[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 95 (Wednesday, May 18, 1994)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 25783-25784]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-12287]
[[Page Unknown]]
[Federal Register: May 18, 1994]
Presidential Documents
Proclamation 6689 of May 16, 1994
National Defense Transportation Day and National
Transportation Week, 1994
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation
The United States has entered a new era in
transportation. We are in the midst of a technology
explosion, and our Nation's transportation
infrastructure stands to benefit tremendously from
these innovations. New industries are racing to meet
the demands of reinventing American transportation,
creating jobs and economic opportunities for companies
and individuals alike.
A smoothly-functioning transportation system is a
fundamental building block of a growing economy and a
prosperous society. The ability to move people and
materials safely and efficiently affects the price of
goods in our markets, our ability to sell our products
overseas, and the lives and livelihoods of all
Americans. The decisions we make now in transportation
will serve as the catalyst for improving both the
safety and quality of life for our citizens for decades
to come.
This new era requires a new way of thinking about
transportation needs. The challenges we face in today's
transportation arena involve making what we have
already built work better. By reinforcing and
modernizing the existing infrastructure, we can create
jobs, spur even more technological development, and
fuel long-term economic growth. Even in this time of
limitation and deficit reduction, strategic investments
and continued leadership can make technology work to
meet the needs of our country's transportation system.
One important effort toward reaching that goal is the
Technology Reinvestment Project, designed both to
encourage research and to deploy ``dual-use''
technologies. Such innovations can be applied to both
defense and civilian use, making possible, for example,
the application of materials from the Stealth bomber to
build new bridge projects. This is the kind of
ingenuity that has made America great and the kind of
leadership that will enable American companies to find
continued success in the international marketplace.
In December 1993, my Administration submitted a
proposed National Highway System (NHS) to the Congress.
The NHS identifies priorities for a high-quality
interconnected system of highways that will serve major
population centers, international border crossings,
ports, airports, rail terminals, public transportation
facilities, intermodal transportation facilities, and
major travel destinations; meet national defense
requirements; and serve interstate and interregional
travel. The NHS will enhance economic growth,
international competitiveness, and national security.
At the same time, the Department of Transportation has
also announced the beginning of an effort to identify a
National Transportation System (NTS) for the 1990s and
beyond. Not just roads, but air and waterways, ports,
pipelines, rail, and mass transit--all will be working
together to form an integrated system with the common
goal of moving people and goods as expediently and
securely as possible.
For the first time in American history, and for
generations to come, the NTS will force us to look at
America's transportation system as a whole instead of
as individual projects--to pinpoint our weaknesses and
to correct them; to identify our strengths and to build
upon them; to not just answer our questions, but to
help us anticipate and answer questions that have not
even yet been asked. With new tools in technology and
by wisely using strategic planning and investment, we
will bring America into the 21st century, well-prepared
for the challenges ahead.
In order to honor the men and women who work so
diligently to meet America's transportation needs, the
Congress, by joint resolution approved May 16, 1957 (36
U.S.C. 160), has requested that the third Friday in May
of each year be designated as ``National Defense
Transportation Day'' and, by joint resolution approved
May 14, 1962 (36 U.S.C. 166), that the week in which
that Friday falls be proclaimed ``National
Transportation Week.''
NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, President of the
United States of America, do hereby designate Friday,
May 20, 1994, as National Defense Transportation Day
and the week of May 15 through May 21, 1994, as
National Transportation Week. I urge all Americans to
observe these occasions with appropriate ceremonies and
activities and to give special recognition to those who
build, operate, safeguard, and maintain our vast and
complex system of transportation.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
sixteenth day of May, in the year of our Lord nineteen
hundred and ninety-four, and of the Independence of the
United States of America the two hundred and
eighteenth.
(Presidential Sig.)>
[FR Doc. 94-12287
Filed 5-16-94; 3:12 pm]
Billing code 3195-01-P