After his appearance at the Forum on the Digital Solidarity Fund, held at the Millennium Hotel in New York, President Fernandez told reporters that the higher oil prices would force many countries to design more efficient mass transit systems. The President reconfirmed the Metro project and said that it has to be considered the “nation’s project, not the project of a government.” As reported in Hoy, the President pointed out that the Metro is conceived to be a long-range project, much like the Lincoln Tunnel that connects New York City with New Jersey. That project took 20 years to reach its conclusion. Fernandez also pointed out the need to create a mass transit system that used less expensive fuels and that produced less pollution. The Dominican chief executive told reporters that he was impressed with the new, hybrid buses that were being used in New York City. These buses combine electric and diesel engines.