John Thune

Obviously, BP is the responsible party for this oil spill, but the Federal Government has the ultimate responsibility.

Although British Petroleum is the responsible party for this oil spill, the Federal Government has the ultimate responsibility.

This amendment is a very simple, straightforward one. It is one paragraph long. It is not complicated. What it essentially does is it sets a sunset date for the newly created bureau of consumer protection, allowing Congress to reevaluate…

I guess the only observation I would make is that--and your assertion about hours of service being what it is--the numbers still--I would say independent of the decline in freight demand--you still have a substantial decline based on 100…

We can better develop the performance specifications for the devices.

Your organization also contends that the hours-of-service rule that was adopted in 2003 is unsafe, and yet the rate of fatalities and injuries and crashes that involve large trucks steadily declining.

The safety data is not there to justify that at this point.

There is a responsibility, obviously, at the Federal level and I guess the states are also an important and integral part of that sort of partnership.

FMCSA has indicated that good quality data is critical to the success of CSA 2010.

Is it possible that certain carriers who are considered safe under the current system would not be considered safe under CSA 2010?

I am pleased that with this hearing we are beginning our work to reauthorize the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.

I hope that we will soon begin drafting the motor carrier safety title, so that we are fully prepared...

Significant progress has been made in improving truck safety.

Every year for the past decade, nearly 5,000 people have died and 125,000 were injured in crashes involving a large truck.

While FMCSA has experienced some rocky periods, I believe the agency has turned a corner.

I expect there will be a fair amount of discussion this morning about the agency's CSA 2010 initiative.

The NPR emphasizes the development of conventional Prompt Global Strike capabilities.

An attack on our Nation's surface transportation system could disrupt the timely delivery of goods and significantly weaken our Nation's economy.

I do find the conclusions of the recently released White House assessment on surface transportation security rather troublesome.

While aviation security gets most of the public's attention, the security of our Nation's surface transportation system must also be a national priority.

Transportation infrastructure is critical, and all of the different modes are, at some point or another, vulnerable or susceptible to attacks.

Do your missile defense plans take into account longstanding and possibly present day cooperation and support by Russia and China for Iran's ballistic missile program?

The clock is ticking.

If the United States is to have any credibility as we seek international sanctions on Iran, shouldn't we start by barring subsidiaries of U.S. corporations from doing business with Iran?

Are we doing enough to target the banks that are doing business in Iran or that are sanctioning companies that are doing business with the IRGC?