[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 93 (Thursday, May 14, 1998)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 26711-26712]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-13041]
Presidential Documents
Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 93 / Thursday, May 14, 1998 /
Presidential Documents
___________________________________________________________________
Title 3--
The President
[[Page 26711]]
Proclamation 7094 of May 8, 1998
National Defense Transportation Day and National
Transportation Week, 1998
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation
America's transportation system is the finest in the
world. The web of streets, highways, bridges, and
railroads that crisscross our Nation and our complex
network of shipping lanes and air routes keep us
connected to one another and the world. They enable us
to move people and goods swiftly and efficiently across
the country and around the globe and fuel the engine of
our robust economy. Whether building subways,
constructing new highways, or improving airplane
safety, the dedicated and hardworking men and women of
our national transportation system keep America moving.
As we look forward to a new century, we must build on
our record of achievement. As always, our first
priority must be the safety of those who use our
Nation's transportation system. We have already made
great progress in improving highway safety--the traffic
fatality rate today is two-and-a-half times less than
it was 30 years ago. However, by increasing seat belt
use, ensuring that our children are properly secured in
our vehicles, and lowering the threshold for drunk
driving to a blood alcohol concentration of .08, we can
further reduce the number of traffic accidents and the
harm they cause.
We also must strive to keep our Nation's transportation
system secure and our borders safe from terrorists and
drug traffickers. Today, through improved training
techniques and advanced technology, we have increased
security at our airports, and programs such as the
Coast Guard's Operation Frontier Shield have helped to
seize tons of illegal drugs and abort numerous drug
smuggling attempts.
While recognizing the many benefits we derive from our
transportation system, we also acknowledge the need to
use and develop it responsibly to ensure the protection
of our environment. We are making progress in this goal
as well: we have funded many projects to improve
transit services and accommodations for bicyclists and
pedestrians; we are turning historic railroad terminals
into multimodal transportation centers; and funds from
transportation programs have helped to support wetlands
restoration projects and have aided communities in
planning both transit projects and sustainable
development. We must build on these efforts by also
working to reduce the pollutants and greenhouse gases
that our transportation system creates.
Recognizing the need for safety, security, and
environmental stewardship in America's transportation
system, we also must invest in our transportation
infrastructure. Together with the Congress, my
Administration has provided funding for construction
projects in communities across the country, creating
700,000 new transportation-related jobs in the last 5
years. Our fiscal 1999 budget proposal for
transportation infrastructure is 42 percent higher than
the average level of investment from 1990 to 1993. The
240 trade agreements we have signed since 1993,
including 27 ``open skies'' aviation agreements in the
last 3 years, have opened markets around the world for
American products. America's transportation system will
enable us to seize these unprecedented opportunities
for trade and economic growth.
[[Page 26712]]
In recognition of the importance of our Nation's
transportation system to our national security and
economic success, and in gratitude to the outstanding
men and women who ensure its continued excellence, the
United States Congress, by joint resolution approved
May 16, 1957 (36 U.S.C. 160), has designated the third
Friday in May of each year as ``National Defense
Transportation Day'' and, by joint resolution approved
May 14, 1962 (36 U.S.C. 166), declared that the week in
which that Friday falls be designated ``National
Transportation Week.''
NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, President of the
United States of America, do hereby proclaim Friday,
May 15, 1998, as National Defense Transportation Day
and May 10 through May 16, 1998, as National
Transportation Week. I urge all Americans to observe
these occasions with appropriate ceremonies and
activities, giving due recognition to the individuals
and organizations that build, operate, and maintain
this country's modern transportation systems.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
eighth day of May, in the year of our Lord nineteen
hundred and ninety-eight, and of the Independence of
the United States of America the two hundred and
twenty-second.
(Presidential Sig.)
[FR Doc. 98-13041
Filed 5-13-98; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3195-01-P
