Gas Price Relief Act Would Offer More Choices for Commuters, Preserve Affordable Housing Near Transit

”Long the 2nd biggest expense — after housing — in a family budget, transportation costs are now eating into funds needed for other critical items, such as food, education, health care, retirement saving, and even vacation plans,” wrote Oregon Democratic Congressman Earl Blumenauer in an online Planetizen op-ed before he introduced the Transportation and Housing Choices for Gas Price Relief Act (H.R. 6495), stressing, ”we’ve seen the last of the cheap oil on which we’ve built our economy, our communities, and our daily lives.”

Agreeing with former Maryland Democratic Governor Parris Glendening, now Smart Growth Leadership Institute President, that the global-competition-driven oil shortage can’t be cured ”by increasing our domestic supply,” because even ”if we drained America’s oil supply dry, our 3 percent of the world’s total is a mere drop in the bucket,” Congressman Blumenauer pointed out that ”the solution is clearly not more oil, but less demand.”

His bill — co-sponsored by Democratic Representatives Jerry McNerney, Hilda Solis and Ellen Tausher of California and Jay Inslee of Washington, along with Republican Representative Chris Shays of Connecticut — seeks to ”equip American families with the means to live better with less oil.”

Congressman Blumenauer lists six bill goals.

One, to increase commuter choices ”by equalizing the transportation fringe benefit” between those who drive and those who take transit, bike, use car pools or telecommute, including the self-employed — all allowed to ”to cash in their parking benefit.”

Two, to help public transit agencies cover rising fuel costs ”by providing federal funds for fare subsidies, service improvements, fuel purchases, and technology assistance,” and requiring the Federal Transit Administration to include land use, density, economic development and carbon emission reduction factors in evaluations of Streetcar proposals.

Three, to assist communities ”by providing additional funding for the successful Safe Routes to School program and expanding it to include high schools.”

Four, to provide families with more housing options ”by expanding the Location-Efficient Mortgage program and providing funds to help states acquire, construct, and preserve affordable housing close to public transit.”

Fifth, to make the federal government a better partner ”by providing transportation fringe benefits to all federal employees,” and encouraging agency participation in local Transportation Management Associations.

And sixth, to assist smaller cities and rural communities by making them eligible for a portion of the funds going to large cities and metropolitan regions.

”By investing in American families and communities instead of our gas tanks,” Representative Blumenauer wrote, ”we can reduce gas prices, reduce our long-term oil dependency, and create more livable, sustainable communities in the bargain.”

Congratulating Representative Blumenauer on the bill, 16 transit, smart growth and environmental organizations — including the American Public Transportation Association, Smart Growth America, the American Planning Association and the Environmental Defense Funds — said in a letter ”this bill will foster timely solutions to reduce our dependence on oil and our national vulnerability to the movements of the oil markets.” — Planetizen, Grist.org 7/16/2008