National Association of Regional Councils

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WASHINGTON, DC (October 21, 2010) – The National League of Cities (NLC) and the National Association of Regional Councils (NARC) congratulate the local governments and regional planning organizations who the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) awarded both capital and planning grants through the second round of Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) discretionary funds.

U.S. DOT’s TIGER II grants give direct support to innovative local programs and help communities plan critically needed infrastructure. The funding will allow local communities to link existing transportation assets, and support highway, bridge, public transit, goods movement and port infrastructure projects.

Following last week’s announcement of the Sustainable Communities Regional Planning Grants by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, NLC and NARC applaud the federal government’s commitment to working with state and local governments, and are encouraged by the continued coordination between the agencies to improve the nation’s housing, transportation and urban development needs while investing in the nation’s infrastructure for years to come.

Congress appropriated $600 million for U.S. DOT’s National Infrastructure Investment program (TIGER II) earlier this year, which is similar to the TIGER Discretionary Grant program created through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. These projects will have lasting impacts on the communities they serve by promoting the safe transportation of both people and goods, providing cost savings, and increased transportation access and options.

Comments from the leaders of NARC and NLC below:

“TIGER grants are one of the best ways to maximize the local knowledge of local and regional infrastructure needs,” said Donald J. Borut, NLC, Executive Director. “TIGER grants allow on-the-ground leaders to set the priorities for their communities. This allows a community’s own vision to become the starting point for new projects; reduces wasteful projects; and supports local economic development and competitiveness.”

“We are once again pleased with the announcement of the DOT grants,” stated Fred Abousleman, Executive Director, NARC. “We applaud DOT and the federal government for this reinvigorated commitment to advancing multi-jurisdictional work through incentives, flexibility and direct funding to local governments, regional planning organizations and urban and rural communities. This grant announcement continues our work to align the nation’s transportation assets with growth and development priorities and helps ensure the prosperity of our nation.”