U.S. Chamber Urges President-elect and Congress to Quickly Address the Nation's Ailing Infrastructure System

Releases Recommendations at Summit with Landrieu, Rendell

WASHINGTON, DC—The U.S. Chamber of Commerce released its Infrastructure Policy Principles to President-elect Barack Obama's transition team and to the 111th Congress at a national summit today, highlighting the critical need to rebuild the nation's ailing infrastructure system. This is the first comprehensive infrastructure policy package the Chamber has released that spans transportation, energy, water, and broadband issues.

"It's clear that the President-elect understands that investing immediately in shovel-ready projects – whether roads or rails, broadband, energy, or water – will create jobs and strengthen America's competitiveness," said Thomas J. Donohue, president and CEO of the U.S. Chamber. "There are thousands of 'ready to go' infrastructure projects awaiting funding and many of these projects could be initiated in the short run.

"With a recession clearly upon us, the next Congress and administration must act to jumpstart the economy by investing in these projects," Donohue said.

The U.S. Chamber's Let's Rebuild America agenda starts with including investment in a stimulus package. However, economic stimulus will not take the place of critical policy programs and funding decisions that Congress and the next administration will face in numerous authorization, appropriation, and tax packages next year.

"There's a full slate of critical transportation issues to address next year," said Janet Kavinoky, the U.S. Chamber's director of Transportation Policy and head of the Let's Rebuild America initiative. "The first priority must be to appoint and confirm a qualified administrator to oversee all aspects of civil aviation in the U.S. Then Congress must swiftly reauthorize the FAA and Airport and Airways Trust Fund (AATF), the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA), and the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU)."

In a recently released independent post-election voter survey commissioned by the Chamber, there is near universal agreement (95%) among voters that the U.S. should upgrade and modernize its roads, bridges, energy facilities, and telecommunications networks. Also, the survey found that nearly nine in ten voters (87%) agree that without proper investment in U.S. infrastructure the nation's "economic health is at risk."

The complete set of recommendations is available at www.uschamber.com/lra

The U.S. Chamber is the world's largest business federation representing more than 3 million businesses and organizations of every size, sector, and region.

# # #