Thomas E. Petri: “Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman, for yielding. As are you and our other colleagues, I am happy to see this process…”

“Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman, for yielding. As are you and our other colleagues, I am happy to see this process coming to a conclusion. The successful conference report that we're debating today domonstrates our ability to take on important issues and still reach bicameral, bipartisan agreement on how to move oru aviation industry forward, reform a critical government agency, and create jobs. This legislation will, at long last, provide stable funding and policy direction for the FAA's safety programs, airport development grants, NextGen efforts, and operations for budget years 2012-2015. The legislation contains no earmarks and achieves savings for our taxpayers. This legislation includes many important aviation-policy initiatives. I'm especially pleased with the reforms included in the legislation for the FAA's NextGen program. The conference report establishes timelines, performance metrics, and accountability for the NextGen program. {time} 1000 The conference agreement also authorizes the FAA to streamline environmental reviews that often stall out efforts to increase the efficiency of our national airspace system. To be clear, the benefits of the NextGen program are not only felt by aviation users. A May 2011 Deloitte study showed a $281 billion net benefit to the U.S. economy if the NextGen program is implemented on time. So I'm pleased to move this legislation that will help the FAA's efforts to implement the important NextGen modernization program.…”