James Oberstar: “I would echo Secretary Wilson and Governor O'Malley that there should be a deadline.”

I, too, have natural resources--national forests, national parks, wildlife refuges. When fire, as it does regularly, strikes the national forest, that land regenerates. The oil destroys. It likely cannot be restored by itself or by human…

We want to protect our waters. We want to protect our wetlands. We want to provide for future generations.

The Highway Trust Fund, based chiefly on the gasoline tax, will never again be adequate to fund even ongoing maintenance of our roads and bridges.

But we all also recognize that the potential cost of meeting these needs is immense.