The Bush administration strongly supports public transportation investments that are fiscally sound and produce transportation and economic benefits, one of many facts overlooked by The Gazette's coverage of a recent Sierra Club report ("Sierra Club: Purple Line imperiled," June 16).
Under the current administration proposal, the vast majority of the $7 billion in annual federal transit funds given to states and local transit agencies would continue to require only a 20 percent local share of federal funding. It is only for the "new starts" program that the administration is proposing a 50-50 matching requirement. This program primarily supports the construction of new rail and subway systems, and represents just 15 percent of total federal transit funding.
Decisions about funding transit projects will be driven primarily by an assessment of whether a project is cost-effective and meets a community's transportation needs. By its support of the construction of the Largo Metrorail extension and the Baltimore Central Corridor Light Rail double track project, both of which demonstrated good planning, cost-effectiveness and strong local support, the administration has demonstrated its commitment to both the transit goals of local communities and to taxpayers.
Jennifer L. Dorn, Washington, D.C.
The writer is administrator of the Federal Transit Administration.
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