U.S. Transportation Secretary Slater Announces New Transportation Export Council

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, January 19, 2001
Contact: Jim Pinkelman
Tel.: 202-366-0660
FHWA 4-01

U.S. Transportation Secretary Slater Announces New Transportation Export Council

U. S. Secretary of Transportation Rodney E. Slater today announced the formation of an industry-wide Transportation Export Council (TEC) to stimulate economic growth and trade by advancing transportation-related exports while enhancing U.S. business opportunities overseas and encouraging U.S. investment in sustainable global infrastructure development.

AThe Transportation Export Council will help promote increased trade in transportation goods and services, which in turn will increase opportunities for U.S. business and industry and lead to more jobs and a higher standard of living for all Americans,” Secretary Slater said. “The TEC is another example of President Clinton and Vice President Gore’s commitment to continuing the longest period of economic growth in history.@

The TEC will focus initially on emerging markets in Latin America, Africa, Eastern Europe and Asia, providing opportunities for them to learn about U.S. technologies to help enhance their unique transportation initiatives. Those countries will benefit through increased capacity in the delivery of high quality transportation projects to their citizens.

The TEC also will work with U.S. industry and government leaders to:

Promote the use of U.S. standards and technologies in international transportation projects where appropriate, and encouraging U.S. investment into target markets;
Create future markets by promoting direct U.S. and private investments into global infrastructure development; and
Provide information to public and private stakeholders in the transportation industry to ensure citizens worldwide benefit from sustainable infrastructure development.

The TEC also plans public information campaigns to advise the Congress, the executive branch and the private sector on opportunities to promote the U.S. transportation industry abroad as the United States competes with industrialized countries in Europe and Asia that are actively engaged in promoting their exports in transportation of goods and services.

The council will be composed of a broad-spectrum of U.S. transportation industry associations and societies. Private-sector members of these associations will become de facto members of the council through their respective associations. Two such organizations, the American Traffic Safety Services Association (ATSSA), in Fredericksburg, Va., and the Intelligent Transportation Society of America, a trade association, in Washington D.C., have been instrumental in representing the private sector in the formation of the council.

ARoadway safety is truly a global concern for ATSSA members,@ ATSSA Executive Director Roger Wentz said. AAs we continue to rebuild and upgrade our aging infrastructure domestically, our focus through the TEC can be broadened to include other countries with similar needs and goals, all of which are saving lives through safer roadways.@

AThis council is completely aligned with the goals of our company members, all of which share a strong desire to optimize global market opportunities while benefiting citizens worldwide through the effective use of U.S. technology in transportation,@ said Harry Voccola, chairman of the ITS America trade association.

Several TEC initiatives underway include trade missions, educational programs and a comprehensive website under development. Information about ATSSA may be found at www.atssa.com. Information on the ITS Trade Association can be found at www.itsa.org.