Thomas R. Carper: “I do think that we are locked in a circular pattern here, and that one, we need to be more thoughtful in terms of…”

I am the last Vietnam Veteran serving in the U.S. Senate, and kind of relates to my great affection and interest in the postal issues.

We are better off when we hear community concerns at the beginning of the process rather than at the end.

If I had known--as you know, the breadth of the issues that we cover in this Committee are enormous. It is impossible for any of us to fully master each of them.

Last year, the Environment and Public Works Committee held, I think, not one, but a couple of hearings on permitting, common theme at our hearings, on the importance of public engagement.