Protect Trees & Fund Byways in the Highway Bill

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Urge the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee to Fund Scenic Byways and Protect Publicly Owned Trees

The House's draft of the highway bill is now coming together and is expected to be released in early June. We need to act NOW to ensure that it includes funding for scenic byways and protections for trees.

Tell the House T & I Committee to Fund the National Scenic Byways Program

The highway bill should also provide funding for the National Scenic Byways Program. After sitting dormant for nearly a decade, the program was revived in 2019. However, its dedicated funding stream lapsed in 2012. A five-year, $325 million investment in this important program would fund infrastructure projects, creating new jobs and jump-starting tourism in communities across the country.

To maximize the impact of the Byways program, the surface transportation bill should also include funding to create a Byways Quality Assistance Program. This program would help state Departments of Transportation with landscape design, planning, training, and tourism asset development.

Tell the House T & I Committee to End Tree Cutting for Billboard Visibility

There is currently no federal prohibition of vegetation removal or tree cutting on public rights-of-way for the purpose of enhancing the view of billboards. As a result, advertising companies are allowed to remove or cut publicly owned trees and vegetation. Beyond destroying healthy trees, this irresponsible action mars scenic roadways, contributes to soil erosion, and damages property values by removing noise and pollution barriers, exposing homes directly to highway traffic.

The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee omitted these critical issues in its version of the bill, which has been approved. If the House T & I Committee fails to include these programs in its version of the bill, these programs may spend another five years without federal support.

If you believe in the importance of protecting trees and promoting byways, it is critical that you add your name and email address to this form and it will be delivered to your representative, who serves on this committee.

You can also personalize your letter for even more impact.

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House T & I

Subject: Fund Byways and Stop Tree Cutting for Billboard Visibility in the Highway Bill

Message:

We appreciate the work of the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee as it considers surface transportation reauthorization, and ask for your support to include the following key provisions in the underlying bill: •	Revitalize and Fund the Byways Program: The Scenic Byway Program consists of 1,234 State and National Scenic Byways spanning 49 states in total. These byways serve as economic development investments and job creators by tying urban, rural, and suburban communities together for communities that need it the most. We urge the Committee to provide dedicated funding for the Scenic Byways program, through the Highway Trust Fund, over the life of the bill, starting at $55 million a year and scaling up by $5 million each year. Scenic byways are stewarded by local stakeholder groups who volunteer countless hours in support of their byways, and byway grants are often combined with local public and private investment to improve the byway experience, increasing the draw to visitors and creating a large return on investment. Without funding, rural and suburban communities along these byways are missing out on the economic development opportunities provided by a road’s designation as a Scenic Byway. In 2012, the last year grants were awarded, 125 byways in 44 states were awarded grants, illustrating the wide breadth of the program. •	Create a New Scenic Byways Quality Assistance Program: To ensure the success of the Byways program, we urge the Committee to create a new Scenic Byway Quality Assistance Program at FHWA and fund it at $5 million annually over the life of the bill. The funds would allow FHWA to work with nonprofit entities to conduct research to advance the understanding of scenic byways’ economic benefits and provide customized technical assistance including mapping, fact sheets, and training to improve a scenic byway’s performance. •	Protect Homeowner Rights and Public Trees: We urge the Committee to modify existing law regarding the cutting of trees on publicly owned land. We seek to ensure that only State Departments of Transportation (DOT) can direct the cutting of publicly owned trees on publicly owned land for specific purposes such as safety and other clear public interest issues. The private sector should not be allowed to cut down trees on public land for their own commercial purposes, violating homeowner rights, depressing property values without any input from homeowners, and negatively impacting Federal-aid highways, putting existing Federal investment at risk. Thank you for your support.

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