US SENATE APPROVES HIGHWAY BILL, WHICH INCLUDES SENATORS SNOWE, COLLINS'' REQUEST FOR PROJECTS TO BENEFIT MAINE

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today U.S. Senators Olympia J. Snowe (R-ME) and Susan M. Collins (R-ME) voted for the Safe, Accountable, Flexible and Efficient Transportation Equity Act (SAFETEA), which the Senate passed by an overwhelming vote of 89 to 11. This six-year surface transportation program reauthorization bill will bring our aging transportation infrastructure into the 21st Century without increasing the deficit and contains several provisions funding Maine transportation priorities. The House and Senate will now convene a conference committee to hammer out the differences between the Senate and House bills.

"Maintaining a modern, efficient transportation system is absolutely necessary to facilitate economic growth, keep travelers safe, and ultimately improve our quality of life," said Snowe, a member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. "Mainers are well-served by this legislation, which will go a long way toward meeting their transportation needs. I encourage the House and Senate conferees to complete their work on this bill as soon as possible."

[Burita, Jen (Collins)] "I am pleased that our colleagues in the US Senate have recognized the importance of the provisions in the Highway bill that benefit Maine. Our highway projects are crucial to the overall economy and infrastructure of our state," said Senator Collins.

Bill Highlights for Maine:

The Downeaster Funding Mechanism: in a unique arrangement, the Downeaster, while it is technically a part of the Amtrak system, is actually funded by a program known as CMAQ (which is a program within the Highway Trust Fund). Because of this, Maine needs to receive an exemption to use CMAQ funds to pay for the Downeaster. In this bill, an amendment offered by Snowe and Collins was adopted and extends that exemption until the expiration of the legislation, in September of 2009.

The East-West High Priority Corridor Designation: receiving such a Designation makes a particular road eligible to receive funding from a program known as the Corridor program, initially put in the TEA-21 legislation.

Senators Snowe and Collins successfully secured a significant increase in transportation safety grant funding for Maine. The Highway Bill includes a steady increase in safety grant funding for Maine: $1.082 million in FY 2006; $1.086 million in FY 2007; $1.147 million in FY 2008; and $1.173 million in FY 2009. Previous Section 402 funding for Maine was less: $776, 938 in 2003; $760, 000 in FY 2002; and $734,545 in FY 2001.

The State of Maine currently receives, as a result of TEA-21, 94.7 cents back for every dollar they put into the Highway Trust Fund. By the end of the Senate Highway Bill in 2009, Maine will improve upon that by receiving 96.3 cents for every dollar. In terms of real dollars, Maine received over the life of the TEA-21 legislation an annual average of $146 million/year. Under the Senate formula, known as the Equity Bonus program, Maine will receive on average $178.9 million/year. This is a percentage change of +22.5%

###