James Oberstar: “Here we are again, hopefully, to the Floor with what I fervently hope will not result in yet another extension of…”

“Here we are again, hopefully, to the Floor with what I fervently hope will not result in yet another extension of current law for our surface transportation program. That we do not have in place a 5-year or 6-year extension of our surface transportation programs is certainly not attributable to the Members of this Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. Both sides of the aisle have worked vigorously, Mr. Chairman, to craft a bill that meets the needs of America's reliance upon our highway and transit systems to move people and goods efficiently and effectively in America. The very first version of this bill was introduced in the fall of 2003, in October, at $375 billion, the investment that the Department of Transportation recommended to the Congress and to the administration that the Nation needed to invest over the next 6 years, following on TEA-21, to address the needs of pavement condition, congestion and safety across America. We took them at their word. Together, we crafted a bill that reflected the $375 billion investment, and together, we introduced that bill under the leadership of our chairman, the gentleman from Alaska. At the time we introduced that bill, gasoline was selling at $1.34 a gallon. Today, it is well over $2.04 across the Nation.”