CLINTON-GORE LIVABILITY AGENDA:
BUILDING LIVABLE COMMUNITIES
FOR THE 21ST CENTURY

To help ease traffic congestion and promote community livability, the Clinton-Gore Administration is proposing a record $6.1 billion for public transit and $2.2 billion -- a total 16% increase above FY 1999 -- for several Department of Transportation programs that provide flexible support to state and local efforts to improve transportation and land use planning, strengthen existing transportation systems, and promote broader use of alternative transportation.

As communities grow further out and commuting distances increase, more and more Americans find themselves sitting in traffic when they'd rather be home with their families. By one estimate, Americans waste half a billion hours a year struck in traffic. DOT calculates that 41 percent of peak-hour travel time is under congested conditions.

On June 9, 1998, President Clinton signed the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21). At the Administration's urging, this historic legislation continues to provide communities the flexibility to transfer funds from highway construction to public transit, and provides significant funding increases for several programs to help communities and commuters overcome traffic congestion. This is more than a billion dollar increase in funding for these efforts over the FY 1999 budget under TEA-21. This also represents a $666 million increase over the FY 2000 budget authority mandated under TEA-21. To aggressively implement these transportation priorities, the President's FY 2000 budget will propose:

• $6.1 billion for public transit, an increase of $724 million over FY 1999. These funds will be used to maintain and expand the nation's access to transit systems, helping communities provide a range of efficient public transportation choices that will alleviate traffic congestion. Inclusive transportation planning processes encourage states and communities to reach consensus on what makes sense for each community. This represents a $292 million increase over the FY 2000 budget authority under TEA-21.

• $1.6 billion for the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program, which supports state and local efforts to simultaneously ease congestion and reduce air pollution in areas not meeting or working to stay in compliance with federal air quality standards. Eligible projects include high-occupancy-vehicle lanes, incentives for ridesharing, improved transit facilities, systems to monitor traffic and quickly clear disabled vehicles, bicycle and pedestrians paths, and conversion of public and private fleets to cleaner fuels. The proposed funding is a $341 million increase over the FY 2000 budget under TEA-21 for the FY 2000 budget -- and a 30% increase over FY 1999.

• $50 million for the Transportation and Community and System Preservation Pilot, which provides grants to state and local governments and planning agencies to coordinate transportation and land use planning while at the same time reducing environmental impacts and ensuring efficient access to jobs, services and centers of trade. This more than doubles the amount of funding for this program in FY 1999, which the Vice President first announced in September. Already the Department of Transportation has received more than 500 applications for the original $25 million in FY 2000 funds provided by TEA-21.

• Approximately $570 million for the Transportation Enhancements Program, which supports projects such as renovation of historic rail stations, creation of bicycle and pedestrian paths, facilities, safety education and scenic beautification.

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• Clinton-Gore Livability Agenda: Building Livable Communities for the 21st Century: Introduction
• Clinton-Gore Livability Agenda: Building Livable Communities for the 21st Century--Press Release
• Remarks as Prepared for Delivery by Vice President Al Gore, Monday, January 11, 1999