Taken directly from the League of American Bicyclists’ blog:

Transportation Enhancements are the largest federal source of bicycle and pedestrian funding and they are under attack.

We need your help – TODAY!

Senator Coburn (R-OK) is offering two amendments to the FY10 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development (THUD) appropriations bill that will strike funding for transportation enhancements.  The two amendments are S. Amendment 2370 and S. Amendment 2371. Find out what transportation enhancement projects are in your state here.

The Transportation Enhancement program has provided between one half and three-quarters of all Federal funding invested in bicycling and walking improvements in the last 20 years. More than $250 million is at stake in fiscal year 2010 – if Coburn’s amendment is successful it will affect hundreds of trail projects, sidewalks, bicyclist education programs, bike rack on bus programs, and roadway improvements for bicyclists.

S. Amendment 2370 prohibits funding for transportation enhancements if the Highway Trust Fund does not contain amounts sufficient to cover unfunded highway authorizations.

S. Amendment 2371 allows states to opt out of the 10 percent set aside rule that require states to spend at least 10 percent of their surface transportation funding on transportation enhancements.

We expect the amendments to be offered and voted on during Senate floor debate tomorrow, Wednesday, September 16.

Please call your Senator immediately and urge them to vote NO on S. Amendment 2370 and S. Amendment 2371 to the FY10 transportation appropriations bill.

Here are some local projects that were funded, in large part, by Transportation Enhancement dollars. In fact all of these projects together used nearly $10.5 Million of Federal TE dollars and couldn’t have been implemented without those dollars:

Pittsburgh to Cumberland Trail, Hot Metal Bike/Ped Bridge, Youghiogheny River Trail, Fayette Regional Trail, Youghiogheny River Trail, Yough River Environmental Education Center / P&LE RR Station / Visitors Center – Phase 1, PLE RR Station – West Newton Trail Center, Youghiogheny River Bikeway, East Loop – Phase I, Bridge to Tomorrow: Downtown West Newton Bicyclist and Ped Enhancement Plan, Montour Trail – County Line to Library Junction, Montour Trail – Cecil Twp. to Gilmore Junction, Montour Trail Phase 13, Muse-Bishop Bridge, Montour Trail – Library Viaduct