Bill Millar Addresses All Members Of APTA On Hurricane Katrina

Contacts: Virginia Miller (202) 496-4816 vmiller@apta.com

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I am sure that you are as horrified as I am by the events unfolding in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. I am especially concerned about the safety and recovery of those impacted and our thoughts and prayers go out to all the victims of this catastrophe.

We have attempted to contact the transit systems and businesses in the affected states of Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi and parts of Florida, and as one would expect, we have only been able to obtain very sketchy information to date. However, from what we have learned, the needs are profound. Therefore, we have decided to establish an APTA Hurricane Katrina Transit Employee Relief Fund to help our fellow transit employees and their families who are victims of the hurricane. Please donate by check, payable to APTA Relief Fund or donate online at http://www.apta.com/katrina/donate.cfm. We ask you to encourage your employees to donate to this fund, which is tax deductible.

To coordinate APTA efforts, we have created an internal staff task force headed by Jim Olivetti, our manager of information services. The best way to contact Jim is by email at jolivetti@apta.com. As more information becomes available on the most effective ways to provide help and assistance in evacuation and recovery efforts, we will keep you informed and will post updates to our web site at www.apta.com.

As we await further guidance on the best ways to help, we have been working with the Federal Transit Administration, and FTA asks that any requests for assistance or offers to provide equipment or services go directly to each of the regional administrators.

It also would be appropriate for members to assess the status of equipment, parts, access to fuel or other resources in light of potential recovery requirements of those in need.

Hurricane Katrina

Fuel shortages are another area of concern expressed by some transit systems. FTA is working with its counterparts throughout the federal government to respond to these shortages that threaten operations. If your transit system is experiencing fuel shortages, contact your FTA regional office and provide them with specific details on your average daily consumption, fuel on hand, anticipated deliveries and the amount of time you can continue to operate. We ask that you also send this information to APTA as we will be working with FTA on this issue. This information should be sent to APTA's Jim Olivetti at jolivetti@apta.com.

Also, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has temporarily waived certain standards for gasoline and diesel fuels in Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, and Mississippi under the Clean Air Act. The governors of the 46 other states must approve waivers to provide temporary relief. The waivers will be effective through September 15 and apply to volatility standards - the rate at which fuel evaporates - and the amount of sulfur in the fuel.

Recovery from Hurricane Katrina will be a very long process and will require a sustained effort. I have no doubt that the transit industry will come through and play an important role in this recovery as we have in many other emergencies. Meanwhile, our thoughts and prayers are with the victims of this catastrophic event.

Sincerely yours,

William W. Millar

President

WWM/tjj

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APTA is a nonprofit international association of more than 1,500 member organizations including public transportation systems; planning, design, construction and finance firms; product and service providers; academic institutions, and state associations and departments of transportation. APTA members serve the public interest by providing safe, efficient and economical public transportation services and products. Over ninety percent of persons using public transportation in the United States and Canada are served by APTA members.