Peter DeFazio

I fully intend to continue in that tradition.

On July 10th they introduced, H.R. 3632, the Fair and Open Skies Act.

It is sustainability of fisheries. It is good for the economy, good for the community, and good for the environment.

Oysters, which are called the coral reefs of an estuary, are being restored, and they are being restored using science as the basis for where it goes, where they should be rebuilt.

The blue crab population, Chesapeake Bay has been called a crab factory by H.L. Mencken, an immense protein factory; starting to come back to levels that could be seen as sustainable.

We in the Chesapeake Bay have had progress. That does not mean we are done, obviously.

The Geographic Programs have made great strides in improving the health of places like the Chesapeake Bay and the Great Lakes.

By restoring and protecting our coasts, we can lessen the impacts of hurricanes and other storm events.

These are just a few of the reasons why we need to protect and restore these waters.

Estuaries are critical water bodies for the ecological and economic health of our communities.

In coastal States, the estuaries contribute $116 billion annually to the economy.

Wall Street is setting the terms and pressuring executives, and they aren't concerned about safety.

Let's just do what is right, and rely on the people that know what to do as best.

Nothing is absolutely puncture proof in this--nothing.

LNG is a unique commodity... it has a tendency to turn into a very large cloud, which is very combustible.

I have tremendous concerns about this.

BNSF is serving their shippers better because they aren't being driven by jackals on Wall Street.

You are basically going to say this is all just fine, and we are being driven by Wall Street, and you are happy with that.

Isn't there a point at which you are going to be concerned about safety by the reduction of the number of employees?

Don't you think there should be a practical limit on the length of trains that both serves the railroads for efficiency, but not their optimal PSR?

How long can trains be? I have trains now running up the Willamette Valley that are 15,000 feet long going through city centers.

Unfortunately, it looks like we are in a new era of railroading--a time where railroads think less is better.

I think that these cuts, both on the private-sector side and on the Amtrak side, are putting us on a very downward path.

I thank the gentleman for his recognition, and thank Chairman Lipinski for calling this hearing today.

But if they hadn't experienced it, they wouldn't be trained to deal with it.