I am pleased to see that your proposal modifies the RABA calculation.

I am committed to ensuring that Kansas remain a donee state.

this is, I think, a good policy and a good program that's helped to get an alternative energy source moving forward.

I thought we won that war.

They are needing research money to develop the next wave of products.

It seems to me Mr. Secretary that these numbers in terms of cost savings for our highway system are compelling.

This has been an industry that has been decimated in recent times.

I would like to thank you for holding this hearing today and inviting The Honorable Secretary Mineta to testify before us.

We should be taking trade actions against Airbus.

Unfortunately, that bill never saw action on the Senate floor during the 107th Session of Congress.

I want to focus my comments on two areas. One is on the aviation industry itself.

I would urge it. I have got an issue I will submit to you for the record of short line railroads.

I would like to highlight a bill I recently introduced with Senator Hollings, S.788, the Second Century of Flight Act.

If I could ask you, because the time is so short, if your agency could really start a study of what is taking place, because if other countries are doing this, then we should start a trade action against them.

Additionally, an issue that should be of importance to all of us in the room is the future of 'short line' local freight railroads.

This bill would create a national office to coordinate aviation and aerospace research activities within the U.S. Government and encouraging public-private cooperation.

They are having countries come to them and saying, we will pay for the research and the development.

I would hope would aggressively get behind it or something like it, because we are really losing this business.