fact sheets on Public Health and Rural Communities are forthcoming and will be made available to partners upon completion.

Check out our coalition partner website to access our new resources:
coalition.t4america.org
Username: t4apartner
Password: tea4usa08

We will discuss additional campaign resources on our regional calls, including press templates from our communications team, messaging training sessions and translation papers.

III. Updates from Capitol Hill

This week, the Transportation for America campaign sent a letter to Congress urging them to include targeted funding for clean, green infrastructure investment in any potential economic stimulus package, including over $4 billion for ready-to-go transit projects, about $1.2 billion for ready-to-go bike and pedestrian projects, and $1.6 billion in operating grants to transit agencies struggling to keep up with rising expenses, including fuel prices.

While it looks as though the stimulus bill that may be considered during this month's "lame duck" session will not include any type of infrastructure funding, we are already looking ahead to the first few months of the New Year, where an incoming Obama Administration will most likely encourage consideration of a third stimulus package.  Over 150 organizations and individuals signed on in support of the letter, and we're still looking for new signatories.  Please contact Natalie Robles (natalie.robles@t4america.org) for further information about signing on.

Senator John Kerry (D-Mass) is expected to introduce the bipartisan High-Speed Rail Act this week. A bill summary is available on the Advocacy page of Transportation for America's coalition website, and we will share more information once the bill has been introduced.

IV. Transportation for America in the Media

Transportation for America Communications Director David Goldberg wrote a piece for WorldChanging last week about a new study in Australia documenting the public costs of subsidizing drivable suburban development versus transit-oriented growth.

While President-elect Barack Obama and his transition team focus on rebuilding the economy, an increasing interest in alternative energy and green jobs has brought attention to the work of Transportation for America's campaign partners. The Environmental Defense Fund has come out with a new ad campaign urging support  for financially strapped transit agencies, the Apollo Alliance continues to push for an investment in green energy and green jobs as part of an economic stimulus, and the National Association of Realtors has been monitoring the growing demand for more environmentally-friendly housing.

Local campaign partners Elm City Cycling, Greater Baltimore Committee, and Transit for Livable Communities were also in the news this week, talking about a new law giving cyclists more space in New Haven, discussing the economic impact of a new transit line in Baltimore, and critiquing a long-term transportation plan in the Twin Cities.

PenTrans examined the implications of an auto industry bailout and argued for rewarding the nation's work force with quality jobs building sustainable transit infrastructure and creating transportation alternatives.