Political Quotes

“Today, we are debating a partisan bill that spends over $400 billion on everything but long-term investments in America's roads and bridges. Despite being the largest percentage increase in surface transportation programs in the last quarter-century, very little of the money going out the door is directed at the policies, programs, and people that need it. It ignores the need to streamline our project review process, creates more bureaucratic red tape, and, once again, leaves rural America behind. A focus on the rail title, for example, reveals complete ignorance of the industry. Freight railroads are the most fuel-efficient way to move freight over land, covering more than 480 miles on a single gallon of fuel. Yet, my colleagues on the left included section 9607 that would require Class I freight railroads to replace locomotives constructed prior to 2008 with brand-new fossil-fuel-burning locomotives by 2030. This ignores the significant efforts of the Class I freight railroads themselves to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and combat climate change. It locks the industry into utilizing internal combustion engines for decades, negating the ongoing efforts with suppliers to research, test, and adapt zero-emission locomotives for future incorporation into their fleets. This section alone would cost the industry tens of billions of dollars and, needless to say, was written without the consultation of the railroads or stakeholders.…”