APTA urges congress to strengthen capital grants program

Rail News Home Federal Legislation & Regulation 7/17/2019 Rail News: Federal Legislation & Regulation
APTA President and CEO Paul Skoutelas suggested Congress conduct a review of the CIG program.Photo – shutterstock.com

American Public Transportation Association (APTA) President and Chief Executive Officer Paul Skoutelas yesterday urged Congress to improve and strengthen the Capital Investment Grants (CIG) program.

In prepared testimony to the U.S. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure’s Subcommittee on Highways and Transit, Skoutelas suggested Congress conduct a review of the CIG program to assess the statutory, regulatory and administrative requirements to be eligible for a CIG grant.

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and Congress have added complex requirements for the CIG program, which funds transit capital investments. Thus, making it more time consuming and burdensome than other comparable U.S. Department of Transportation discretionary grant programs, APTA officials said in a press release.

Skoutelas also urged Congress to provide funding at or above the fiscal-year 2019 level of $2.6 billion and require that the FTA invest FY2018 and FY2019 funds expeditiously to avoid delaying project approval and increased project costs.

"The CIG program is a vital source for expanding public transportation options for communities across America, and more than one-half of all states have benefited from these projects," Skoutelas said.