Top U.S. transportation official to speak at conference seeking solutions to Montana fuel costs

U.S. Transportation Undersecretary Thomas J. Barrett, one of the country’s foremost experts on transportation, will speak at an Oct.1-2 conference in Billings focusing critical transportation issues in Montana.

Barrett, a retired vice admiral in the Coast Guard, will be the keynote speaker at the Burton K. Wheeler Center’s fall conference, "The High Cost of Fuel: What’s Down the Road for Montanans?" The conference will be held at Billings Crown Plaza Hotel. Barrett will speak at the conference’s Oct. 1 dinner, beginning at 6:30 p.m.

"Vice-Admiral Barrett is a champion for rural states like ours in addressing rural transportation needs," said Steve Albert, director of the, Western Transportation Institute at Montana State University. "This visit represents a great opportunity for Montanans to have our concerns and needs raised to a national level."

Montana’s chief transportation office concurred that Barrett’s appearance at the conference is an opportunity to tap into the national transportation conversation.

"This is an important information exchange on the implications of rising fuel costs to transportation systems," said Jim Lynch, director of the Montana Department of Transportation. "It is also a chance for Montana to help the Deputy Secretary of Transportation understand the importance of maintaining rural transportation systems as a key component of national connectivity."

Barrett serves as the chief operating officer for the Department of Transportation, responsible for the day-to-day management of DOT’s $61.1 billion budget, 10 modal administrations, and approximately 60,000 employees.

Barrett’s appearance is part of a two-day conference that will seek to find solutions to the high cost of fuel and its implications on Montanans.

"The recent surge in the price of fuel is more than just annoying and expensive for individuals, families and businesses," said Ralph Johnson, director of the Wheeler Center, a non-profit organization based at MSU. "It signals the need for real change and for urgent legislative policy and budget action by the 2009 legislature."

Johnson said that in keeping with the topic of the conference, Karst Stage is offering a free bus to transport conference goers from Bozeman to Billings. Departure is from Bozeman at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 1, with a return on Thursday, Oct. 2, right after the conference, arriving back in Bozeman by 4 p.m.

"We can’t think of a better way to encourage people to come and talk about the future of transportation in our state than by offering them a free, fuel-conscious ride to the meeting," Johnson said. "We thank Jerry Perkins at Karst Stages for his generous offer."

The registration fee for the conference, which is open to the general public, is $45, which includes three meals. The deadline to register is Sept. 26.

For more information about the conference, or to register, go to the Wheeler Center Website at: http://www.montana.edu/wheeler/

The Burton K. Wheeler Center for Public Policy at MSU is a non-profit organization that promotes the discussion, analysis and eventual resolution of critical issues facing Montana and the region.
http://www.montana.edu/cpa/news/nwview.php?article=6231