Scott Fitzgerald: “I wish to speak about a different issue, and that is something that is tucked into the Senate appropriations bill that…”

“I wish to speak about a different issue, and that is something that is tucked into the Senate appropriations bill that deals with aviation in the Greater Chicago area. I have been working with my colleague, Senator Durbin, almost since the day I came to the Senate, to find a resolution to the air traffic problems in the Chicago area. Senator Durbin has included language in the appropriations bill, as it was reported from the Transportation Appropriations Subcommittee, that addresses aviation transportation in the Chicago area. This is the language that appears in this fiscal year 2002 Transportation appropriations bill concerning the Chicago-area aviation: Section 315 says: The Secretary of Transportation shall, in cooperation with the Federal Aviation Administrator, encourage a locally developed and executed plan between the State of Illinois, the City of Chicago, and affected communities for the purpose of modernizing O'Hare International Airport, addressing traffic congestion along the Northwest Corridor including western airport access, and moving forward with a third Chicago-area airport.”