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RTC’s supporter base would continue to
strengthen. “We were like Paul Revere on
the telephone,” quoted Harnik.
“Over the next decade, RTC helped
inventory rail lines and assisted groups
from coast to coast in building trails,”
writes Fletcher. “Rail-trails became part of
the American language and landscape.”
Rail-Trail Renaissance
In 2001, when Keith Laughlin left his
position in the White House Council
on Environmental Quality to become
the second president of RTC, there were
11,500 miles of known rail-trails in the
U.S. Laughlin remembers substantial
support for the movement at that time,
which had successfully fought back many
attacks on railbanking in previous years.
“When I arrived, RTC and our move-
ment were healthy due to the leadership
of David and Peter. There was strong
support, both among the public and in
Congress, for rail-trails,” Laughlin states.
“We also had a well-defined legislative
agenda, which focused on protecting fed-
eral trail funding and railbanking. Those
were the ‘dual pillars’ that were essential
to our success in the 1990s and vital to
keeping trail building going in America.”
But despite RTC’s past achieve-
ments—including its participation in the
landmark case, Preseault v. United States,
in which a 1990 Supreme Court decision
unanimously upheld the constitutionality
of railbanking—Laughlin says there were
always new challenges.
In September 2003, RTC played
a central role in successfully defend-
ing Transportation Enhancements, the
primary source of federal trail funding
since its creation in 1991. Under attack
in the House, RTC’s collaboration with
Rep. Tom Petri (R-WI) and Rep. James
Oberstar (D-MN) to secure House votes
against its elimination resulted in a dra-
matic 327 to 90 victory.
“That was a watershed moment. It
demonstrated the strong bipartisan sup-
port we had in Congress and set the stage
for our victories in the transportation bill
in 2005,” says Laughlin.
The 2005 bill not only preserved
Transportation Enhancements, but created
To learn more about the history of RTC and view an extended, interactive timeline,
go to
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2004
October
“To build healthier
places for healthier
people” is added to
RTC’s mission.
2005
August 10
The new federal transportation
bill introduces the Nonmotorized
Transportation Pilot Program
to test active-transportation
investments in four U.S.
communities. The program will
avert 85.1 million vehicle miles
between 2009 and 2013.
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2006
January 1
RTC launches its
national mapping
initiative.
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2007
June
RTC works with Rep. James
Oberstar (D-Minn.) and others
to successfully protect TE, which
is again under fire.
July 1
RTC launches the Rail-Trail Hall
of Fame.
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2008
October
RTC presents its
Active Transportation
for America report
to Congress. The
report quantifies for
the first time the
national benefits of
walking and biking.
JOHN GENSOR CHRISTINE BAKER
Heritage Rail Trail
County Park joined
the Rail-Trail Hall
of Fame in 2015.
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