James Oberstar: “I do think that a correction to the record is in order. The Drake amendment would have amended the Congestion Mitigation…”

“I do think that a correction to the record is in order. The Drake amendment would have amended the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program to allow construction of new single-occupancy vehicle lanes. That hardly contributes to energy conservation. CMAQ is intended for high-occupancy vehicle lanes. Ninety-eight percent of the STP and NHS programs can be used for single-occupancy vehicle lanes. CMAQ, since ISTEA in 1991, has been an energy conservation and air quality improvement program. That amendment would have set us back rather than moved us forward. The L&G provision the gentleman referenced, the amendment was directed at a provision in the existing safety law legislation in the State of Massachusetts, one which the entire Massachusetts delegation supported in 2005, and the existing law and this provision would have overturned or significantly amended that language and was vigorously opposed by the entire Massachusetts delegation.”