James Oberstar

Airlines are free to engage in alliances and have been ever since the Deregulation Act of 1978. The threat to competition and to airline prices and fairness in the marketplace is to bless that relationship, codesharing, with immunity from…

The gentleman is aware that has been resolved and settled, and in my remarks I said that is a provision that we have already agreed that would be dropped because it's no longer necessary.

I also urge the other body to act on H.R. 4786, which we passed March 10, to correct an additional problem created by the filibuster in the Senate that caused highway authorization to lapse and 1,922 Federal Highway Administration career…

That makes the gentleman from Florida, Madam Speaker, the author of the longest surviving authorization of FAA programs.

As I went on to explain in meetings of the caucus, meetings with our committee members on both sides of the aisle, the Senate version of this bill directed major highway discretionary program funding to a select group of States: four would…

We are here on both sides of the aisle this morning on a mission of equity, fairness, even mercy, on behalf of 1,922 career Federal employees of the U.S. Department of Transportation. They were unintended victims of a standoff in the other…

The letter to Senator Reid from Senator Boxer, the chair of the Senate Public Works Committee, and Senator Murray on the Appropriations Committee, that letter will be available at this desk to show that we will restore the funding formula…

But there are two issues in this bill that I was very concerned about. The Senate passed a bill that had a funding formula that was very, very discriminatory. Four States benefited with 58 percent of the funding and 22 States got nothing…

I would just point out to the distinguished gentleman from Texas, there isn't a single new provision in this bill that hasn't been available since last December.

I think that your groups should lay out the fact that they are in trouble now, and if we don't get this thing done, what impact, the rippling effect it is just going to have on your ability to plan highways to the future.

There have been extensive reports on, frankly, the scandalous use of some of those funds and on some of the reporting of some of those funds.

I think it's important to highlight the ongoing concerns generally about the so-called 'stimulus bill.'

And I would reiterate what Chairman Oberstar said, to please pick up the telephone or walk across the Capitol to the other body and encourage them to pass the reauthorization bill.

Mr. Ehlers, thank you. With your scientific mind you can help us. You are right, we should not denigrate black holes by likening them to the Senate.

Well, all of you can be very helpful by walking 200 meters across the front of the Capitol and telling the Senate to move the aviation bill.

The thought behind moving toward NextGen is that it will increase system capacity.

Maybe if we changed the name of the airport you would be able to get in more frequently.

That is a very much appreciated candid answer.

You cannot legislate good management. You can legislate good metrics.

I am disappointed to hear you, not disappointed you are saying it, disappointed they are not doing it.

There is some sort of sequencing that has to happen as FAA has laid it out.

I am glad you had that encounter, let us say, with Dr. Summers. But do not hold your breath.

It cost several hundred million dollars to redo pieces of STARS because when the FAA directed Raytheon...

There have been at least five redesigns that I am aware of, that I have lived through that have never been implemented.

There are pieces of NextGen that are tested, proven, some operable.