Thomas E. Petri: “The passage of this bill, which was adopted by the Senate earlier this year by unanimous consent, will remove the last…”

“The passage of this bill, which was adopted by the Senate earlier this year by unanimous consent, will remove the last remaining roadblock to construction of a new bridge over the St. Croix River, a bridge that has been identified for replacement by the States of Wisconsin and Minnesota for nearly 60 years and a project that has actively been worked on for more than 30 years. Support for this new bridge is bipartisan and bicameral. The Governors of Wisconsin and Minnesota support it. The entire Senate delegations from the two States support it. With few exceptions, the members of the House delegations from Minnesota and Wisconsin support it. We just need this final action in order to finally proceed with the bridge. The longer we delay, the more unsafe the current lift bridge becomes, congestion continues to worsen, and costs just continue to rise. It's time to end the gridlock. I urge passage of the bill, and I reserve the balance of my time. Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may consume. The bill before the House today, S. 1134, is a controversial bill that represents wasteful government spending, bad transportation policy, and bad environmental policy. A new bridge across the protected St. Croix River between my State of Minnesota and Wisconsin needs to be built.…”