Today, our highways and transit systems need continued support in order to meet our commercial and personal transportation requirements. I also want to thank all the people in Minnesota who have educated me along the way on transportation issues. I am pleased that several transit projects have been proposed in Minnesota, including the Twin Cities Transitway. Improving existing transit and building new transit will be crucial as we see our population in the state continue to grow. It is clear that, as our region continues to grow, we will need alternatives to the traditional car and driver commuting.
Transportation is critical to our daily lives.
We cannot separate how people and goods are transported from the many other parts of their social and economic lives. It is important to work together to ensure that we have a fully integrated, safe and environmentally sound intermodal transportation system in the state of Minnesota and the country. The planning provisions of the bill put the major decision-making back at the local level where it belongs. In addition, the conference report contains language that allows for appropriate meaningful public participation in the MPO process. While the MPO process has worked well, this new language will make the process that much more responsive to the communities that are most affected by their decisions.