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Pitts Votes
Against the Passenger Rail Investment and
Improvement Act
6/27/2008
 The House passed the
Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act which reauthorizes
$14.4 billion in funding for Amtrak over the next five years. The bill was
passed by a margin of 311 to 104. Joe Pitts voted NO.
The federal government spends hundreds of
billions a year on highways, airports and air traffic control. Billions more are
spent on air security and highway law enforcement. Rail travel is more
ecologically sound than air or auto travel, and most of the cost of maintaining
railways is borne by private industry. Just as important states are developing
local rail networks to interface with Amtrak system. Read Bruce Slater's
response...
Bruce Slater says, "the
Passenger Rail Investment and
Improvement Act is an important infrastructure engine which will generate lower
the cost of transportation to some consumers and provide an ecologically sound
transportation alternative in this changing economy. Any increase in rail
traffic will lower the price of fuel for all consumers. More exciting is the
spin-off rail systems which are developing on a state and local level. Any
increase in the use of mass transit will lessen the ecological burden created by
carbon-based fuels."
"I would have voted for this bill, because it
makes sense and because it is ecologically sound and energy efficient. Joe
Pitts, on the other hand, has proposed legislation to give away federal property
to the oil industry for the purpose of building new oil refineries. Joe Pitts is
out-of-touch with the economic and ecological realities that face every American
every day. His plan will take a decade to implement and will increase America's
dependence on foreign oil."
"Of course, it is the international oil
companies that contribute to his campaign, they are who he represents, and Joe
Pitts view them as his 'real' constituents and not the voters in the 16th
Congressional District."
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