Policy Statements
Airports Policy
The national air transportation system is an essential component of interstate travel, commerce and the national defense, generating substantial benefits to the public. Our national airport system must be improved and expanded.
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Environmental Policy
Transportation construction and environmental stewardship are connected in numerous ways. Every transportation project must undergo environmental review and approval processes before construction is allowed to proceed. This includes, but is not limited to, issues dealing with the federal Clean Air Act (CAA), the Clean Water Act (CWA), the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and climate change. Currently, the environmental review and approval process for a transportation project can take up to 19 years.
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Highways Policy
The United States has nearly four million miles of roadway, of which three million are rural roads. 97% of all roads and streets in the U.S. are under the jurisdiction of the state and local governments. Approximately 124,000 miles are under the jurisdiction of the federal government and includes roads in national forest and parks, and on military and Indian reservations.
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Railroad/Transit Policy
The U.S. public transportation, rail transit, intercity passenger rail and freight rail systems are integral and vital components of the nation's intermodal transportation network. Each mode plays an important role in improving economic growth, quality of life, national security and the environment.
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Roadway Safety Policy
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, well over 40,000 people die and nearly three million are injured each year on America's roadways. The U.S. Department of Transportation indicates that poor road conditions and obsolete road designs are a factor in about 14,000 highway deaths each year. Americans tolerate this carnage under the misimpression that it is unavoidable. That is untrue.
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Research, Education & Training Policy
One of the most important contributors to a nation's economy and quality of life is transportation and the mobility of freight and people that it provides. Any advanced society must be able to move people and goods with efficiency and effectiveness. Transportation is key to the specialization of labor, globalization of trade, urbanization and the resulting concentration of labor, networking of organizations, lean manufacturing, efficient management of procurement and inventory, and a host of other business functions critical to a developed economy.