Bravo Texas Farm Bureau!
Posted on 04/26/2008 5:32:39 PM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks
Texas Farm Bureau offered several viable transportation and funding alternatives to the proposed Trans-Texas Corridor (TTC) in meeting Texas’ future transportation needs during testimony before the Senate Transportation Committee.
“Let me assure you, as an industry we absolutely support and recognize the need for building and maintaining roads in Texas,” said Texas Farm Bureau State Director Tom Paben. “We feel this can be accomplished within the current framework of the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT).”
“However, there is a need for redirection, as well as a review of the current priorities of the agency,” Paben added, noting several concerns about the TTC project raised in a report commissioned by Farm Bureau and conducted by professors at Baylor Law School. He also said Farm Bureau believes that the recent Draft Environmental Impact Study (DEIS) of I-69 “is fatally, flawed,” and would not stand up to judicial scrutiny.
Paben, who represents 15 counties potentially affected by the massive TTC transportation project, said the first option for new highway and road construction, when possible, should be use of existing rights-of way and routes.
“In many cases, using entirely new routes would impact irreplaceable farm and ranch land,” Paben said. “If new right-of-way is needed, at a minimum, landowners should have reasonable access to their property.”
The cattle, corn and hay producer said members of the state’s largest farm organization supported funding alternatives, including indexing and/or increasing the gas tax, to finance new road construction. Paben suggested bonding could also help build roads across Texas.
“Recent articles suggest the Cintra-Zachry Consortium stands to make billions of dollars from the TTC,” he said. “If they are able to do so, then why can’t the State of Texas? It seems those kinds of revenues could certainly go a long way in funding Texas roadways...”
(Excerpt) Read more at southwestfarmpress.com ...
Trans-Texas Corridor PING!
can you please add me to your ping list??
Thank you
borntobeagle
You’ve been added. :-)
Duh! Any other alternatives?
Thank you!!
Nice to see that the Texas Farm Bureau supports something that farmers need. Here in Kansas, our Farm Bureau leadership just wants to build and maintain Democrats in office in order to cripple our economy.
BTTT
TFB: Lokking out for the farmers and ranchers some have little regard for.
Bravo Texas Farm Bureau!
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