James Oberstar

The gentleman's amendment will make certain that we retain capacity in the Nation's aviation system. All the water that ever was on Earth is here today. We are not making any more of it. And all the airports there are or ever will be…

Airline delays, as I said at the outset of general debate, have reached historic levels, 72 percent of flights arriving on time so far this year. Long term, we need continued modernization of the aircraft traffic control system. That is…

We'll call it the Oberstar-Costello manager's amendment, which will serve to reduce delays, increase passenger rights, enhance small community air service, and improve oversight of safety maintenance of aircraft.

This has been, all through the hearing process, an open and inclusive process that we conducted in the best tradition of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. We appreciate the participation of the members on the Republican…

Lack of a runway safety area on an airport is a critical gap, a serious gap in the safety features of an airport, and I assure the gentleman we will invite the Santa Monica Airport Authority, with the gentleman's participation, and the…

I assure the gentleman from Michigan, the gentlewoman from Michigan, and the gentlewoman from Texas that these projects are of great importance. They are examples of the type of projects we envisioned when we crafted section 114. Dallas…

I rise in support of H.R. 3218, to designate a portion of Interstate 395 located in Baltimore, MD, as ``Cal Ripken Way.'' Cal Ripken, Jr. was not only a remarkable baseball player, he was an outstanding role model for the youth of America…

In the jurisdiction of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, in our title of this bill we provide strengthening language for the Center for Climate Change and Environment in the Department of Transportation. And we require…

The gentleman fully knows the issue at hand in Massachusetts. The entire Massachusetts delegation knows their State better than we here in this body. As for the capacity issue, that amendment was never offered. Our bill does keep the…

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…

The European community nations have achieved a remarkable milestone. They have achieved a 10 percent mode shift from automobiles to transit. The State of New Jersey has also achieved a mode shift to 10 percent of all travel by transit. If…

Mr. Speaker, Mr. Chair, 2 days ago my daughter did have a best friend who was crossing the Mississippi River. She crossed long before the bridge collapsed. Only 2 days ago the world witnessed the collapse of a massive bridge that crosses…

I think the applause on our side for all of the speakers shows the depth of feeling, the depth of appreciation that the Minnesota delegation feels toward each other, toward others in the body who have spoken tonight, toward our ranking…

I listened thoughtfully to the comments of the gentleman from North Carolina. Those are issues that can be addressed in another time and another venue. We will most certainly address those matters in good order. As I said at the outset…

I yield myself 1 minute to observe a very tragic occurrence that happened just 2 hours ago in Minneapolis. The bridge on Interstate 35 over the Mississippi River near the University of Minnesota collapsed just 2 hours ago, dropping at…

I recall very well when crafting SAFETEA-LU, the project that the gentleman has raised, it was never the intention of the committee nor the intention of the language to restrict the scope of the project only to the interchange when it is…

The words of my colleagues from Minnesota reflect how we all feel at this time; and those of you in the Chamber, I know, are sharing our grief on this very, very sad day. We need to stand united to make sure that infrastructure all around…

At the very outset, I want to, on this historic day and historic occasion, express my great appreciation to the gentleman from Florida, the ranking member of the full committee, Mr. Mica, for the time that he has devoted and the close…

Mr. Speaker, this bill is one that has not only bipartisan but bicameral agreement among all the committees of jurisdiction over the Nation's highways, highway safety and public transportation programs. Our Committee on Transportation and…

the Corps has long had authority to terminate dams, but it has been reluctant to use it. In the conference report, we make that authority explicit with the intention that the Corps will be invigorated to evaluate dams in a broader context…

Mr. Speaker, in light of the discussion, the exchange that took place between the gentleman from Washington and the gentleman from Oregon, I just want to observe that the committee will hold hearings on the issue of dams. Tomorrow, in full…

We're not going to settle for a bargain basement transportation bill.

today, the House considers H.R. 2722, the ``Integrated Deepwater Program Reform Act''. This legislation is the product of the lessons learned from a series of hearings delving into the Coast Guard's Deepwater program. I would like to thank…

I compliment Chairman Thompson on the superb work he has done as Chair of the Committee on Homeland Security. He is the right man at the right time in the right place. He has approached his responsibility with great sincerity and focus of…

I thought we spent most of last night on amendments to kill the operating account of Amtrak and then kill the capital account of Amtrak. The only thing that wasn't offered was burial funds for Amtrak. But now comes the dismemberment…