Ben Cardin

We need a long-term reauthorization of our transportation programs.

Our first rate Nation should not have second rate infrastructure.

We cannot afford to go through that situation again.

Traffic congestion across the region hurts my State's economy, the quality of life of my constituents and the public's health.

But politically, at the end of the day I think it will be rewarded when we give the communities the type of transportation they need.

I want to thank all the witnesses that are here today to help us deal with the funding of our transportation priorities here at the Federal level.

The best way to reduce long term congestion is by having fewer vehicles on the road.

It is just unacceptable that it takes a couple of hours to get into the Nation's capital.

We couldn't get that, because we didn't have the revenue to deal with the longer term.

I want to thank Senator Menendez for allowing me to chair today's hearing as we consider four nominees for ambassadorships.

But for the process, and we slowed it down a little bit, we got the right outcome, we did get the right outcome here?

Now you are stretching the ability here. We would like to be involved more.

I want to start off by giving an example of how I think we got it right because of NEPA.

I would just challenge one statement. You are familiar, I am familiar with this project.

It was the wrong site and the community had an opportunity under NEPA to make that case.

It is a pleasure to be back before the Senate Judiciary Committee, where I have very fond memories.

Well, let me thank all three of our witnesses. I think this has been extremely helpful.

I do object to using the Chesapeake Bay and its clean up as a way to tell people that what is being asked is impractical and impossible to achieve.

It is not up to the farmers, it is not up to developers, it is not up to local government.

The Federal Government should take a lead in the overall clean up.

If you are talking to the farmers, they think the farmers are the ones who are being picked on the most as far as dealing with the clean up of the Bay.

It was the Congress, not the Environmental Protection Agency, that passed the Clean Water Act.

We need to look at trends over a longer period of time, and that is why I think the Hopkins and the University of Maryland study is instructive in that regard.

We have enjoyed support not just from Virginia and Maryland and Delaware and the Nation's capital but also from the people of Pennsylvania and the people of New York and people of West Virginia who are in the watershed but do not see it…

This has got to be done in a way the public will accept. Otherwise, we cannot sustain this.