Statement of Erich Pica, Domestic Campaigns Director at Friends of the Earth

Friends of the Earth is disappointed that President Bush is signing into law the largest highway funding bill in history. The $286 billion highway bill is sending the federal treasury on the road to financial ruin, while failing to fundamentally address the current problems with our transportation system: congestion, air and water pollution, and sprawl. Instead of adequately funding real transportation choices such as mass transit and passenger rail, the bill funds more than 6300 individual "pet" projects, costing more than $24 billion. These projects amount to a down payment on the re-election of every member Congress, not forward thinking transportation solutions.