We are basically concerned with active transportation. Moving to them after becoming our city engineers major focus. We are pretty well completed on that. We need bike trails, walking trails, running trails. Part of the city moving toward higher densities. The traditional part of our city, horse trails and are expanding those as well as we go along and do that. The 3rd role is Economic Development, critical to develop because we are so dependent upon salestax and franchise tax. When the process right now hopefully it we will bring 400 million of construction into commercial construction into our area. Area. Retail development, regional Retail Development office space hotel big boxes as well. During my administration with the opportunity of seeing big boxes move in. Two walmarts in our city. Home depot laws before that we had pieces market and the rich and drug. Development comes from the north and east. So i learned easily and quickly that we have to wait your turn. My time was spent a lot on Infrastructure Improvements. Infrastructure improvements over the next couple of years in that way. Economic development is important. The southwest part of southwest part of salt lake we sit in the valley surrounded by mountains, very narrow im not sure how i we are. I would guess about 15 miles wide in that regard. And so we have this corridor right now what i need is one road out of riverton. The sensitivity that we all have for the land around the environment not interfere with that very much. We now have two roads out of riverton one is a row that carries about 45000 people a day. And so we widen our other road so that we have roads handling 30000 people a day we have a highway which goes north and south and east and west in circles because we are against the foothills where you cannot go directly out. We have had those kinds of things and mobility growing going forth between we will talk about later. It is important for us to include all aspects of transportation. Public transportation and important part rail, a very important part which we will talk about a little later. Los angeles california grew up in a smart error you could not see the beautiful mountains because they were hidden by what we call smart. Route to salt lake big blue skies and the fountains but have seen that deteriorate as population has been cut. A major goal i have is air quality. We dont we have some pollution but we let between the mountains and the wind was out of our city a lot. Even even though the bad pollution of the Salt Lake Valley is not my direct responsibility geographically it is my direct responsibility. That is another critical reason as we develop in our area. Thank you for letting me be here. Nine years ago when i got involved my natural interest would have been to be involved with homeless shelters and social programs where i would normally move toward. We dont have any homeless and riverton. I still take part on boards homeless shelters. The important thing i got involved with was growth. I was i was a teacher. What did i know about building roads and all that. Thirteen years ago a a council member, what did i know about the political ways. I ways. I soon found that i looked at grants coming away development coming away as far as roads and so forth. I started asking what i needed to do and what i need to be involved with. This may not mean anything. He was gracious enough to go out to lunch with me. I could pick his brains. He said get involved in the transportation community. So i have learned the language. Ive learned the politics. I have the passion and it is critical to our city the mobility part is a very, very critical issue and that is why i have gotten involved. Thank you you for letting me be here. [applause] thank you. Very much appreciate that. Just a little bit about the transportation initiative. You have the city of light rail under construction right now. One right on the cusp almost there. And then the mayor talks about future development and planning interfering with future transportation investment. Not the Transit Service and alternatives will will the Community Benefits for three like that and they did that go to be paraded round commitment to the expectation. Right now it comes to the edge of my community the end of the line. This fall probably in the summer we we will open 3 miles from the edge of our city. Heart of the downtown. That as indicated earlier has been a use blessing. We are a fair amount of seniors arizona the east Valley Retirement Community a hundred Million Dollars performing arts center. Its certainly popular a large senior population. Statistically its a younger than average community. The millennials obviously we are in our culture has changed in ways we did not anticipate want to 30 years ago. Folks now dont want to sit in cars. If they can find any way to park the car and get on transit that works with their lifestyle, they will do it more often than not which has certainly been the case. So we have several large park and rides at the edge of our community where the system currently terminates, a huge parking lot and part of the challenge we will have is once we move the terminus further and further east we will go back and redevelop these parking lots that are not quite as big a deal as they need to be. And that is a great opportunity for us as well. Apply more supply more Economic Development opportunity. So it is tremendously popular. As it goes further east it will continue to add thousands and thousands more people as we reach ultimately for five years from now a very residential neighborhood. Hop on the light rail. When that happens it will impact not just the millennials and the seniors and people from a lifestyle. Of view were trying to avoid getting in the cars. But the average shows like myself Healthy Communities a blue zone initiative. Designated. Transit can do that. Why can stand and visit at all levels. Allowed to get around the small families. But getting that system expanded adds to the value of the vibrancy of your community. The 1st commuters sign in now 1st new line in the southwest. And it has been set people used it. We realized we have to get rail and. Our friends in dallas have seen it houston, austin. Focused on our project. Vibrant communities that engaged me. All our budgets went to cmg. We have done deterioration of the year in fort worth a brown haze. But we will start out with the goal of ultimately networking across the upper City Networking across the citys. The cities. The airport is jointly owned by the city of fort worth, dallas the 3rd Busiest Airport in the world. And dallas they have had dogs at the airport. Come out of your terminal hop on a people mover people mover and go to the dart. If the traveling public coming in on business were a convention or with your family you get a rental rent car or a 70 right to fort worth. Fantastic. It is. Not only will it give us that Competitive Edge that we need to continue to grow and develop convictions but it also allows we have so many people who live in for work and live in fort worth and work in dallas. If they can hop on takes rail tax rail go to the airport and hop onto the orange line and be in dallas, everyone has an ipad or iphone. You are not driving what can what can you do . Work read the morning paper as my daughter would say she can put on her makeup and do her homework. Partnering with us. We have a request in for low funding grants. The good news is it allows us to leverage our sales tax dollars. We are excited about what it offers. 54 miles of trails. Anyone who wants to take the train to the airport can get on and shuttle back to fort worth. And where you can get runners we will hop on a bus, go a bus, go to the center port and going to dallas for dinner. It is interesting concept that people are beginning to think creatively and innovatively outside the box it is economic mobility mobility. Great. Road and transit. That in our city or state. We also have i came from a background of writing transit. As we work downtown. Rather than drive i drove over to sandy to get the track light. I had a natural feel. Can answer my emails. Its not locally finance in our area. I was sitting in a meeting talking about transit and so forth and some of the knew minds and things happening in the projects going forward, and there was nothing coming my way at all nothing coming. Close. Close. So if i sat theyre it irritated me. When i was there i knew that we would have to do something. I placed the hundred thousand dollars for the study keep in mind general budget. We were a tight budget. You have to be kidding me. Me. We jumped into the study. A 2 million study finishing it up in the next few months. The city councils. For the city council through the preferred court or to do it. It up being a 2 million study. We pledged 500,000 and went knocking on doors to the other three cities with developers to get other money. And so it really is that kind of local issue. Where we where we are now in addition to funding the study which is only the start, we have had to work on preservation. Our planning director, and i asked them so many times when knew development was coming in he got sick of me. The setbacks far enough so that a transit corridor can go through this commercial area. The last thing we want to do is buy a building at a time or house at a time. We had some various things we had to protect. A couple of ways we can go anyway. Developers to fill his lands for roads. Given us farmland. Right now the transit project go through the city without tearing down one valley. That is in the is meant of corridor preservation and i and i am proud of what our people have been able to do with that. Part of it is our area of study to educate our people the foundation of our city is farmland. Farmland and transit do not necessarily makes but we have an urban ranking, so we are trying to bring both groups together, and we will do that so that we have the people support. The last thing that uta needs if we we will approval bill the line to the city is for political pressure to come against that line and protesters writing Board Members not wanting it. And we will talk about this later. Get involved with transportation funding. I dont believe i should ask the same legislatures and the county council that our congressional area could find any kind of transportation mode of transit that i am not going to stand out in the front to parade. I asked them and im willing to support them. Well talk about that later. You raised an interesting issue. For 50 years particularly highgrowth urban areas. Probably 20 years ago we started out from our Regional Transportation Coalition made up of dollars in fort worth. And it had been a major tool large areas you have to reach leverage your regional dollars. For the delay in the corridors to try to get that. A joint City Council Meeting that is going to make a stronger. Now we have weekly dialogues because it does not make sense for us to run a line that stops here and you have to get often jump on another in open segue to the next session. Saying that it resonates and my experiences there is no better issue for regionalism the transportation. When you have one mayor that has an exciting transit projects going on in the middle of it downtown you become everyone else is new best friend. My mayor says both sides are clamoring we need to go out to lunch because i needed to i need a partner with me on studies to get what you got going in my community. From a personal popularity perspective it has been an equitable thing for me and makes it makes a tremendous amount of sense regionally if it can be brought together in ways other issues dont have the same. A whole lot of competition. We get motivated as they transit operator when cities step up and decide to invest. What can we do to partner this enthusiasm and commitment at the local level. Referendum passed 75, 80 percent around the nation served passing referendum for Public Transportation, local government transportation, local government stepping up and extending budgets to the nth degree. So important. Along the lines. We have to do this. Share with them how important it is to view the committee we passed a bond election. A 294 million bond election 220 million dedicated to transportation. Streets and roads. Almost overwhelming. The state of texas past constitution one several met billion dollars. Part of what we did was got out and talked did down halls, advertised, farmed coalitions on prop one to pass the state guarantee to get out of talk. Billy done the same thing with washington. The come up often. People tend to think they just want me to give a funny. Transit members catch them when they are home and here. Given the statistics. The statistics on what is happening. Taken for a ride. Wherever you are. Education is killing us in austin. The do it you have got to advocate with your system. The waiting for their people also. In order to afford this we have to regional funding. As an appetite out there. All of theyre. All of us share the frustration about getting in our car and trying to get from. A to. B. That is a common denominator throughout the electric. There is that angst to draw upon. If we can rally regionally with our neighbors. You can get it. The amount of money. The likely success stories, love to be able to come. If you can paint a positive scenario in the Committee Regional funding used in the likelihood of attracting better money. It has to be original priority. In our community in order to expedite things happening we take the ftp money and structure in a way we can prioritize it. Ill let others put into place. Soviets have unified with our dissertation so i our legislature is to finish the session this thursday. Sold a there their hand in hand with their staff and city the legal overhaul oxidases there also the business communities in the chamber of commerce is there with us. We realized if we were not united in what we wanted with with their rows and we would not get it to say the least utah is not a liberal legislature. [laughter] as long as it is not a tax increase. Sova there is two types of financing that theyre looking at for this. When is a gas tax one is a sales tax. Theyre all a part of the pie that Work Together. It is finishing a project of 45 million road project. You do what you want. So the state needs money. So we made more money so the county needs more money. And Public Transportation needs more money. And moral encompassing as a sales tax increase and a point for the local rose are 0. Five for the countys. If you dont have the transition aides then the 1. One close to the county. Why does the county need roads . We have three rows of birds in salt lake city. Because that is all there are. We also have a gas tax. One is a straight increase of 0. 10. The 70 est. Rose. The other part is to take the gas tax 0. 5 per gallon to change into a sales tax but it is that uniting together so the fight in the legislature right now it isnt about the need for more transportation money but a very conservative state needs the money. It is about gas tax or sales tax or both . Is in that mom and dad fighting over how to give them more money . I dont care if it is the left pocket or the right pocket. But the way we achieve that is with the legislature and the sales tax. We dont want you to raise sales tax. We are willing to stand with you to champion the cause. With the authorization to go to bed county commission to have it on the ballot with the county board and it would be distributed to that amount. So theyre willing to stand up and of lock arms. Twostage religious nature give leave monday then i just sit back and let them take the key to. That is my role. The other way to get a their attention is they tend of two forget how many jobs are involved in the transportation project then when you Start Construction you have additional jobs and that is the big deal for any official to talk about jobs. Rebate moving to the audience but to summarize you have to have four major ingredients. Good character and good values added to your community to engender the trust. To show the commitment and then to underscore the of there. There are 85 cities in every other Decision Making by a. Were just in the weeds talking about how to split pay for. And we dont want to forget a lot of this investment we talk about in utah is to think about a conservative state that isnt about bills and whistles and running buses . More buses. The number one goal because that is the story we can share. And that is the message we take. If you have any questions to see if you can provoke them. I know you are not shy. It to help Carry Forward al love to stand up for transportation and how critical this is a of the committee continued to build its infrastructure could to attract people because it helps us in every level from air quality, a contraction want congestion to help pass that along. Select the best lesson you can learn from our community is flexibility but trying to figure out how to focus all the resources you do have on the most important project skyhigh so with the federal and or regional mondays money we have a variety of projects on them but if those projects you have funding for this duty to figure out how to be a problem anymore. From my perspective and do what you do best and that is build and operate Public Transportation in. Wish i could tell you they dont have to worry about funding but you do but to less how we can help you with the funding. I have no idea how to build it and i need your help to tell me what i need to do or what buttons to push because my job is to get the funding for you that i cannot do it on my own. To your funding question in talking about sales tax in the view had use tax anchorman store special assessment districts or can you give us a little flavor had to get the businesses that will be taxed on board with those funding streams . With tritium real express trinity rail express we have very little Downtown Living in it a tax increment financing so to help renovate to build a residential losses in the soldout is less than a year. It helps with landscaping and upkeep there is another area space that that i believe is the incredible tool for us so it is where rail comes in. That has not been part of our formula honestly. Over the past several years ago in a large part of the failure to build highways as well as we should have. The now the beneficiaries of the tree instead because of the concern of highways but now it is built out pretty well with highways with the regional tax because it is the smaller component is the transit money. And sadly we could not get it across the finish line to put the transom malayan up the middle. With the regional and federal funding but i believe my role is given to the city with the Transit Authority so we use a part that as the cda brae reported infrastructure to pay for that but adolf we can pay for transit out of that. With infrastructure to have landed donated as a result then we require 20 percent open space and thats transit is in that open space definition so that is the way we try to help. Raise the International Lesson learned with aging properties seized 40 percent of resources come from Land Development and European Properties is 2030 there we have a hard time reaching that in this country is part of the cultural and institutional infrastructure there is a lot of reasons and ready to keep the pressure offenbach lot of Community Development grants. With the primary resource from what we talked about today. Any other questions. [applause] now stand up for america of tshirts. Thank you very much. The key for coming today. We appreciate it. [applause] [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] please take your seats. Good afternoon. This afternoon we will hear from leaders of the department to transportation, this is one of my favorite sessions. We get to be done upon the death tsa. The first stop is acting the administrator as she represents secretary of secretariat is rotation fox. Shall also speak specifically about the fta initiatives for 2015. Tavis administrators since 2009 desisted the illustrator of feeding a staff of more than 500 in the washington d. C. Headquarters office and 10 regional offices throughout united states. Is she assumed a key rule to guide the implementation for the provisions to oversee the development of critical guidance. So of those fta priorities to deliver services to the American Public including assisting in the development of a streamlined process for the new and small stores program to secure new funding opportunities for transeven assets. So with that accurate allocation and she also represents the partnership for sustainable communities with dot colleagues please help mediate to welcome acting administrator macmillan. [applause] hq. It is great to be with you again. Secretary fox planned on being here today deal the reason he did not is he is having surgery on his knee. A the first 2. 0 the irony just like the infrastructure were all getting older and in repair is needed from time to time. [laughter] but one message you wanted to share is stake each of you for coming to washington to visit with your members of congress. He has bent to the hill many times over the past year and to share with the stark facts towhee invest much less than we should and because of that something we have to go addressed to plan for that capacity. But the arguments carry so much more weight. To. Org concrete terms about committees that are struggling to stay on the move urban enroll or read ambler. With the delaware in tennessee and demonstrates in bold terms what it is costing as. So what it cost us for our leaders to depend on the decisions theyre making. So you are in the best position to make it clear how public hesitation is in your community. So if you had an opportunity to read a post card to yourself to send it 30 years in the past, what would it say . May be on the front cited it would be a picture of your family as an encouragement. Maybe you send a warning of the troubles we face as a nation. Navy would devise yourself to invest in microsoft microsoft, lookout for a Company Called the google and dont count apple just yet. Although we had odbc dash hour post card and on the front it shows broad highways full of cars at a standstill or goods going nowhere. So with that in the ability to connect them to your jobs and education and health care. It shows bridges that have fallen with tragic results. And it simply says invest in transportation. So why do we get such a pessimistic postcard from our future self . Well be followed the advice . Understand the future of america is a much more crowded place we could grow as much as 25 over the next 30 years adding more than 70 million years. Pick and the highway at rush hour almost any city in America Today and tell me if you can squeeze and 25 more people 25 percent more people. A Record Number of riders on the aging sublease system has resulted of overcrowding delays. Or there is twice as many. In this is not only a problem for the big cities so like friscos taxes were gaithersburg or not pleasant rand is the town of san marcos texas they saw the 8 growth rate making it the Fastest Growing city in the nation with 50,000 people and were not talking about a wealthy oil town the Median Household Income is 26,000 that is far below the average. While the population is growing, people 65 and older will more than double over the next 30 years. When the aarp ask Older Americans what they wanted close to home the answer was the bus stop. Not a pharmacies more important than a garage restore but how important their mobility and independence are. What it tries to tell us that we cannot accommodate that type of demand. So unless we invest in transportation specifically Public Transportation. So also more people trying to get to work it also means more people starting and growing businesses so they need to connect to workers. When the big blizzard shut down boston to visitation the General Hospital had a real problem for according to the hospital and nearly half of their employees take public transit. In the midst of the dangerous storm literally working overtime to make sure they could be covered every shift. That is a situation not as unique as it sounds. Looking at 15 Industry Sectors that make up the regions economy the fastestgrowing sectors are among those whose workers rely heavily on local Transit Services to get to and from work. Although it doesnt suffer and the longterm disruption would seriously throttled the ability to grow. According to the bls for about five projected Fastest Growing jobs pay wages less they have 27,000 per year per carol retail sales home health aides, personal care aides General Office clerk, and many of whom rely on public transport. The reason were dead the donors because at the rate we are going we will not be able to keep up. Decades of this investment will make our jobs even harder. One thing to agree on is a National Infrastructure is a noble full state of disrepair. Civil engineers caiaphas aplus of lead 80 dash the degrees are improving as you know with ed backlog of repairs estimated to grow by 2 billion per year. Your elected leaders are aware of the fact is theyve listed before secretary fox has recently traveled to many communities on a big blue bus to call attention to it. His message was very clear and simple. We need to do something now and something bad. So lets add another bill later this week fta is hosting a conversation that aims to improve cooperation and coordination with transit and health care and social service providers. Were joined by representatives in the u. S. Department of agriculture as part of the ongoing efforts to Work Together more effectively on behalf of the people weve served. With more americans it is important they can access Preventative Care at the doctors instead of the emergency room. There are 15 free screenings provided by lot and it is fantastic but it is hard to convince someone to go to the doctor before it is broken or bleeding or hurting that is especially true with the lack of Reliable Transportation availability. 80 of cost chargeable to chronic diseases that could be better managed with more frequent care. But you have to get there. Improving access and a more coordinated way is a growing challenge especially those that lack transportation and so has to speak to elected leaders about the need to invest in trans air remind them it is only the jobs of education but also to Vital Services like health care. So with silliman the compelling reasons with the infrastructure how could we afford to fix it all . So how can we afford not to . And then secretary fox likes to ask how will that be so difficult . Should we make it worth it to go buy Something Big instead of half . The ground meerkat you have heard a lot about it. We will be building and expanding on our proposals this year and of the president s proposed digit budget is a good indication were bare headed it includes six years of funding for transportation totaling 478 billion. With 89. 4 billion in increase of 67 percent over current funding. By this six year it grows higher than current funding for a total of 150 billion over the authorization period. The budget includes a record 3. 2 billion for Capital Investment grants it also increases the Facilities Program dramatically providing more funding to reach introduced the rapid growth authority with 500 million. These are programs we just made up out of third at of thin air. Because of the industry is changing with the rest of the nation we want to make Major Investments with Work Force Development to trade and personnel for the future. If this sounds familiar if it expires then made the pro america proposal is one year old. But yet here we are from the same conversation to stare down the same decision. It is clear that not all of us have picked up the post card from the future to turn it over to see what it says. That is why it is that you to deliver the message. Secretary fox was a vast that of you today the unadulterated unambiguous terms for Cartel Congress about the many good projects that create jobs to bring this into the 21st century. A post card today can take many forms i like the oldfashioned in kind but it could be the knock on the door or in email or a stamp with a letter before the intergenerational maybe it is opposed to instagram with the picture of stalled traffic or some brigade boarding of theatergoers to dialysis. It has to be seen and heard and acted upon. Lets go out and a duet. Thank you so much. [applause] thank you administrator rick million. Now to turn the program over to a section of moderator. [applause] good afternoon everybody. They give you very much acting administrator touche communicate the message from secretary fox. Please do send him our well wishes and repression and a speedy recovery. I am delighted to be your moderator today as diana mendes with the federal Railroad Administration and administration i am now will also be hearing from the acting administrator of the fra few joined it in february 2014 she manages a 20 Million Investment portfolio to help rail safety regulation and oversees research and Technology Development programs prior to coming to the fra shes served as to the secretary of transportation providing strategic by san council with operational and legislative initiatives across all of the of transportation. With major goals and initiatives we will turn to mrs. Feinberg please join reid to welcome her. Caller [applause] it is such a pleasure to be here today. In my old role as a chief of staff for secretary fox is always appreciated the commitment that disorganization and shares with the goal to make the National Transportation network safer, more interconnected, reliable and efficient. To your personnel manager abortive members of staff the key for your support and partnership over the years. I am honored to be here today as there are no greater friends at the department of transportation. But may get to my main points then we will get to the conversation but i want to talk about safety the of the importance of bringing a fresh perspective to old problems then brail and reauthorization an incredibly important opportunities we see there. As all of you know much to their credit of the people sitting in the room over the last decade total trade accidents are down. To build its are down down, crossing incidents have declined the Rail Industry to is safer than it has ever been in history it is good news sent you deserve great credit for these improvements but most recently those numbers look to be ticking up over the last year the numbers at crossings increased by 9 percent and the number of fatalities at crossings increased by 16 . While the next figure is less of an issue for commuter rails just this morning the wall street journal reported fr ratio in the number of violent rupture accidents on the rise. My point is the most recent statistics is a stark reminder that our work is not done. We have a long way to go to get as zero accidents, injuries and fatalities. Two weeks into my new job that the nra at grade crossing accident occurred in york in tranfifteen killing 60 and three weeks later another Passenger Rail grade crossing accident in california and a natural link crew member died in 27 passengers injured Star Campaign full reminders we have always to go to the grade crossing safer and rehab news of another incident in North Carolina so were hoping that everyone there is well. So that is one reason why it is the centerpiece of the reauthorization proposal but in addition to her own proposals we have to take independent action as well. Just because the problem is settled problem does not mean we should not give it a fresh look to ask what more can we be doing . After the north grade crossing incident men and women that have dedicated their entire careers to at 1 2 people save to take a fresh look at how we approach safety. Last week recalled lawenforcement agencies to step up more patrols can increase efforts to write citations for those who do not obey the rules and to employ a best practices to safeguard our communities for the coming weeks we will have more to announce about increasing Public Awareness and how to better employ a technology and how we might be able to increase funding to assist local communities to improve safety features. Other than friends and families of victims no one understands the paid like the train crews and operators the events are truly devastating for everyone we should not lose the price that your colleagues have paid. Over the years to look forward to working with all of you to bring down the numbers of injuries. With reauthorization air and there is a lot of talk radio about getting rail and reauthorization through this session and we are sova encouraged by the progress. A few things could be more important the fact that the house took an important first of last week to adopt the reauthorization measure is a huge sign of omentum also thank you to those who work with senator schuster but we need a comprehensive package said includes funding and safety provisions to implement the itc as this process moves ahead before word to working with those chambers of commerce as a build and sustain than enhances a safe and reliable rail network for passenger and Freight Rail Service will do anything in our power to move the package for ever after all we have a lot at stake as you just heard the grow america proposal is a secure transportation funding bill to give states the funding certainty they need to bridge the gap in dash as you know, reappraisal is to date compared to other rows of transportation lacks a committed source of federal revenue. Pro america provides projected funding for rail with the establishment of our rail account in the new transportation and trust fund for the Rail Industry grow america remains a 29 billion investment over six years to improve rail safety in the highperformance system that builds on current investment to approve the system in areas from ptc implementation to enhance flexibility in financing programs to better enable the rehabilitation of aging Infrastructure Program american exchanges to existing programs among other topics to enhance their risk program to make it more accessible for borrowers amtracs planning process with the media of longterm goals such as addressing the of backlog of repairs ended financed Safety Research to focus on production and testing to assist the Railroad Industry to implement ptsd as the backbone of nextgeneration Safety Program america has programs focusing on Passenger Rail service these programs include the establishment of the new amtrak grants from assets that has competitive creance with Rail Networks includes funding for implementation for commuter road runs for rail operations with the relocation efforts. And the infrastructure gap in what becomes of the extremely important byproduct the creation of good paying jobs bandy National Economy and encouraging the infrastructure gap it is with every passing day it is no section accident the gap that exists must be dealt with them Soon Congress is aware of the needs but only congress can act on them by grow america i believe there will take action but it is up to all of you to make sure they get a right must build of the proposal to see a comprehensive real reauthorization bill to redress rail safety and benefits to support the successes of the inner City Networks so to address the backlog to make improvements to make the freight mobility needs of the growing Population Group would benefit from a comprehensive bill rehabilitating infrastructure cannot wait any longer. Thank you in a look forward to working with all of you and taking your questions. [applause] the. Faq for your remarks certainly both of you gave us insightful speeches buzz certainly clearly communicated that helps all of us to make the future successful. We will take questions from the floor but before we do that of a bite to start out talking about funding and financing. Demand is increasing and financing is becoming more and more challenging. Won a strategy to have financing with publicprivate partnerships i am curious what you see us the Great Success stories for those seeking Public Private partnerships. Sure. I thank you are exactly right publicprivate partnerships we see in increasing numbers all the time. Was secretary fox and the president both has said it is part of the answer but not the answer so i dont want to take that as a reason why congress does not have to pass a comprehensive bill but this time to supplement a bill but i hesitate to put too many eggs into that basket estimate the other thing to think about is we want to broaden our sense about the participation what it is with the transit industry so of lot has been turned to transit oriented but capturing that value i think is very important to build a Good Relationship with the private sector not only in the more common ways of contribution to construction what about that ongoing value . We have been working closely with agencies with Creative Work that is going on in the industry right now to see if there is a more aggressive way we can encourage that type of partnership stibnite the federal Railroad Administration is working on improvements to the Improvement Financing Program to make can you share . [laughter] were very focused person i give secretary fox a lot of credit one of his priorities is by the time he walks out the door to your 20th gore 17th he would like that account to be at zero that means we have 35 billion to loan out so that will be difficult but it is the good challenge to have. So were trying to think more creatively about potential applicants. I think we may have spent a little narrow in our view for applicants previously so whether the mayor wants to talk about what it needs or talk about Chicago Union station or the potential for the ability to use stabilize crude i think were open into all of that. Will average more creative to think about the right applications also this administration has to walk a fine line between trying very hard to assist those that would make Infrastructure Improvements to build those projects but obviously to be careful with taxpayer dollars to make sure it is paid back at some point so it is important the money can come back so it has taken a long time to get over those bars to become more efficient how we help people get through the loan process and out the door civic as you look at and evaluate the project, how has the climate affected how you look at and evaluate projects and how did you make them competitive and attractive for federal investment . Certainly for new starts and small starets we have statutory criteria so there are a number of different factors so giving that incredible competitiveness competitiveness, those ever able to leverage that federal dollar well can play in that pool. Once the project is built you have to run its. That is not a small issue was in of the things that we have seen is a number of different agencies from what secretary fox said we have to expand from the country to be nimble about the types of investments not just about heavy or light to real. But at the same time you have to be in a stable environment that warrants that project is done and it is precluded that you can and maintain that system and we invest in the overtime. Unique to demonstrate the you have a handle to be there for the long haul. Guy bush did just say we are invested to make these programs work so being in touch on the front end talking to the loan application or the financial audit we want to loan this money now we dont want to suggest you say no thank you in and send it back but get in touch with us on the front end to make sure it is in great shape. So our safety is at the forefront every day and i am sure you have some advice and insight to share with the audience and different Safety Programs . woody would rise people to think about and get prepared for . With federal transit it is interesting because having a portfolio for a long time that they gave significant regulatory authority. So working very closely to get the message out that starting with the new authority a couple of things are critical and first of all, safety is the number one priority. The for transit also recognizing approaching safety that simply will not have been. So we are spending a lot of time explaining and building on the centerpiece of this Safety Management system approach used extensively in the Aviation Industry and a dog is not as the checklist that as the Risk Management approach of your operating environment and to build the program around your portfolio. That is not a a concept that is easy to put on paper in working very hard to get the elements through the rulemaking process. And it continues to be a top priority today. When faced with old problems and to bring new thinking and a fresh perspective where we have made a ton of progress and i think there is an inclination it is mostly driver air what we do about somebody trying to beat a trade or if they are disoriented . We try to bring new thinking to battle problem and also comprehensive thinking so the accrued by real issue is a brand new problem that we have because were becoming and Energy Independent country which is wonderful but federal think anyone is thinking of the challenges that comes with that some of those are issues were tackling in terms of the fall a tidal project moving throughout the country so were thinking comprehensively had to incentivize industry to make it safer before transport or how do incentivize the railroad to put expectations in place for is zero tolerance policy . And new thinking for old problems. It takes all of us to do that. But i would like to reiterate touche try very hard under this administration and secretary fox has made a key point beyond traffic the framers that was putting out there we have to stop thinking about ourselves and our little mobile box but as a transportation system