Frank Lautenberg: “I am pleased, obviously, that the Senate is considering S. 294, the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of…”

“I am pleased, obviously, that the Senate is considering S. 294, the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2007. The first thing I want to do is to say thanks to my friend and chief cosponsor of the bill, Senator Trent Lott. We have worked together on matters related to transportation in the past, and there is no question that he understands the potential for passenger rail, and his long-standing efforts to improve our country's transportation systems are well known and deeply appreciated. Like him, I believe this is a critical moment--with delays, unavailability of reliable planning for work, personal opportunity to spend time with kids and family or other activities of choice. Anyone who spends any significant time on our roads does not need reminders that highway congestion is a major problem. A recent study by the Texas Transportation Institute showed that highway congestion costs our country over $78 billion per year, including $4.2 billion in lost productivity and 2.9 billion gallons of wasted fuel and an indeterminable loss in the quality of our lives.”