For immediate release: December 3, 2009 Long Island Groups Host Legislative Breakfast on MTA's 2010-14 Capital PlanMelville –In an effort to highlight the benefits of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s 2010-2014 Capital Program for Long Islanders, advocacy groups held a legislative breakfast today at the Huntington Hilton to brief county elected officials on the proposed capital plan and its implications for Long Island. Approximately 20 state and county elected officials attended The groups, including the Tri-State Transportation Campaign, the Long Island Contractors’ Association, Vision Long Island, Regional Plan Association, the Long Island Federation of Labor-AFL/CIO and the New York League of Conservation Voters, held the breakfast to discuss potential funding cuts to key transit projects on Long Island that deliver economic, environmental, and quality-of-life benefits. The MTA faces a $10 billion gap in the proposed Capital Program and will be looking for projects to cut to fill this gap. “Transit on Long Island has many needs, from construction of a third track along the main line of the Long Island Rail Road to a fully functioning and financed LI Bus system,” said Kate Slevin, executive director of the Tri-State Transportation Campaign, a non-profit transportation policy watchdog organization. “We need our elected officials to be transit champions to ensure riders have high quality service that will make Long Island competitive both regionally and nationally in the 21st century and beyond.” The MTA Capital Program Review Board, a six member panel (with two non-voting members) that can either approve or veto the proposed plan, will meet in the coming weeks to vote upon the plan prior to sending it to the Legislature for approval. The groups called upon all elected officials to support the program and to stand up for transit on Long Island. The Capital Program must be adopted by December 30th of this year. “It's exciting to see bipartisan participation from our State and County officials supporting a progressive transportation agenda,” said Eric Alexander, executive director of Vision Long Island, a Smart Growth planning organization. “Proper planning will reduce projects that create ‘roads to nowhere’ and instead build a transportation program that meets the needs and land uses of all of our residents.” #### The Tri-State Transportation Campaign is a non-profit advocacy and policy organization working toward a more balanced, transit-friendly, and equitable transportation system in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. www.tstc.org. Vision Long Island is a non-profit group that works to promote more livable, economically sustainable and environmentally responsible growth on Long Island through Smart Growth.
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