Commuting Solutions Hosted 7th Sustainable Transportation Summit
On August 30, Commuting Solutions hosted the 7th Sustainable Transportation Summit – Transportation Innovations Bringing People together at the Longmont Museum and Cultural Center. Experts, elected officials and enthusiasts of climate-friendly transportation gathered to discuss innovative ideas about passenger rail development and expansion in our region.
For decades, Coloradans, particularly those in the northwest metro region, have been seeking widespread rail expansion. In the last 5 years, new federal and state opportunities have breathed new life into the goal of substantial rail development in Colorado. In 2021, Front Range Passenger Rail District was created as a taxation district by the Colorado State Legislature (via Senate Bill 238) to study, design, operate and maintain a new passenger rail line from Pueblo to Ft. Collins and eventually Wyoming and New Mexico. The 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) provided enormous federal funding opportunities to support American transportation infrastructure improvements.
The Summit pulled together a widely varied group of expert speakers to thoroughly explore where we go from here.
The speakers included:
- U.S. Congressman Joe Neguse
- Mayor Joan Peck, City of Longmont.
- Keynote Speaker Julie Meredith, Assistant Secretary of Urban Mobility, Access & Megaprograms WSDOT
- Commissioner Claire Leve, Boulder County Commissioner
- Dennis Newman, Executive Vice President Strategy &Planning, Amtrak
- Debra A. Johnson, General Manager & CEO, RTD
- David Singer, Assistant Director of Passenger Rail, CDOT
- John E. Putnam, Former General Council USDOT
- Evan Manvel, Climate Mitigation Planner – Climate Friendly and Equitable Communities, Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development
- Colorado Senator Faith Winter
Thank you to our many wonderful speakers for their insightful participation.
Did You Miss the 7th Sustainable Transportation Summit?
Thanks to Longmont Public Television for recording the event you can watch the entire 7th Sustainable Transportation Summit program here.
