WASHING T ON WA I CH ASN gto fe = Meeting America’s Trave (NAPSA)—This country can create jobs and stimulate growth, reduce our dependence on foreign sources of energy, protect the environment and improve our overall quality of life, if Congress invests now in public transportation. The federal surface transporta- wore tion appropriation bill is the sin- gle biggest investment that the federal government makes in public transportation. It’s the chance communities across the country have to improve and expand pub- lic transit service to meet the needs of their citizens. HowIt Helps According to the American Public Transportation Association: For every $1 billion invested federally in public transportation, 30,000 jobs are supported. * Current public transportation use lets America eliminate 900,000 automobile fill-ups a day, which equates to .2 billion gallons of gasoline annually. American public transportation saves 37 million metric tons of carbon dioxide annually. That’s equivalent to the emissions put into the air from theelectricity generated to power .9 million households—or every home in Washington, D.C., New York City, Atlanta, Denver and Los Angeles combined. Individually, you can reduce your personal carbon footprint by 20 pounds a day, or ,800 pounds of carbon emissions per year, just by switching to public transportation. Public transportation is unique in its ability to be part of the solution to many of the challenges we face as a nation. Public transportation can reduce stress, increase physical activity and provide more access for those who need it most. Americans living in areas served by public transportation save 66 million hours of travel time each year. What Can Be Done Many Americans are communi- cating with Congress about increasing the country’s investment in public transportation. You can reach your representative at www.house.gov and senators at www.senate.gov. Where To Learn More For more information, visit www.publictransportation.org or call (202) 96-800.
