Department of Transportation Unveils 2010 Budget Framework
The Department of Transportation has unveiled the framework of its proposed fiscal year 2010 budget with additional budget details promised in April of this year.
The administration said it will work closely with the Congress over the next few months to determine the details for funding surface transportation following the release of President Obama's fiscally responsible blueprint for 2010.
"This administration inherited a difficult problem--a system that can no longer pay for itself," said Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. "We are looking at every option to solve it, but we are not going to be ready overnight."
The budget proposal does provide a broad framework that commits funds for sustainable solutions for surface transportation, explores options to make the nation's communities more livable through increased funding for public transit, supports development of a high speed rail network across the country, and supports the Next Generation Air Transportation System to modernize the air traffic control system.
"This budget is a start toward setting the nation's transportation system on a sustainable path," LaHood added.
To provide Americans a 21st Century transportation system, DOT has proposed a five-year, $5 billion high-speed rail state grant program. This funding will build on the $8 billion down payment in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.
The budget provides approximately $800 million for the Next Generation Air Transportation System, a long-term effort to improve the efficiency, safety, and capacity of the air traffic control system. The 2010 budget supports moving from a ground-based radar surveillance system to a more accurate satellite-based surveillance system, development of more efficient routes through the airspace, and improvements in aviation weather information.