STATEMENT OF EUGENE A. CONTI, JR.,

ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR TRANSPORTATION POLICY

BEFORE THE COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE, NUTRITION, AND FORESTRY

SUBCOMMITTEE ON FORESTRY, CONSERVATION, AND RURAL REVITALIZATION

CONCERNING THE NATIONAL RURAL DEVELOPMENT PARTNERSHIP

March 8, 2000

Mr. Chairman and Members of the Subcommittee, I am pleased to appear before you today to discuss the National Rural Development Partnership.

I. INTRODUCTION

As the Department of Transportation's Rural Coordinator, I have been aware of and involved with the National Rural Development Partnership since my appointment as Assistant Secretary for Transportation Policy. The Partnership provides DOT with a valuable channel for communication with a broad spectrum of local rural officials and activists who help shape and implement transportation programs related to community and economic development.

Rural America faces numerous transportation challenges. Residents of rural areas and small towns often suffer from isolation and reduced access to normal daily activities. Many experience substantial difficulties in getting to and from employment opportunities and related activities such as job training and education, childcare services, health care services and other basic needs. The NRDP brings together the organizations, state and local representatives, business interests and residents of rural areas and small communities to address these critical concerns.

The NRDP provides a flexible framework within which rural, local, state, federal, tribal and non-governmental interests identify common circumstances, challenges and opportunities. The Department of Transportation seeks such flexible collaboration in its program structures; thus, the work of the NRDP is consistent with and supportive of DOT programs and actions. The NRDP has also provided DOT with an important, and in many ways unique, conduit to economic and community perspectives in rural areas and small towns throughout the Nation.

At the last two NRDP national conferences I have had the opportunity to talk directly and frankly with rural stakeholders about DOT's Rural Initiative and our rural programs. I have found the NRDP to be an immensely valuable partner in DOT's fulfillment of its mission. Working with the NRDP has enabled DOT to more effectively address the needs of underserved rural populations by offering us access to economic and community perspectives in rural areas and small towns throughout the Nation. We used this rural link in the development of our surface transportation reauthorization proposal and will continue to use it as we carry out TEA-21 programs involving rural interests, including greater involvement of rural local officials in the statewide planning process. I am aware of no other mechanism by which the Department is able to tap into this perspective on such an immediate and recurring basis.

II. HISTORY

The Department of Transportation has been an active member of the National Rural Development Partnership since its inception. The Partnership began, via Executive Order #12720 in 1990. An interagency group of federal officials, including a DOT representative, and a private sector rural commission assembled to develop ways to use existing resources to improve and support economic and community development and to overcome problems in rural areas and small communities. An early key strategy was to invest federal funds in the creation of state rural development councils.

In 1990, eight councils were initially put in place as pilots: Kansas, Maine, Mississippi, Oregon, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, and Washington. These councils were composed of Federal, State, local and tribal governments as well as for-profit and non-profit private organizations involved in rural issues. This was intended to bring together parties that could access available public and private resources, and, by doing so, create an environment in which all of those resources could be used more effectively. The councils structured themselves according to local needs with individual strategic plans and operating styles.

Today, 36 State Rural Development Councils are operating, and more states are considering their establishment. Four states currently have teams in place to assist in the formation of new councils: Arizona, California, Georgia and Rhode Island. The councils have proven highly innovative and successful in providing a coordinating mechanism leading to the more effective use of resources -- both public and private.

The State Councils are connected into a national network, which includes the National Rural Development Council and the National Program Office. The National Rural Development Council, composed of federal agency and non-governmental organization representatives, provides support and coordination for the state councils at the federal level. The National Program Office, which provides budget, policy and administrative support to the State Councils, is housed in the Department of Agriculture. These connections have created an interstate network that quickly exchanges successful ideas among state councils.

III. THE DEPARTMENT'S RURAL TRANSPORTATION INITIATIVE

Secretary Rodney E. Slater announced the Department's Rural Transportation Initiative in May 1999. The Initiative is a comprehensive plan to help America's rural communities fully enjoy the benefits of the nation's growing economy and improvements in transportation safety and mobility. The Initiative builds on the Clinton-Gore Administration's leadership in improving the economies and transportation systems of rural areas and small communities. Transportation is a critical factor in reducing the isolation of rural areas and connecting them to markets across the nation and around the world. The Department of Transportation has long been actively working to bring a more effective and responsive level of transportation service to these rural communities. Through the Initiative, the profile of rural transportation problems has been, and will continue to be, elevated.

The National Rural Development Partnership collaborated with the Department on the formation of the Rural Transportation Initiative. The NRDP acted as a sounding board for policy and program ideas for the Initiative and helped disseminate the products of the Initiative, a brochure and program guide, to rural stakeholders.

In the words of Secretary Slater, "The Initiative is intended to be a dynamic activity evolving and adjusting to changing circumstances and conditions in rural areas and small communities." The NRDP provides the essential communication links to small and rural communities that enable DOT to be responsive to the transportation needs of rural America.

IV. IMPORTANCE TO U.S. DOT

The National Rural Development Partnership has provided important support to the Department of Transportation. As a result of the increased cross-program cooperation and collaboration generated by each Council, DOT focuses its limited program resources more effectively and provides services more efficiently. At the national level, state councils provide insights to DOT on the impacts of federal policies and programs at the local level. At the local and state level, the Department works closely with the NRDP through the State Rural Development Councils.

The Department of Transportation emphasizes greater involvement of rural local officials in the statewide planning process in TEA-21. The National Academy of Public Administration is currently conducting a study for the Federal Highway Administration on the state departments of transportation's local official consultation processes, which will provide input to Secretary Slater's report to Congress on June 9, 2000. The State Rural Development Councils can provide a direct means for facilitating these consultation processes. In Illinois, for example, the Rural Development Council's Transportation Committee completed a two-year statewide rural public transportation study that identifies barriers to more effective transportation services in rural Illinois. The Committee will meet with the Illinois DOT to review the report's recommendations and discuss implementation opportunities.

The Idaho Rural Partnership (IRP) has also supported the involvement of rural local officials in the statewide planning process. Dr. Dick Gardner, Executive Director of IRP, facilitated the Idaho Transportation Planning Task Force, which brought together the Idaho Department of Transportation, the Association of Idaho Cities, the Idaho Association of Counties, and the Idaho Association of Highway Districts to resolve differences concerning rural local transportation planning. The Task Force successfully developed a consultation process that balances the needs of all parties. The process includes a new mechanism for project prioritization by local officials, the provision of regional transportation planning bodies, and the recognition that local officials could use federal money for transportation planning.

Through collaboration with the Maine Rural Development Council, the FHWA Division office and Maine DOT have been able to greatly increase tribal involvement in their transportation planning. Prior to involvement with the Council, the Division office and the MDOT had very limited contact with the four federally recognized Indian Tribes living on five reservations in the state. In 1998, the MRDC organized an outreach effort in which FHWA division staff visited each reservation and spent significant time meeting with the tribal leaders and members. A Service Providers' Forum followed the outreach effort, at which State and Federal agencies presented programs available to the tribes to over fifty tribal representatives. The Forum resulted in several on going task forces addressing tribal issues, including the accuracy of the bridge inventory in Maine.

The Connecticut Rural Development Council (CRDC) has also been active on transportation issues, focusing intense effort on flexibility in road and bridge design. In 1996, the council co-sponsored a successful public forum, Designing Roads and Bridges to Preserve Community Character, which brought together speakers from the Connecticut DOT, FHWA, USDOT, local government, state and congressional representatives, historic preservationists and environmentalists. As a result of this forum's coalition, the Connecticut State Legislature passed a law in 1998 requiring the Connecticut DOT to develop alternative design guidelines and to consult with certain community groups, including CRDC. The forum also helped enhance USDOT partnerships in the state. CRDC has continued to promote and monitor alternative design guidelines through consultation with USDOT and FHWA, and to disseminate transportation information to rural communities and interest groups.

State Councils provide a technical capacity necessary to produce successful grant applications that would otherwise be unavailable in many rural communities. By coordinating resources, the councils enhance the ability of rural communities to successfully compete on an equal basis with many urban areas. As a result, the state councils help ensure that DOT programs are equally accessible to rural and urban areas. For example, the CRDC co-authored Connecticut's highly successful Transportation and Community and System Preservation pilot grant from FHWA and is currently working with its grant partners to address the connections between urban, suburban and rural areas through transportation and land use planning. The process will result in transportation and economic development approaches combined with neighborhood and open space preservation in a coherent package. By virtue of its technical expertise, the CRDC is helping us learn about the impact of smart growth and livable communities initiatives in urban, suburban, and rural communities.

Tourism is a vital part of the nation's economy. The Department of Transportation is trying to improve coordination and cooperation between transportation and tourism practitioners at the Federal, State and local level, in both the public and private sector. DOT has worked with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Economic Development Administration, the National Park Service and the U.S. Department of the Interior to improve transportation services and alleviate congestion in National Parks and other rural tourist locations. The NRDP has been an important partner in this effort.

For instance, the Utah Rural Development Council (URDC) facilitated the public information gathering process for the National Park Service as they developed a draft management plan for Zion National Park and Zion National Canyon. They facilitated several forums on the plan and collected comments from the public and tourism operators. Scott Truman, the Executive Director of the URDC, serves as Vice Chair of the Southwestern Utah Planning Authorities Council (SUPAC), a collection of Federal, State and local government representatives. SUPAC provided the forum to enhance discussion on transportation needs for the Park, and worked with the National Park Service to develop a transportation hub and Visitors Center that will open in May 2000.

A public shuttle bus transportation system, connected to the hub, will collect people at a parking area near the entrance to Zion National Park and take them to various stops within the Park. This transportation system will relieve air pollution, traffic congestion and preserve the true nature of the Park.

From flexible road design in Massachusetts to the needs of shortline railroads in Kansas, the State Rural Development Councils facilitate the advancement and enhancement of transportation issues at the local level. By providing access to a broad range of rural local officials and activists, the NRDP enables the DOT to carry out our programs and policies more effectively.

V. CONCLUSION

The Department of Transportation has been a strong and consistent supporter of the NRDP at the national and state levels. We believe that the NRDP is a valuable resource to DOT and to rural America, and we strongly support its continued role in bringing together partners from the public and private realms to help rural communities improve their quality of life.

This concludes my prepared statement, Mr. Chairman. I would be happy to answer questions you or other members of the Subcommittee may have.