Rebuilding and Renewing America - Gaining National Attention
Across the nation people are taking notice of Earl's message, here is what they are saying:
The Cracks are Showing The Economist, June 26, 2008 "...For the past few years it has been hard to ignore America’s crumbling infrastructure, from the devastating breach of New Orleans’s levees after Hurricane Katrina to the collapse of a big bridge in Minneapolis last summer. In 2005 the American Society of Civil Engineers estimated that $1.6 trillion was needed over five years to bring just the existing infrastructure into good repair. This does not account for future needs. By 2020 freight volumes are projected to be 70% greater than in 1998. By 2050 America’s population is expected to reach 420m, 50% more than in 2000. Much of this growth will take place in metropolitan areas, where the infrastructure is already run down.
If America does not act, says Robert Yaro of the Regional Plan Association (RPA), a body that plans for the New York-New Jersey-Connecticut region, it will have the infrastructure of a third-world..." Click here to read the entire article
Editorial boards across America are giving notice to Blumenauer’s plan:
Blumenauer Steps up as Fuel Costs Soar The Oregonian, Thursday July 17, 2008 "…Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore., understands this. That's why, Wednesday, he introduced a bill with a name as long as a MAX train: the Transportation and Housing Choices for Gas Price Relief Act…The legislation recognizes that financially pinched Americans are turning to public transportation in record numbers, but in too many cities and small towns there's inadequate access to such transit…”
…It’s a smart bill. More members of Congress should be seriously discussing such ideas instead of spinning their wheels in a politically motivated debate over more offshore oil drilling.
Today, the cheapest gallon of gas is the gallon you don't have to buy. Blumenauer's farsighted bill would help more Americans avoid that painful purchase.” Click here for the full editorial
Before Another Bridge Falls The New York Times Editorial, February 23, 2008 "… Representative Earl Blumenauer, Democrat of Oregon, has been pushing for a real national infrastructure plan, and he has a good hook. He reminds anyone who will listen that President Thomas Jefferson’s administration wrote America’s first national development plan — calling for building roads and canals — in 1808. In 1908, President Theodore Roosevelt charted a second plan, which foresaw the need to invest in electrical generation.
Another hundred years later, the country is overdue for a new plan, one fitted for the times. In addition to repairing roads and power grids, it will have to encourage the development of alternative energy and find ways to secure critical sites against potential acts of terrorism.
Members of Congress need to listen to what the federal commission and Mr. Blumenauer are saying. The country cannot wait for another bridge to fall.” Click here to read the full editorial
A New Approach for the Age of $4/gallon gas , Op Ed, by Armando Carbonell, chairman of the Department of Planning and Urban Form at the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy; The Boston Globe June 11, 2008 “…In 1808 and 1908 respectively, Presidents Thomas Jefferson and Theodore Roosevelt led in creating national plans for a system of ports, roads, inland waterways, national forests, railroads, and hydroelectric dams, all of which supported the expansion and development of the country throughout the 19th and first half of the 20th centuries. Now, in 2008, the 100-year cycle has returned with Representative Earl Blumenauer's proposed bipartisan commission to create a national plan for transportation, energy, and water infrastructure investment….A 21st-century plan to deal with the energy dilemma, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and provide a new pattern for economic success, will help build the communities to match this new era.” Click here to read the full Op Ed.
National leaders are taking note of Blumenauer’s work and message:
Sen. Barak Obama, Presidential Candidate A Metropolitan Strategy for America's Future Miami, FL, June 21, 2008 "…The stakes could not be higher. Our children will grow up competing with children in Beijing and Bangalore and Berlin. And make no mistake – their governments are doing everything they can to give their countries an edge by investing in regional growth. As Bruce Katz of Brookings has pointed out, China is developing an advanced network of ports and freight hubs, and an advanced network of universities modeled after our own. And Germany has launched rail and telecom projects to bind its major metro areas more closely together. Other governments are aggressively pursuing strategies to unlock the potential of their metro areas. To compete and win in our global economy, we have to show the same kind of leadership…"
"…Let's invest that money in a world-class transit system. Let's re-commit federal dollars to strengthen mass transit and reform our tax code to give folks a reason to take the bus instead of driving to work – because investing in mass transit helps make metro areas more livable and can help our regional economies grow…"
"…Now is not the time for small plans. Now is the time for bold action to rebuild and renew America. We've done this before. Two hundred years ago, in 1808, Thomas Jefferson oversaw an infrastructure plan that envisioned the Homestead Act, the transcontinental railroads, and the Erie Canal. One hundred years later, in 1908, Teddy Roosevelt called together leaders from business and government to develop a plan for a 20th century infrastructure. Today, in 2008, it falls on us to take up this call again – to re-imagine America's landscape and remake America's future. That is the cause of this campaign, and that will be the cause of my presidency…" Click to read the entire speech.
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, New York City, April 18, 2008 "Congressman Earl Blumenauer is a leader in the tradition of our Founding Fathers. They were disrupters of the status quo in a time that demanded change. Congressman Blumenauer is a magnificent disrupter today in an era that calls upon us again to reject old ways of thinking."
"In our nation's history books, he will be found among the innovative thinkers who helped to keep America strong by investing in our future.” Click to read the entire speech.
In almost four decades of public service, Earl Blumenauer's innovative accomplishments in transportation, planning, environmental programs and public participation have helped Portland, Oregon earn an international reputation as one of America's most livable cities.