James Oberstar

we have worked very vigorously in our committee over decades to achieve the bipartisanship, and we have done so. But I think the gentleman is a little misguided in his recitation of history, because there were the Federalists and the…

although it has been discussed previously before I reached the Chamber, I just want to be sure to emphasize the important change to allow EPA to enforce the standards in addition to the Coast Guard. These are changes requested by the…

Mr. Speak, I rise in strong support of H.R. 1138, a bill to designate the Federal building and United States courthouse located at 306 East Main Street, in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, as the ``J. Herbert W. Small Federal Building and…

We are talking about a Federal mandate here. It is good policy. We need to protect our critical clean water resources. But this is a Federal mandate put on our local communities. The Republicans, for 12 years, have failed to reauthorize…

Twenty years ago, March 3, 1987, the gentleman from Pennsylvania, Mr. Clinger, the Republican ranking member on the Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight, which I had the privilege of chairing, and I held a hearing on this very…

I yield myself 4\1/2\ minutes and rise in strong support of H.R. 720, the Water Quality Financing Act of 2007. It has been a long time coming to this point. We have labored within the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure for at…

Again, I express my great appreciation to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Mica), the ranking member on the full committee, and the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Baker), who I have the greatest respect for, and I recall his distinguished…

It is his amendment. On page 2 of the gentleman's amendment, ``(4) A crime listed in chapter 113B of title 18, U.S. Code,'' what does that refer to? I have been able in just these few minutes to get chapter 113 but not B.

this language reinforces or adds an additional provision to section 305(b) of the act before us today. Section 602(b) reaffirms the deadlines, goals and requirements of the Clean Water Act, fishable-swimmable water goals. Section 603 deals…

this amendment was offered yesterday by a different gentleman from the other side. I just want to read from the legislative language in the act. Subsection F: Uses of Grants. ``Amounts from grants received under this section may be used…

For example, the little town of Buhl, population 900 in my district, has on its water tank the slogan, ``The Finest Water in America,'' and the city began bottling that water for sale. They are using their open resources to bottle this…

I would suggest that the language be changed to reflect two fiscal years from date of enactment, so that we have a precise time but that it is linked to date of enactment of the act, which then would be a very appropriate way to do it.

Mr. Chairman, I read with interest and puzzlement the gentleman's amendment that requires offsetting decreases in spending of the Federal Government, such that the net effect of this act does not either increase the Federal deficit nor…

Reclaiming my time, adopting the amendment would create a false impression that we in fact have created a direct spending authority in the legislation. And the gentleman is perfectly within his rights to offer such an amendment on direct…

I explained the situation with H.R. 720, the State Revolving Loan Fund, Mr. Chairman, so that the gentleman from Georgia would have understanding and confidence that the committee has done its homework, has acted responsibly on the matter…

As far back as the 108th Congress, the committee considered and favorably reported this bill to address the urgent and mounting needs of comprehensive wastewater infrastructure. A visionary on the committee and leading the charge on this…

In the bill that we will consider on Friday to replenish State revolving loan funds, we submitted the legislation to the Office of Management and Budget and to the Congressional Budget Office. Both came back and said there is a…

this is the moment that a majority of Americans who voted last November have been waiting for, a time when Congress does something about Iraq. And that something that the people asked of us is to get us out of Iraq. The resolution before…

For me, today is a very fulfilling, as well as nostalgic, moment to move this bill to designate the Federal building and the U.S. courthouse and customhouse in Duluth for Judge Gerald W. Heaney. He was appointed judge of the U.S. Circuit…

I want to say, once again, what a great privilege this is to author this legislation, bring it from the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, which I have the honor to chair, and bring it to the House floor and pay tribute to a…

I want to supplement the remarks of the gentleman from California, my colleague from Missouri, the ranking member on the subcommittee, that we now believe that the city council has resolved the issues. The mayor has put in place the…

I rise in support of H.R. 6428, a bill authorizing the Secretary of the Army to carry out certain portions of the hurricane and storm damage reduction project for the Morganza to the Gulf, Louisiana. The Morganza to the Gulf project is…

when Congress passed SAFETEA-LU--the legislation that reauthorizes the Federal surface transportation programs--in 2005, it recognized the need to significantly increase Federal investment for highway, highway safety, and transit programs…

I have toured St. Bernard Parish with my wife who is from New Orleans, and we have seen the extraordinary destruction caused by Hurricane Katrina to the residents and the absolute abject devastation of an area that hasn't experienced…

the structural integrity of dams throughout the United States has been a concern of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and its predecessors going back to the Rivers and Harbors Committee in the very beginning of this…