The topic of today's hearing is very important to me and to my home State of California, and I would like to thank the Subcommittee Chair, Senator Cardin, for holding this hearing.

In California, we are currently in the third year of one of the worst droughts in the State's history.

The pressures on our water resources will increase in the future.

Reservoirs are at historically low levels, dozens of water agencies have already ordered water rationing, and just last month, the Governor declared a State-wide water emergency.

We have been in the minority and we know how it feels, and they need to have the same respect as everybody else.

But we will strike that off the record.

If you are confirmed, you will oversee the protection of these treasures.

I want to say congratulations, Mr. Strickland, on this nomination.

Do you agree to ensure that testimony, briefings, documents, and electronic and other forms of communication of information are provided to this Committee and its staff and other appropriate committees in a timely manner?

I know we all agree that we live in a Nation blessed with spectacular public lands and a rich array of wildlife.

One of the arguments I always make about preservation of our environment in California is that it is good for the economy.

And we are going to ask our Members to submit questions by tomorrow morning, with responses due Monday.

That is right. It could be a late night Sunday, but I know your wife is saying, he will do it.

I want to say, we will as well. So I think this is, we are ready to go. We are very close to being ready to go.

The current legislation, SAFETEA-LU, will expire on September 30, 2009.

I hope the Administration is open to working with us on every possible idea.

We have to in the United States get our act together and address infrastructure in a big way.

I think that is what we need right now. None of us is ideological about all this. We just want to be pragmatic and get this to happen.

This level of funding for highways in an economic stimulus bill is unacceptable, as it largely ignores the immediate job creation and economic growth associated with infrastructure investment.

It is important to note that the $27.5 billion for highways in stimulus is no way a substitute for the hundreds of billions needed to address our Nation's infrastructure crisis.

I am averse to raising the gas tax. But I have not signed a pledge, and that means I am willing to see what we have to do.

We can't do our share with an ever-dwindling Highway Trust Fund.

We cannot walk away from it because we would be walking away from the future.

I would encourage President Obama to prioritize the transportation needs of this Country.

The funding provided in H.R. 1 was a good start, but certainly not enough.