dmarchand
January 23rd, 2004, 03:30 PM
Recreational Trails Program
What's At Stake:
In early February, the Senate will debate and vote on the legislation that funds the Recreational Trails Program. Literally millions of Americans have benefited from the trails for motorized and non-motorized recreation that have been developed and maintained in every state of the union through this program.
For those of us who enjoy trail-based recreation, be it on hiking, biking, ATV, off-highway motorcycles, snowmobile, equestrian, cross-county skiing or any other type of trail, this is one of the most crucial issues that the Senate will act upon this year which directly affects you!
Write to your Senators today! Tell your Senators that you support funding for the Recreational Trails Program and that they should support the SAFETEA legislation.
Let your Senators know that you support investing money from taxes on gasoline being used in off-highway vehicles to improve the safety, construction and maintenance of recreational trails through the Recreational Trails Program.
Campaign Expiration Date:
February 1, 2004
Send a letter to the following decision maker(s):
Your Senators
Below is the sample letter:
Subject: Support the Recreational Trails Program
Dear [decision maker name automatically inserted here],
In early February, the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, and Efficient Transportation Equity Act of 2003, (SAFETEA) will be debated on the Senate floor. There is a provision in this legislation that I have a particular interest in and that is the Recreational Trails Program (RTP).
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.
The Federal Highway Administration's most recent estimate of the amount of tax revenue generated by off-highway recreational activities is $286 million annually. The SAFETEA legislation has proposed that just 21% of this revenue contributed by off-highway recreationists be devoted to the RTP program. 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.
Sincerely,
XXXXXXX
More can be found here:
http://www.arra-access.com/campaign/RecreationalTrailsProgram
What's At Stake:
In early February, the Senate will debate and vote on the legislation that funds the Recreational Trails Program. Literally millions of Americans have benefited from the trails for motorized and non-motorized recreation that have been developed and maintained in every state of the union through this program.
For those of us who enjoy trail-based recreation, be it on hiking, biking, ATV, off-highway motorcycles, snowmobile, equestrian, cross-county skiing or any other type of trail, this is one of the most crucial issues that the Senate will act upon this year which directly affects you!
Write to your Senators today! Tell your Senators that you support funding for the Recreational Trails Program and that they should support the SAFETEA legislation.
Let your Senators know that you support investing money from taxes on gasoline being used in off-highway vehicles to improve the safety, construction and maintenance of recreational trails through the Recreational Trails Program.
Campaign Expiration Date:
February 1, 2004
Send a letter to the following decision maker(s):
Your Senators
Below is the sample letter:
Subject: Support the Recreational Trails Program
Dear [decision maker name automatically inserted here],
In early February, the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, and Efficient Transportation Equity Act of 2003, (SAFETEA) will be debated on the Senate floor. There is a provision in this legislation that I have a particular interest in and that is the Recreational Trails Program (RTP).
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.
The Federal Highway Administration's most recent estimate of the amount of tax revenue generated by off-highway recreational activities is $286 million annually. The SAFETEA legislation has proposed that just 21% of this revenue contributed by off-highway recreationists be devoted to the RTP program. 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.
Sincerely,
XXXXXXX
More can be found here:
http://www.arra-access.com/campaign/RecreationalTrailsProgram