Nick Rahall: “I appreciate the gentleman's response. Perhaps we ought to start drafting such a letter and see how far we get. But let…”

“I appreciate the gentleman's response. Perhaps we ought to start drafting such a letter and see how far we get. But let me conclude my part of the debate here, Madam Speaker, by reiterating what my motion is. It's simple, it's pure, it's clean, and it's straightforward. It instructs our conferees that we are appointing today to agree to the Senate bill. That bill, known as MAP 21, provides a total of $109 billion in funding for fiscal years '12 and '13 for Federal highway, highway safety, and public transportation programs. Among its other features, it continues current funding levels, it sustains approximately 1.9 million jobs on an annual basis, it provides continued dedicated financing for public transit from the highway trust fund--no more ``go fish'' with general appropriators on a yearly basis for our transit agencies. It continues and expands upon provisions developed during the last Surface Transportation Act to expedite project delivery without gutting environmental protections or limiting public participation. I fear if you do either of the last two, you're only going to prolong the process through court battles because there will be court challenges that will go on beyond any approval process of the bureaucracy that may exist today. The Senate bill also strengthens Buy America requirements that apply to Federal highway, transit, and rail capital projects by prohibiting the segmentation of such projects in order to avoid Buy America requirements.…”