Political Quotes

“I would like to thank Chairman Diaz- Balart and Ranking Member Price for their hard work on this legislation. I rise today to urge my colleagues to join with me in improving rail and pipeline safety by supporting my amendment to increase funding by $500,000 to the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration. This important agency's mission is to protect our communities from the risks of hazardous materials transportation, including moving crude oil by rail and pipeline. Until just a few years ago, our Nation's railroads transported very little crude oil. Now, in part due to the boom in oil production from the Bakken formation in North Dakota and in other areas, approximately 1.1 billion barrels are transported by rail in the United States every single day. The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration conducted tests on Bakken crude and found it to have a higher degree of volatility than most other U.S. crudes. Last year, railroads carried almost 650,000 carloads of oil, compared to only 9,500 carloads in 2008. This impact is especially felt in Illinois, my home State, where we have the second-most number of miles of rail track in the entire country. In fact, about 25 percent of all U.S. rail traffic passes through Chicago, Illinois. Improving rail safety is extremely important to our region, our State, and to our entire country. This issue is especially personal to me and the people I serve in my congressional district.…”