JOHN LINDER: “this also is an amendment that deals with the Federal bureaucracy micromanaging, in this case how counties run their…”

“this also is an amendment that deals with the Federal bureaucracy micromanaging, in this case how counties run their business. Mr. Chairman, in 1998 we passed the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st century, otherwise known as TEA-21. Under this bill almost every region in the Nation was able to benefit from the additional transportation dollars made available through the Highway Trust Fund, every region, that is, except my own. The Atlanta metro area has not been able to spend a dime of its Federal highway allotment for more than a year and a half. This is because Atlanta has not met Federal clean air standards since 1996 and the Clean Air Act prohibits further road and transit construction until a plan is presented that will bring the city back into conformity. For over a year, the Atlanta Regional Commission, which is tasked with drawing up the plan worked with local leaders and Federal officials to craft a plan that complied with the law and met the needs of Atlanta's residents. However, in a suspicious move on the day before the ARC was slated to approve the plan, two Federal agencies, the Federal Highway Administration and the Federal Transit Administration stepped in the way.”