Jim Inhofe: “as Chairman and on behalf of my colleagues on the Environment and Public Works Committee, I urge support of this…”

“as Chairman and on behalf of my colleagues on the Environment and Public Works Committee, I urge support of this resolution to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the Interstate System. The Committee as a whole would like to mark the momentous achievements made over the last 50 years that have provided for revolutionary advances in our nation's vital infrastructure. It is essential that Congress, just as it did in 1956, recognize the importance of continued investment in our nation's highways and the undeniable link between a robust economy and a vibrant national infrastructure. Because of my work on SAFETEA-LU (Public Law 109-59) I have a better appreciation of just how visionary the authors of the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956 were when they laid out a network of interstate highways and devised a stable and reliable funding stream to pay for it. I am certain that at the time there were those who felt the plan was too ambitious, too expensive and consequently not a good use of scarce Federal dollars. I am sure all would agree that not only was it a good use of scarce Federal dollars, but that the nation has enjoyed a many-fold return on the expenditure. Laying out the full interstate system--rather than a piecemeal of road segments--along with providing a dedicated funding source expedited construction and provided certainty. This certainty maximized the economic and mobility benefits of the system.…”