Jerry Nadler: “Mr. Chairman, I would be remiss if I did not rise to thank the chairman of the committee, the gentleman from Florida…”

“Mr. Chairman, I would be remiss if I did not rise to thank the chairman of the committee, the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Young); the ranking member, the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Obey); the subcommittee chairman, the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Rogers); and the ranking member, the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Sabo); for acceding to the request made by the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Shays) and myself to include funds in this bill for the environmental impact statement for the New York-New Jersey Cross Harbor Rail Freight Tunnel. This project was first authorized in TEA-21 and received funds for a Major Investment Study, which was completed last year. New York City, Long Island, and Westchester and Putnam Counties and the State of Connecticut are virtually cut off from the rest of the country's rail freight system for lack of any way for rail freight to cross the Hudson River, except at a bridge 140 miles north of New York City. After examining numerous alternatives, the MIS recommended construction of a rail tunnel under New York Harbor. The benefit to the region will be about $420 million a year and the benefit to cost ratio is 2.3 to 1. The environmental impact will be profound as it would remove 1 million tractor trailers from off the region's roads a year. So I am gratified this was included in the bill. I am disappointed the Second Avenue Subway was not included in the bill.”