Political Quotes

“Mr. President, improving public safety, growing our economy, increasing energy independence, and protecting the environment have always been among my top priorities as a Senator. Today, the very first bill I am introducing in this new Congress will advance all of those goals by allowing the heaviest trucks to travel on our Federal interstate highways in Maine rather than being forced to use secondary roads and downtown streets. I am delighted to have the senior Senator from Vermont, Patrick Leahy, as my Democratic cosponsor, and my good friend and colleague from Maine, Olympia Snowe, also as an original cosponsor. Vermont has the same problem as we do in Maine. Thus the bill I am introducing applies to our two States. In 2009, I authored a law to establish a 1-year pilot project that allowed trucks weighing up to 100,000 pounds to travel on Maine's Federal interstates--I-95, 195, 295, and 395. According to the results of a preliminary study by the Maine Department of Transportation, this pilot project, which ran until mid-December of last year, helped to preserve and create jobs by allowing Maine's businesses to receive raw materials and to ship their products more economically. Also important, the pilot program improved safety, saved energy, and reduced carbon emissions. Let me give a specific example. On a trip from Hampden to Houlton, ME, the benefits are obvious.…”