Thank you for your desire to protect Transportation Enhancements. States were required to decide which funds to forfeit by April 18, 2007. Since those decisions have already been made, this alert has expired. We are working hard to obtain the results of these decisions, and will notify you when we know more.

However, we would like to share an update with you. Prompted by your messages, governors from several states wrote to Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, noting that they would not cut Transportation Enhancements in this process. Those states are Louisiana, Maryland, Rhode Island, Texas, New York, Vermont and Wyoming. These states should be congratulated for their commitment to prioritize trails when pressed for funding cuts.

Below is some of the original alert information, along with the links and downloadable reference materials.

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Background information on Transportation Enhancements...

 

The federal Transportation Enhancements (TE) program is the largest U.S. funding source for trails, walking, biking and historic preservation. Since 1992, Rails-to-Trails Conservancy has carefully monitored and supported TE funding across the nation.

In 2006, states were required to return part of their transportation budgets to Congress. Many states chose to do this by drastically cutting their TE programs.

On Monday, March 19, 2007, the U.S. Department of Transportation issued an order implementing Congress' call for the return of an additional $3.47 billion in transportation money. By April 18, 2007, governors across the country decided how to apply this cut to their state's transportation budget. If not fairly allocated, funding for trails, walking and biking would be significantly depleted.

We are actively working to obtain the results of these funding decisions, and will notify you of these decisions and what our next steps should be at that time. (See below for a list of states that have written to Rails-to-Trails Conservancy and committed to preserve their TE funds.)

Read more on why the Transportation Enhancements program is important here, or read this just-published guide of TE case studies.

You can also search here for projects near you funded by Transportation Enhancements.

The colors below represent the amount of TE funds returned in 2006 compared to your state's annual TE budget. To see a detailed breakdown of TE cuts by state, go here.

 

Maroon: Your state returned the equivalent of several years' worth of its TE budget in 2006 alone.

Red: Your state returned the equivalent of more than one year's worth of its TE budget in 2006 alone.

Pink: Your state returned the equivalent of a significant portion of a single year's TE budget in 2006 alone.

No color: Your state did not return any of its TE funds in 2006.

UPDATE: Louisiana, Maryland, New York, Rhode Island, Texas, Vermont and Wyoming have all agreed to preserve their TE funds in this process.