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February 17, 2010


Hon. Charles Schumer (also sent to Hon. Kirsten Gillibrand)
United States Senate
313 Hart Senate Bldg.
Washington. DC 20510

Dear Senator Schumer:

On behalf of the 2,500 employer members of the Buffalo Niagara Partnership, I urge your action on a Senate version of the “Jobs for Main Street Act of 2010” (H.R. 2847), incorporating the Surface Transportation Extension Authorization Act of 2009. This needed legislation would serve as a stopgap extension of SAFETEA-LU at its current funding levels though September 30, 2010.

We were greatly disappointed to hear the Senate was considering a scaled down version of this Act in which new transportation infrastructure funding had been eliminated. With the expiration of the current extension of the Act quickly approaching, immediate action is needed to extend funding for surface transportation needs. It is critical that the Senate version includes a SAFETEA-LU extension that keeps funding at 2009 levels and repeals last year's $8.7 billion rescission of states' highway contract authority. The amount of funding made available for the Federal Highway Program is contingent upon Congress extending SAFETEA-LU and if the Senate fails to do so, the flow of highway funds provided in the Transportation- HUD bill will be disrupted. Moreover, passing a surface transportation reauthorization bill is perhaps the most tried-and-true way to create jobs and provide an immediate stimulus for the economy.

Eliminating funding for transportation infrastructure will stall shovel-ready projects across the country worth billions of dollars of greatly needed economic impact and thousands of jobs. New York, in its deep budget crisis, cannot afford to provide funds for shovel-ready projects and wait for federal reimbursement. Locally, without federal funding for transportation infrastructure improvement, we cannot continue to grow one of Buffalo Niagara’s target industries – logistics – which is primed for new investment and job creation.

Given the disastrous effects that a lapse in funding would mean for our state and regional economies, I encourage you to renew your commitment to this economically vital funding by ensuring that the crucial pieces of the House-passed “Jobs for Main Street Act” remain in the Senate version- namely, investments in our roads, bridges and public transit systems. If job creation and economic stimulus are the true goals for this legislation, the Partnership needs your leadership to pass a robust Jobs bill that reauthorizes surface transportation infrastructure funding before funds run out on February 28.

Sincerely,

Andrew J. Rudnick