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Federal Issues & Updates
U.S. Secretary of Transportation speaks to Alliance members United States Secretary of Transportation Mary E. Peters visited Portland on October 8 to endorse the Columbia River Crossing Project and speak on local transportation issues. Secretary Peters spoke to a group of Alliance members at a luncheon during her visit, stressing the importance of finding solutions to traffic congestion. "People in Washington, D.C., have a lot to learn about leadership from places like Portland," Peters told the group. "Instead of spending endless time and relentless rhetoric debating the issue, leaders here in Oregon are taking chances and doing something creative about traffic and transportation funding." She also referenced the Cost of Congestion study completed by the Alliance and its partners and praised the Portland region for finding innovative solutions to solve transportation challenges. 05/08/07: Alliance delegation lobbies in DCOn May 3 through 5, a delegation of approximately 35 business and government leaders from throughout the state traveled to Washington, D.C. to meet with members of Congress, including Representatives DeFazio, Walden, Hooley, Baird, Wu and Blumenauer, and Senators Smith and Wyden. The delegation also visited the White House to speak with Assistant Secretary for Transportation Policy Tyler Duval, Special Assistant to the President for Congressional Affairs Sean O'Hollaren, and Assistant Secretary for Export Administration Christopher Padilla. Nationally recognized political pundit Charlie Cook spoke to the group about the upcoming presidential election. Joining the trip for the first time this year were Ben Fetherston Jr., Chairman of the Board of Associated Oregon Industries as well as AOI President Jay Clemens. Transportation was an important topic for members of congress and the administration, with emphasis on the decreasing amount of federal funding available to support local projects and the need to be strategic when identifying projects. Assistant Secretary Duvall commended the Cost of Congestion study, which was spearheaded by the Alliance, Metro and Port of Portland. Duvall called it an exemplary report that has been shared within the administration and with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and informed the national Congestion Reduction Strategy. Energy independence and global warming were also hot topics. Potential cap and trade regulations are being discussed and a bill is expected later this year. Healthcare, as well as the current state of entitlement programs (the present value of which is $56 trillion), workforce programs and foreign trade policy were also topic discussed at the meetings. 03/07/07: Join us for the Alliance's fifth annual Washington, D.C. Leadership Trip, May 2-4Business and civic leaders from the Portland region will embark on the Alliance's fifth annual leadership trip to Washington, D.C., scheduled for May 2 - 4, to discuss important regional issues with federal lawmakers. The group will meet with the congressional delegation from the Pacific Northwest, and other key legislative representatives and administration officials. Last year, attendees met with Representatives Earl Blumenauer, Peter DeFazio and David Wu, and Senators Gordon Smith and Ron Wyden, and the Honorable Jeffrey Shane, Undersecretary of Transportation for Policy, U.S. Department of Transportation. Included in the trip is lunch at The Monocle, a hot spot for elected leadership. In addition, this year will feature speaker Charlie Cook, who is widely regarded as one of the most astute impartial analysts of the Washington political scene and one of the nation's leading authorities on U.S. elections. Proposed Trip Itinerary: Some elements of the itinerary will follow the format of past years. Though the itinerary is still being developed, below is a broad outline:
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