DOT REQUESTS $54.3-BILLION BUDGET FOR FISCAL YEAR 2004

DOT REQUESTS $54.3-BILLION BUDGET FOR FISCAL YEAR 2004    The U.S. Transportation Department has requested a budget of $54.3 billion for fiscal year 2004, a 6 percent increase over President Bush’s 2003 request.
   Norman Y. Mineta, DOT secretary, told a press briefing in Washington Feb. 3 that $14.4 billion, or 27 percent, of the budget request will support transportation safety activities.
   The fiscal 2004 budget request also reflects the departure of the Coast Guard and Transportation Security Administration to the newly established Homeland Security Department.
   In addition, the fiscal 2004 budget request includes reauthorizations for both surface and air transport financial assistance programs set to expire at the end of 2003.
   Specifically under the fiscal 2004 budget request, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration would receive $447 million, with a large portion of that money to be spent on truck safety inspections along the U.S./Mexican border.
   The Federal Aviation Administration would receive $14 billion under the fiscal 2004 budget request, while the Federal Railroad Administration would receive $189 million for hazardous materials transportations safety programs. The Research and Special Programs Administration, which oversees the transportation of hazardous materials, would receive $132 million.
   The request for DOT water transport programs includes $219 million for the Maritime Administration and $14 million for the Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corp. “MarAd’s funding includes $11.4 million to dispose of obsolete ships that potentially pose an environmental risk to the nation’s waterways,” DOT said.