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National
Grange Urges President Bush to Sign a Highway Bill WASHINGTON,
May 25, 2005 - The National Grange applauds Senate passage of comprehensive surface
transportation legislation (S. 732, Safe, Accountable, Flexible and Efficient
Transportation Equity Act) and urges President Bush to sign the bill as soon as
a conference committee completes work on the legislation. "Rural
America needs adequate resources to improve its roads and bridges for their safety
and efficiency," National Grange President William Steel said. "Nearly 43,000
lives are lost each year in motor vehicle crashes and about 60 percent of all
fatalities occur on rural two-lane roads. The bill will offer billions for states
highway programs and $6.6 billion of the funds will be directed to roadway safety
projects over five years." Despite
the threat of the Bush Administration to veto any new surface transportation legislation
that exceeds the $284 billion level, the National Grange urges the House and Senate
to reconcile their bills' differences and send it to the President before May
31, 2005 when the current highway bill's extension expires. We urge President
Bush to reassess his veto threat against the bill, in light of the fact that both
the House and Senate versions of this legislation were adopted by bi-partisan,
veto-proof margins in both chambers. "It's
too critical to delay the start of critical rural roads renovations that will
promote rural economic growth and safety," Steel said. Since
1946, the National Grange has been a member organization of the American Highway
Users Alliance and advocated federal highway policies that support transit investment
for safe and productive roads in rural areas. 
The
National Grange is this nation's oldest general farm and rural public interest
organization. Founded in 1867, the National Grange represents over 200,000 Grange
members affiliated with 3,000 local, county, and state Grange chapters across
the nation. | 
