CONGRESSMAN MCKEON JOINS EFFORT TO SUPPORT REGIONAL PRIORITIES IN LONG-TERM STRATEGY FOR MTA FUNDING

 

 

       

 

PRESS RELEASE

Contact:  Tony Bell, Communications Deputy Office:     (213) 974-5555  Cell: (213) 215-5176 E-mail:     tbell@bos.lacounty.gov

  October 21, 2009                                                                                                For Immediate Release

 

cONGRESSMAN MCKEON JOINS EFFORT TO support REGIONAL PRIORITIES IN LONG-TERM STRATEGY FOR mta FUNDING

 

 

LOS ANGELES COUNTY – U.S. Congressman Howard “Buck” McKeon (R-Santa Clarita) has joined the bipartisan coalition of federal, state and local officials urging the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to develop an inclusive, regional and longer-term strategy to maximize federal funding for new projects, announced MTA Director, Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich.   

 

Rep. McKeon joins 14 other members of Congress who sent a letter encouraging the MTA Board to support a regional approach for federal dollars when it votes on an update to its Long Range Transportation Plan Thursday.

 

In the letter, the members of Congress expressed concern that the MTA is “not positioning itself well to receive its fair share” of funding for new projects and warned “it’s short-sighted not to include the Gold Line Foothill Extension, Gold Line Eastside Extension and Crenshaw/South Bay Transit Corridor in Metro’s New Starts funding priority.” 

 

Supervisor Antonovich agreed that if these vital projects are not included for New Starts funding, the MTA may not receive any federal dollars.  “It would be suicide to exclude these projects,” he said. 

 

In addition to McKeon, the delegation includes Democratic Reps. Adam Schiff, Diane Watson, Linda Sanchez, Lucille Roybal-Allard, Judy Chu, Grace Napolitano, Maxine Waters, Jane Harman and Joe Baca and Republicans, David Dreier, Jerry Lewis, Mary Bono Mack, Gary Miller, and Ken Calvert. 

 

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