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PRESS RELEASE

Public Should Have Opportunity To Review NAFTA Safety Issues, AAA Says

10 April 1997

Public Should Have Opportunity To Review NAFTA Safety Issues, AAA Says

    ATLANTA, April 9 -- AAA today called on government at all
levels to provide an opportunity for public comment on transportation safety
issues arising from the implementation of the North American Free Trade
Agreement (NAFTA).
    Delegates to AAA's 94th annual meeting here said there is little
opportunity for the public to express its views and concerns about issues
arising from NAFTA's implementation, especially those highway safety issues
that may involve the safety of the motoring public.
    AAA also said because NAFTA is a treaty signed by the federal government,
its implementation is a federal responsibility.  To fully implement NAFTA,
major investments are required, including investments in highway
infrastructure and maintenance, according to AAA.
    These costs are not the responsibility of the states, AAA said, but the
legitimate responsibility of the federal government because it is an
investment in the national economy.
    AAA is a not-for-profit federation of 99 motor clubs with more than
1,000 offices providing its more than 39 million members in the United States
and Canada with travel, insurance, financial and auto-related services.

SOURCE  American Automobile Association

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CONTACT: Bill Jackman, American Automobile Association,
202-942-2050