As you know, ARRA has been following the debate in Congress on the Transportation Equity Act. This act distributes funds from the federal gasoline tax to various programs, including the Recreational Trails Program (RTP). A few weeks ago, ARRA reported that the Senate was about to vote on this bill. We asked for help and you responded—and so did the U.S. Senate! By a vote of 76-21, the Senate passed its version of the surface transportation reauthorization bill (S. 1072), which includes an increase from $50 million to $60 million in annual funding for RTP. Thanks for your efforts in writing to your Senators!


And now there is more to be done. The U.S. House of Representatives is working on H.R. 3550, its own version of the transportation bill. This bill includes even greater funding for RTP than the Senate bill. RTP funding would start at $70 million annually and grow to $150 million over the next five years. This comes from the gasoline taxes you pay at the pump—for your off-road motorcycle or ATV, your snowmobile or 4x4. So get involved now by writing to your Representative and expressing your support for RTP and H.R. 3550.






Send a letter to the following decision maker(s):
Your Congressperson


Below is the sample letter:

Subject: Transportation Equity Act

Dear [decision maker name automatically inserted here],

The House of Representatives will soon begin debate on H.R. 3550, Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users. There is a provision in this legislation that I have a particular interest in and that is the Recreational Trails Program (RTP). As a supporter of responsible recreation, I want the Recreational Trails Program to be fairly and adequately funded.

The RTP was established in 1991 as a part of ISTEA and improved through TEA-21. This program utilizes a portion of the federal tax receipts attributable to off-highway recreational activities including ATV riding, motorcycling, snowmobiling and 4x4s for purposes of maintaining and improving recreational trails throughout the country. Since its inception, literally millions of Americans have benefited from the recreational trails that have been developed and maintained in every state of the union with monies from this program. And, it is important to note that these trails are developed for both motorized and non-motorized recreation.

In February, the Senate passed its version of the surface transportation reauthorization bill (S. 1072) by a vote of 76-21. The Senate bill includes an increase from $50 million to $60 million in annual funding for the Recreational Trails Program (RTP). The House version, H.R. 3550, provides more funding, starting with $70 million annually and increasing to $150 million after five years. The Federal Highway Administration's most recent estimate of the amount of tax revenue generated by off-highway recreational activities is $286 million annually. H.R. 3550 designates 21% of that revenue for the RTP.

Because of the importance of this program and the fact that every year more and more Americans seek to use recreational trails for a variety of activities, I believe that a more appropriate figure should be 50% of the $286 million annual revenue figure. Investing more revenue from off-highway generated taxes to improve the safety of such activities by constructing and maintaining recreational trails is an appropriate use of these monies.