From: "Friends of Transit" To: Subject: AZ Rep 2.11.04 editorial_On the right track Date: Friday, February 13, 2004 4:58 PM On the right trackOn the right track Bush's budget a milestone for light rail Feb. 11, 2004 12:00 AM Call it a milestone, a vindication, that the Valley's planned 20-mile, light-rail transit project passes federal muster. Each step of the way the Phoenix-Tempe-Mesa rail project has received rave reviews, but the latest show of support from President Bush is particularly sweet to transit officials because it puts the project firmly in the queue for federal funding. In his budget released last week, Bush recommended that the $1.2 billion rail project receive $75 million. It was one of five proposed projects still awaiting final approval on its full-funding grant agreement, the contract that will specify the final project's costs and the amount the federal government will pay. When that agreement is signed, probably at the end of the year, half the cost of the Valley's light-rail line will be borne by the federal government and its yearly inclusion in the presidential budget will be a certainty. Naturally, local mayors and transit officials are ecstatic, with Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon calling it "unbelievably great news" and Tempe Mayor Neil Giuliano saying, "If there ever was a doubt about our partnership with the federal government with light rail, this should erase all doubt." Indeed it should. And we would hope it would erase all doubt with the state's congressional delegation as well. A few have been lukewarm, waiting for a presidential imprimatur, or downright antagonistic toward the light-rail project, like Rep. Jeff Flake of Mesa. Inclusion in the presidential budget gives the project legitimacy and means that its funding will go through the normal congressional process. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., is a consistent critic of congressional pork - spending for projects that suddenly appear in conference committees and are outside of the presidential budget. This should go a long way toward meeting his criteria for legitimate spending. But even with the light-rail project's inclusion in the president's budget, there is no guarantee the $75 million will stay intact. It will be up to Congress, as it will be every year after the full-funding grant agreement is signed, to approve an amount. The competition for dollars among various projects around the country will be stiff, and congressional approval will be pivotal to keep the Valley's construction timetable on track. That's why it's essential that Arizona's delegation rally round the project and show its unity. In another era, a united state delegation obtained annual appropriations to build the Central Arizona Project, the region's savior in these times of drought. We hope today's delegation will show the same sense of purpose for light-rail transit that, in time, will be an important alternative to single occupancy vehicles, particularly during rush hours.