Peter DeFazio

It is real. It is based in history.

I know, but I put it on the table now for 4 years.

Right. I believe Kansas has already announced--at least one State--and I have got a letter from Oregon Department of Transportation.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. To Mr. Rogoff, you mentioned in your testimony $4 billion funding level as soon as July for the Highway Account...

I mean is the administration looking at--will they consider a realistic backup plan like mine, which I believe could work, and is, you know, based in history.

The administration has put forward a proposal with illusory corporate tax reform, which won't happen this year.

So you are going to go up to that point?

We could have some certainty. Right now, there is so much uncertainty, people are not going to make the investments in safer cars.

Look. The problem is we could make the existing cars safer. We are not requiring that.

What is the earliest date at which you could approve a new standard, since NTSB is very specific about what they want to see in that standard.

In 1991 NTSB identified the 111 car as inadequate. Then, after 20 years of inaction by regulators, first the Secretary's office and later by PHMSA, AAR, out of frustration, adopted their own standard.

I have described the FAA as the only agency of Government worse at procurement than the Pentagon.

I will pay an extra 2 bucks for a ticket to know I will get there alive.

There is an extraordinary threat to the U.S. aviation industry.

I am just puzzled that it would take so long, and that we would allow foreign repair stations, where their workers do not meet our standards, to do critical maintenance work on aircraft.

I would hope that, if that is the case, you would respond back to the committee in a very timely manner.

ESA provisions in the draft are problematic to us.

I think, from our standpoint, from representing commercial fishermen, we are very wary of any attempt to try and change the NEPA process.

I have been focused a lot more on transportation over the last few years when I took over ranking.

There is a provision in the bill that says fisheries data... could not be used when we are having discussions of... wind farms off Oregon and elsewhere.

If we say let's move and mandate that we move ahead with electronic monitoring, but say it can't be used for enforcement, that doesn't seem to me that that is going to meet the objectives here.

I recently, just this week, met with some trawlers from Oregon, Washington, and we were discussing the need that Mr. Grader mentioned to move beyond observers, get to electronic monitoring, and I am frustrated that we are not moving more…

We need to require that forage fish be managed, because they are so important in marine ecosystems.

I would like to see a more adroit bureaucracy.

I will convey that to the Chairman for you. I think the Republican staff might not remember to do that.