Referred to:  The Energy, Environment and Sustainability Committee (Chairwoman Greene and Legislators Hansut, Levine, Maloney, and Stewart), and The Public Works, Capital Projects and Transportation Committee (Chairwoman Petit and Legislators Erner, Fabiano, Litts, and Nolan)

Legislator Phil Erner and Legislators X, X, X, and X offer the following:

WHEREAS, Ulster County Area Transit (UCAT), operated by the Department of Public Transportation, has as its mission to provide quality public transportation to the residents of Ulster County in a safe, reliable, and cost-effective manner; and

WHEREAS, UCAT depends on funds from state and federal governments in order to deliver such services; and

WHEREAS, Ulster County contains many roads, bridges and other public transportation infrastructure owned, maintained or otherwise pertaining to the state and federal governments, including such marked and unmarked touring routes and truck routes within the city of Kingston, and which connect Ulster County with other locations; and

WHEREAS, at present most of UCAT’s fixed-route bus service operates upon such state & federal roads; and

WHEREAS, if the state and federal governments also operated public transportation services, then UCAT could expand its services; and

WHEREAS, at present the public funds most roads, bridges and related infrastructure in this country for both passenger transportation and freight; and

WHEREAS, at present it is mostly an individual responsibility to maintain one’s own vehicle or other conveyance in order to make use of such infrastructure; and

WHEREAS, the seven-and-one-half percent of Ulster County households who lack access to a private automobile thereby lack meaningful access to public roads and bridges that their taxes pay to maintain just the same as households that have cars; and

WHEREAS, for those households lacking cars, it is generally not a choice but a socioeconomic hardship; and

WHEREAS, establishing state and federal public transportation systems could help to slow the degradation of the earth by reducing extraction and consumption for transportation; and to reduce material and energy imports and the exploitation of socioeconomically disadvantaged peoples; and to reduce emissions and motor-vehicle traffic density contributing to healthier bodies and safer neighborhoods; now, therefore be it

RESOLVED, that Ulster County calls upon the governments of the State of New York and the United States of America to establish and maintain comprehensive public transportation systems, upon all state and federal roads, bridges and related infrastructure, including such marked and unmarked touring routes and truck routes within the city of Kingston, that shall prioritize the car-free public’s access to conveyances comparable to the infrastructure’s usual usage, and for purposes of socioeconomic equity, environmental justice, national security and public health and safety, and which shall not depend upon extraction and burning of fossil fuels; and, be it further

RESOLVED, that Ulster County further calls upon state and federal governments to negotiate and legislate the public’s right of access to private transportation infrastructure at present including but not limited to freight-railroad tracks and cargo-shipping corridors, prioritizing the low-income, low-wealth public’s access to conveyances comparable to the infrastructure’s usual usage, and which shall not depend upon extraction and burning of fossil fuels; and, be it further

RESOLVED, that Ulster County further calls upon state and federal governments immediately to plan to abolish the extraction and burning of fossil fuels,

and move its adoption.

ADOPTED BY THE FOLLOWING VOTE:

AYES:                       NOES:    

Passed Committee: Energy, Environment and Sustainability on ____________.

Passed Committee: Public Works, Capital Projects and Transportation on ____________.

FINANCIAL IMPACT:

NONE