Congressman Don Young Fights for Federal Highway Funds
Washington, D.C.,
Jan 14, 1999 -
Federal dollars will be spent on intended purposes
Alaska Congressman Don Young fought to prevent the loss of over $26 million in transportation funding for Alaska. Congressman Young was assured by the U.S. Department of Transportation that Section 118(f) would not be repealed. In November 1998, the U.S. Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT), Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), informed the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities (DOT&PF) that Section 118(f) of Title 23 was repealed.
"I was pleased with the cooperation that USDOT and others provided in resolving an obvious and unintended mistake that could have had a devastating impact upon rural Alaska," Young said. "These important federal dollars will be spent as intended on important projects in Alaska."
Section 118(f) is a provision that allows Alaska to use federal highway funds for the construction of access and development roads that will serve residential, commercial, and industrial purposes. Section 118(f) is used in rural areas for projects such as roads to landfills, boardwalks, sanitation roads and bridges that meet the specific criteria.
"As all Alaskans know, these roads are essential towards ensuring a healthy environment. Without these important construction funds, many villages would not be able to remove waste from their communities," said Rep. Young.
BACKGROUND
Due to a drafting error in subsequent legislation, a provision in TEA-21 was inadvertently altered resulting in the repeal of this Alaska provision. It was not the intent of Congress to repeal it, but the USDOT interpreted it as Congressional intent. After several meetings and conversations with USDOT and AK DOT and Public Facilities, Congressman Young successfully convinced USDOT that the Alaska provision should remain.
