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Health & Fitness

Highway Bill Would De-Fund 'Safe Routes to School'

House Highway Bill, Supported by Brian Bilbray, Would End three decades of support for public transportation, End "Safe Routes to School"

San Diego gas prices are among the highest in the U.S.” That was the front-page headline in last Monday’s U-T San Diego.

When gas prices are high, more people, particularly seniors, students, others on fixed incomes, and people who drive older cars, turn to public transportation for a reliable, affordable way to get to work, school and around town.  Yet earlier this month, House Republicans, with incumbent Congressman Brian Bilbray in lock step, proposed a highway bill that ends three decades of support for public transportation.

It guts funds for bike lanes and sidewalks, and ends the critically important “Safe Routes to School” program which helps neighborhoods pay for infrastructure improvements that keep kids from getting hurt or killed while walking and bicycling to and from school every day.

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House Republicans are trying to de-fund the Safe Routes to School Program.

So less money for public transit and more money for freeways when gas prices are skyrocketing – this makes no sense. And it doesn’t get us any closer to a practical and sustainable national energy policy that reduces our nation’s dependence on fossil fuels and foreign oil.

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As a member of Congress, I will make development of a sustainable energy policy a priority.

We must work toward a long-term energy policy that: 1) creates new American jobs; 2) emphasizes greater energy independence; 3) invests in the development of alternative fuels; 4) promotes clean energy technology like wind and solar; 5) ensures greater national security; and 6) provides automakers with incentives for producing fuel-efficient vehicles.

We also need to do a better job of building housing and employment centers nearer to one another to reduce commutes. And we need to invest in making all our communities more pedestrian- and bicycle- friendly.

There are also things we can and should be doing now.

For starters, Congress can act now to stop price-gouging at the pump by holding Wall Street commodities traders and speculators more accountable. Many experts agree that speculation in energy markets drives up the price of oil, which raises the price of gas for consumers. Last year, House Democrats tried to increase funding for the agency in charge of policing price manipulation in oil markets. But Republicans, Bilbray included, voted to slash these funds by almost half.

We’ve also got to stop subsidizing oil companies.

Last year, the five largest oil companies posted record profits of $137 billion. That’s a 75 percent increase over 2010. Yet, House Republicans, Bilbray included, continue to support enormous tax breaks, deregulation, and subsidies for them, while taking hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from them.

Brian Bilbray alone has taken almost $190,000 from the oil and gas industry. Are the votes and the contributions connected?  The voters are smart and they’ll decide for themselves.

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