The
U.S. Senate has a chance to save the Recreational Trails Program (RTP)
with help from your senators. Now is the time to call to urge support
for the RTP! The Senate transportation bill, entitled “Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st
Century,” or MAP-21, contains a revision of
current law that would essentially end the RTP. However, a bipartisan
list of seven senators, led by Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Richard
Burr (R-N.C.), have introduced an amendment to modify the revision and
preserve the RTP. Klobuchar
amendment No. 1661, as it is commonly referred to, would re-establish
dedicated funding for RTP and maintain the programs structure on state
and federal levels. Some are under the mistaken impression that a
different amendment offered by Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) helps the RTP,
but it does not. Only the Klobuchar amendment No. 1661 can restore the RTP. The
RTP was created on a bipartisan basis in 1991 to provide funds to the
states to develop and maintain recreational trails and trail-related
facilities for both non-motorized and
motorized recreational trail uses. Funds for the RTP come from taxes
generated by fuel used for off-highway vehicle recreation -- by
snowmobiles, all-terrain vehicles, off-highway motorcycles and
off-highway light trucks. The
best way for the Klobuchar amendment No. 1661 to be accepted and passed
is to ask your senators to speak to the leaders of MAP-21, Sens.
Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) and Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.). These two senators
must hear from their colleagues about how strongly you feel about saving
the RTP. If
you are represented by Sens. Boxer or Inhofe, it is urgent that you
call their offices and tell them now. The fate of RTP rests in their
hands. Please
call your senators immediately and urge them to speak with Sens. Boxer
and Inhofe about accepting and passing
Klobuchar amendment No. 1661 to save the RTP. If your senators are
either Sens. Boxer or Inhofe, tell them to move forward with Klobuchar
amendment No. 1661. Talking points are available for your convenience when you click the “Take Action” option. | 
