Mobility 21 welcomes newest Executive Board member, new OCTA CEO Will Kempton
	State Transportation Chief Will Kempton, a 35-year industry veteran, hired as new CEO of OCTA.

ORANGE (June 22, 2009) – Will Kempton, head of the California Department of Transportation for the past five years, was hired today to become the new chief executive officer of the Orange County Transportation Authority. MORE

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House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee Chairman Releases Blueprint for the Future of Transportation

(June 18, 2009) Chairman Oberstar and Ranking Member Mica held a press conference to outline their blueprint for the next surface transportation authorization bill.

Highlights of the plan include:

• $450b 6-year bill, a 38% increase over current authorized bill
• $337.4 B for highway program
• $99.9 B ($87.6b Highway Trust fund and $12.2 General fund revenues) for public transit
• $25 b for Projects of National regional significance
• New state freight formula funding
• $50b for New Metropolitan Mobility program to help the largest metropolitan regions address congestion.
• To support Metropolitan Mobility and Access, the US. Department of Transportation, acting in part through a newly-created National Infrastructure Bank, may provide grants, loans, loan guarantees, lines of credit, private-activity bonds, tax-credit bonds, and other financial tools to help metropolitan regions implement their plans and finance a range of strategies including improved transit operations, congestion pricing, and expanded highway and transit capacity.
• Additional $50 b for 11 high speed rail corridors
• Consolidation or elimination of 75 federal transportation programs
• Performance-based approach
• Streamline reporting requirements and reduce red tape

Download entire Blueprint here (PDF)

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Mobility 21 to State Legislature:
Hands Off Transportation!
Mobility 21 Executive Director Marnie O’Brien Primmer joined over 75 business leaders from Los Angeles County as part of the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce annual Access Sacramento trip. Meeting with key lawmakers and transportation officials, the message from the delegation was clear: investing in transportation provides the jobs California needs to make its way out of the economic downturn. While transportation funding has so far escaped deep cuts, even delays in receiving payment will stop critical transportation projects now under construction or delay others from moving forward into construction. MORE

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Does Transit Matter?
Transportation competes with other urgent matters for attention from law-makers: healthcare and education reform, bailouts for Wall Street and automakers, states nearing default, the war on terror. The transportation industry’s approach to advocacy has traditionally been characterized by bickering between modes and general apathy. It is time to make our case in a new way: stand united, get energized, and don’t take no for an answer. MORE

Inland Empire leaders converge to hear about Advancing Goods Movement

(May 26, 2009) Over 150 policy makers and business leaders attended Advancing Goods Movement Through the Inland Empire. The workshop, funded through a grant from SCAG, was hosted by WRCOG and RCTC in partnership with Mobility 21 and Inland Empire Economic Partnership.

Be part of a national solution. Southern California must join with other regions to develop and advocate for a national freight policy. MORE

SANBAG receives an additional $49 million in stimulus funds for the Inland region
SAN BERNARDINO, CA (April 16, 2009) – A ray of economic relief beamed down on the Inland Empire this week as additional stimulus funds were allocated for a transportation infrastructure project in San Bernardino County. The State of California Business, Transportation and Housing Agency (BTH) and the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) allocated $49 million of the state’s share of federal stimulus funds to San Bernardino Associated Governments (SANBAG) to start construction on the next two phases of the I-215 Freeway Widening Project through San Bernardino. News Release

LOS ANGELES, CA (March 28, 2009) Mobility 21, the leading Southern California transportation coalition, today applauds the California State Legislature for the passage of AB3x-20, which clarifies how the state’s $2.64 billion in stimulus funds will be used for funding needed transportation investment throughout the state. News Release

Mobility 21 wants to hear from you
If you have ideas for future Mobility 21 Forward Motion newsletter articles, send them to Executive Director Marnie Primmer at mprimmer@mobility21.com

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