James Oberstar

Mr. OBERSTAR

Mr. OBERSTAR. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. OBERSTAR. And I thank the gentleman again for his ever thoughtful remarks, Mr. Speaker. If handed such a challenge, I would undertake it with vigor and with resolute purpose. But it hasn't been handed to me, although I appreciate the gentleman's offer. I think our committee has been able very successfully to attack these issues of short-term as well as long-term importance to the Nation, and we intend to continue pursuing the best interests of the country in the legislation we move from this committee, and to incorporate the good ideas from all members of the committee regardless of their political stature or standing. I recall so well during T-21, the shaping of the surface transportation legislation, Mr. Shuster, then the chairman, and I traveled the country to major points of congestion throughout America to advocate for more robust investment in surface transportation. And at one point, I believe it was in Atlanta at a news conference, the last question was, well, Mr. Oberstar, why are you traveling and participating in this news conference, you a Democrat, with Mr. Shuster, a Republican? And I said: Because I have never seen a Democratic bridge or a Republican road; but if we work together, we can build all-American roads and all-American bridges. The reporter then turned to Chairman Shuster and said: Why are you travelling with Mr. Oberstar? And he said, Because Jim Oberstar and I are joined at the hip. And I think if we could carry that spirit with vigor and honesty and with resoluteness of purpose, we can accomplish great things for this country and for this Congress. And I for that reason enjoy the participation of the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. LaTourette), the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Mica), and in the current context Mr. Cummings of Maryland, because there is a real sense of doing what is good for America and putting the country first and not our own personal agendas. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. OBERSTAR

Mr. OBERSTAR. Madam Chairman, I yield to the distinguished gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee) 2 minutes.

Mr. OBERSTAR. I ask unanimous consent to claim time in opposition to the amendment, though I do not intend to oppose it.

Mr. OBERSTAR. First, a point of order, Madam Chairman. I observed the gentlewoman from North Carolina (Ms. Foxx) ask unanimous consent to include an article in the Record. That request must be made in the House under the rules of procedure, not in the Committee of the Whole.

Mr. OBERSTAR. I have no objection to it, but I just want the procedure to be proper.

Mr. OBERSTAR. Madam Chairman, I rise in support of H.R. 6052, the Saving Energy Through Public Transportation Act of 2008. The purpose of the bill, very simply stated, is to promote energy savings for all Americans by increasing use of public transportation throughout this country, a fact that has been a need, let us say, that has been driven home dramatically by $4 a gallon oil and gasoline prices since Memorial Day, and I thank the Speaker and majority leader for making time for us to bring this bill to the House Floor. Basic law of economics is that the price of gas is a two-part equation: Supply and demand. Demand is a critical factor in the cost of oil, and decreasing demand is one of the most immediate ways we can attack the high cost of gasoline prices. And our fellow citizens understand this. They are making choices. They have been making choices for several years. Over the last 3 years, in particular, there has been growth of 1 million new riders a day on public transportation systems across America, for 375 million new transit trips nationwide last year, a total of 10.3 billion transit trips throughout the country. There was a time when New York City accounted for 60 percent of all transit trips in the United States, but no longer. In the last 3 years, New York's share of transit ridership nationwide has slipped to 38 percent, not because New Yorkers are riding transit less; they are riding more. But more Americans have found their way to public transportation, and increasingly in droves since the skyrocketing price of gasoline. Transit systems throughout the United States have found every new transit project, every new light rail project has more than tripled its original projections of ridership nationwide. Innovative cities like Denver under then-Mayor Wellington Webb, said: Ride our transit system free in the center city. Keep your pollution out of the center city. Ride the transit system free. And it has been an enormous boost and benefit to the city of Denver. I can and I will cite some very specific ridership improvements in my own State. In Minneapolis, the Hiawatha light rail, 20 years in the waiting, finally was constructed; ridership opened, and 9 months later, 10 months ahead of schedule, they achieved their 10 millionth rider. Dramatic improvements. Seattle, Dallas-Fort Worth, San Francisco all have similar increases in transit ridership. The Charlotte Area Transit System recently opened a new light rail line. They have increased ridership 34 percent from February of last year to February of this year. CalTran, the commuter rail line that serves the San Francisco Peninsula and Santa Clara Valley, set a record for average weekday ridership in February of this year with a 9.3 percent increase over last year. The South Florida Regional Transportation Authority, my good friend, the ranking member, the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Mica) knows well, posted a rise of more than 20 percent ridership from Miami, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach in March and April of this year as compared to last year. Americans are making the choice. They have decided. We need to help them with that choice. And the bill before us will make a huge step in that direction. This legislation provides substantial support for States and public transportation agencies increasing incentives for computers to make their choice to ride transit: 1.7 billion, 2 years for transit agencies that are reducing transit fares or expanding the services to meet the needs of growing transit commuters. We increase the Federal share for clean fuel and alternative fuel transit bus, ferry, and locomotive related equipment or facilities, helping transit agencies become more fuel efficient. In fiscal years 2008 and 2009, the increased Federal share for these activities will go from 90 percent to 100 percent of the net capital cost of the project. We also provide authority to extend the Federal transit pass benefit program which has operated over the past few years on a pilot basis in the National Capital Region and in a few selected areas throughout the country. After evaluating the transit pass program, the U.S. Department of Transportation recommended that it be expanded nationwide. We do that in this legislation. There was an executive order signed by President Clinton in 2000 that launched this initiative. It was supported in the SAFETEA legislation. The 3-year pilot program under our legislation would be substantially expanded nationwide. The Department of Transportation says that expanding this program will implement their own department recommendation by giving more Federal employees incentives to choose transit options. And we also create a pilot program to allow the funding expended by private providers of public transportation for van pools to acquire the vans to be used as their non-Federal share for matching Federal transit funds in five community pilot projects. Under current law, only public funds can be used as the local match. This pilot program will induce private funds to participate in the van pooling initiative. I would observe we had a very successful van pooling program in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area in the mid-1980s when companies like 3M, Control Data, and Minneapolis Honeywell bought the vans for their employees and provided a fuel subsidy and encouraged their employees to join together. The vans were full. The program was successful. It cut down on congestion in the greater metropolitan Twin City area, and reduced cost for all of the riders. We should do that nationally, and we provide further authority to make that change and to take that initiative. There are other provisions in this bill that are important, and I will submit those for the Record, but I want to close this part of my remarks with an observation by Paul Weyrich in a very thoughtful publication, Free Congress Foundation. ``Does Transit Work: A Conservative Reappraisal.'' It begins, ``The first recorded example of mass transportation was the movement of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden. At that time, 100 percent of the population was moved at once in a single trip; a record never equaled since.'' Then he says, ``According to most studies of mass transit, it has gone straight downhill from there.'' Well, we are on the way up and we are going to lift mass transit and speed its acceptance and its use by the public with the legislation that we bring before you today. Toward that purpose, I express my great appreciation to the gentleman from Florida, the ranking member, Mr. Mica, for the partnership he has engaged in with us and for the thoughtful, constructive suggestions he has made every step of the way. I appreciate very much the gentleman's participation. Madam Chairman, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 6052, the ``Saving Energy Through Public Transportation Act of 2008''. This bill promotes energy savings for all Americans by increasing public transportation use in the United States. As gas prices have skyrocketed past $4 per gallon since Memorial Day, everyone is talking about how we need more oil. I thank the Speaker and the Majority Leader for scheduling today's bill, H.R. 6052, so that we can also talk about using less. Let us all remember the basic law of economics that the price of gas is a two-part equation: supply and demand. Demand is a critical factor in the cost of oil, and decreasing demand is one of the most immediate ways that we can tackle the high cost of gas. Americans understand this. They are making choices today that are decreasing our global demand for oil. We're seeing record ridership on public transportation all across the country, as well as decreases in the number of miles traveled in cars, SUVs, and pickup trucks. Without doubt, many Americans are making these choices based on the economic hardship caused by the high price of gas. However, in my discussions with constituents in my district and people across the country, Americans are also considering transit alternatives because they're sick and tired of knowing that our great nation imports 60 percent of its oil, much of it from the Persian Gulf. As a result, across America, public transportation has experienced a renaissance in big cities, suburban communities, and small towns. In 2007, Americans took more than 10.3 billion trips on public transportation, the highest level in 50 years. In the first quarter of 2008, commuters took more than 2.6 billion transit trips nationwide, an increase of 3.3 percent over the first quarter of 2007. Now that the price of gas has surpassed $4 a gallon, even more commuters are choosing to ride the train or the bus to work rather than drive alone in their cars. Public transit systems in metropolitan areas are reporting increases in ridership of five, ten, and even 15 percent over last year's figures. Light rails saw the largest jump in ridership with a 10 percent increase to 110 million trips in the first quarter. Some of the biggest increases in ridership are occurring in many areas in the South and West where new bus and light rail lines have been built in the last few years. In Denver, for example, ridership was up eight percent in the first three months of 2008 compared with last year, and Minneapolis, Seattle, Dallas-Fort Worth, and San Francisco all reported similar increases. The Charlotte Area Transit System, which recently opened a new light rail line, has increased ridership more than 34 percent from February 2007 to February 2008. Caltrain, the commuter rail line that serves the San Francisco Peninsula and the Santa Clara Valley, set a record for average weekday ridership in February with a 9.3 percent increase over 2007. The South Florida Regional Transportation Authority, which operates a commuter rail system from Miami to Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach, posted a rise of more than 20 percent in ridership in March and April as compared to the same time last year. Madam Chairman, Americans are proving that riding transit is an easy, immediate, and important part of the solution to decreasing our demand for foreign oil. However, meeting this impressive new demand for public transportation services is no small task for our transit agencies. With these record-breaking numbers of commuters riding transit, many of our nation's transit systems are busting at the seams. In addition, the cost of fuel and power for public transportation providers has sharply increased, compounding costs of serving all of these new transit riders. Currently, public transportation reduces gas consumption by 1.4 billion gallons a year (3.9 million gallons per day), which equates to more than 33 million barrels of oil. It's equal to 108 million fewer cars filling up year. Although those fuel savings are incredible, we can do better, and we must. H.R. 6052 provides much needed support to states and public transportation agencies and also increases incentives for commuters to choose transit options, thereby reducing their transportation-related energy consumption and our nation's reliance on foreign oil. To increase public transportation use across the United States, H.R. 6052 authorizes $1.7 billion in funding over two years for transit agencies nationwide that are temporarily reducing transit fares or expanding transit services to meet the needs of the growing number of transit commuters. It is important to note that the funds authorized by this bill will be distributed to States and local communities in the same manner as they currently receive Federal transit urban and rural formula funds. However, in an effort to provide transit choices to smaller urban and rural areas, which may not currently have any transit service, this bill specifically increases the relative share of the transit funds that will be going to the rural areas. H.R. 6052 also increases the Federal share for clean fuel and alternative fuel transit bus, ferry, or locomotive-related equipment or facilities, thereby assisting transit agencies in becoming more fuel efficient. In fiscal years 2008 and 2009, the increased Federal share for these activities is 100 percent of the net capital cost of the project. H.R. 6052 also extends the Federal transit pass benefits program to require that all Federal agencies offer transit passes to Federal employees throughout the United States. Current law requires that all Federal agencies within the National Capital Region implement a transit pass fringe benefits program and offer employees transit passes. Data from the Washington Metropolitan Area Transportation Authority covering the first three years of the National Capital Region transit pass program show that more than 15,500 automobiles were eliminated from roads in the Washington, DC area as a result of Federal employees shifting their travel mode away from single occupancy vehicle (``SOV'') use to public transportation use for commuting to work. DOT estimated the energy savings from this mode shift included the reduction of more than eight million gallons of gasoline for each of the three years that they studied. DOT also studied the results of a nationwide pilot program and found that, within the three agencies, 11 percent of the participants shifted their travel mode away from SOV use to public transportation use for commuting to work, again producing marked energy savings. The Department of Transportation has determined that both the National Capital Region transit benefits program and the nationwide pilot program produce marked energy and emissions savings, congestion reductions, and cleaner air, and recommends that the transit pass benefits program be extended to Federal employees nationwide. This provision will implement the Department's recommendation by providing more Federal employees the incentives to choose transit options, thereby reducing their transportation-related energy consumption and reliance on foreign oil. H.R. 6052 also creates a pilot program to allow the amount expended by private providers of public transportation by vanpool for the acquisition of vans to be used as the non-Federal share for matching Federal transit funds in five communities. Under current law, only local public funds may be used as local match; this pilot program would allow private funds to be used in limited circumstances. The Department of Transportation will implement and oversee the vanpool pilot projects, and will report back to Congress on the costs, benefits, and efficiencies of the vanpool projects. Finally, H.R. 6052 increases the Federal share for additional parking facilities at end-of-line fixed guideway stations. This provision increases the total number of transit commuters who will have access to those facilities. Public transportation use in all of its forms--bus, rail, vanpool, ferry, streetcar, and subways to name a few--saves fuel and reduces our dependence on foreign oil. As such, increasing public transportation use by providing incentives for commuters to choose transit options is a priority of this Congress. Given the price of gas, Americans are more focused on the costs of commuting than at any time in recent history. And they want choices. We need to provide them. With passage of this bill, we have an opportunity to provide transit choices that will change the way that Americans travel. The impact of such changes on our nation's dependence on foreign oil would be extraordinary. According to a recent study, if Americans used public transit at the same rate as Europeans--for roughly 10 percent of their daily travel needs--the United States could reduce its dependence on imported oil by more than 40 percent, nearly equal to the 550 million barrels of crude oil that we import from Saudi Arabia each year. That's the difference this bill can help make. I strongly support H.R. 6052, the ``Saving Energy Through Public Transportation Act of 2008'', and urge my colleagues to do the same. Congress of the United States, House of Representatives, Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, Washington, DC, June 3, 2008. Hon. James L. Oberstar, Chairman, Committee on Transportaiton and Infrastructure, House of Representatives, Washington, DC. Dear Chairman Oberstar: I am writing to confirm our mutual understanding with respect to the consideration of H.R. 6052, the Saving Energy Through Public Transportation Act of 2008, which was referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform on May 14, 2008. In the interest of expediting consideration of H.R. 6052, the Oversight Committee will not separately consider this legislation. The Oversight Committee does so, however, with the understanding that this does not prejudice the Committee's jurisdictional interests and prerogatives regarding this bill or similar legislation. I respectfully request your support for the appointment of outside conferees from the Oversight Committee should H.R. 6052 or a similar Senate bill be considered in conference with the Senate. I also request that you include our exchange of letters on this matter in the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Report on H.R. 6052 or in the Congressional Record during consideration of this legislation on the House floor. Thank you for your attention to these matters. Sincerely, Henry A. Waxman, Chairman. House of Representatives, Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, Washington, DC, June 3, 2008. Hon. Henry A. Waxman, Chairman, Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, House of Representatives, Washington, DC. Dear Chairman Waxman: I write to you regarding H.R. 6052, the ``Saving Energy through Public Transportation Act of 2008''. I appreciate your willingness to waive rights to further consideration of H.R. 6052, notwithstanding the jurisdictional interest of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. Of course, this waiver does not prejudice any further jurisdictional claims by your Committee over this legislation or similar language. Furthermore, I agree to support your request for appointment of conferees from the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform if a conference is held on this matter. This exchange of letters will be placed in the Committee report and inserted in the Congressional Record as part of the consideration of H.R. 6052 on the House floor. Thank you for the cooperative spirit in which you have worked regarding this matter and others between our respective committees. I look forward to working with you as we prepare to pass this important legislation. Sincerely, James L. Oberstar, M.C. Chairman. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. OBERSTAR. Madam Chairman, I yield myself 15 seconds to just remind my good friend that the bill before us is not ANWR or the other subjects. It is about moving people more efficiently with lower costs and lower energy consumption. I think we do ourselves service by sticking to the subject matter at hand. I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. DeFazio) who as chair of the Surface Subcommittee has held 22 hearings on the future of transportation in America and has done a superb service for the Nation.

Mr. OBERSTAR. Madam Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to the distinguished Chair of the Subcommittee on FEMA and Economic Development and other related subjects, the distinguished gentlewoman from the District of Columbia (Ms. Norton).

Mr. OBERSTAR. Madam Chairman, I yield myself 1 minute. The gentleman made a thoughtful observation, and I'm sure the gentleman is aware that there already is a tax exemption in Federal code for private sector employers and employees. But that doesn't apply to the Federal government or to other governmental agencies because they don't have a tax. So the transit benefit for Federal employees is a matter that we could do within the context of the current bill. In the longer term, next year, when we consider the longer-term authorization, the gentleman's suggestion would be an appropriate matter for consideration. We will have better figures which we're requesting now from public agencies for those matters.

Mr. OBERSTAR. I yield to the gentleman.

Mr. OBERSTAR. I wish we could have, too, but we didn't have good numbers to see what those costs might be. Madam Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Woolsey), a representative of the beautiful Sonoma Valley.

Mr. OBERSTAR. We do have a speaker on the transit subject, and I'm very pleased to yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentleman from Rhode Island (Mr. Kennedy).

Mr. OBERSTAR. How much time remains on both sides, Madam Chairman?

Mr. OBERSTAR. I yield 3 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Oregon, a long-time proponent of and advocate for and practitioner of public transportation, a man who saves 8 barrels of oil a year by consuming 86,000 calories on his bike.

Mr. OBERSTAR. We have several speakers, Madam Chairman, who have not arrived yet, and does the gentleman from Florida have other speakers?

Mr. OBERSTAR. If the gentleman will yield back the balance of his time, we will yield the balance of our time.

Mr. OBERSTAR. Madam Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished majority leader, Mr. Hoyer, with great appreciation, and thank him for making it possible for us to bring this bill to the floor today.

Mr. OBERSTAR. Madam Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Olver).

Mr. OBERSTAR. Madam Chairman, I yield myself the balance of my time. I listened with great interest to the gentleman's ruminations on a wide range of subjects. I won't comment on those that reach beyond the subject matter at hand, our transit bill. I do reaffirm my appreciation for his partnership in bringing this bill to the floor. This is an important piece of legislation. In the larger scheme of the billions of dollars, $125 billion a year, that we need to be investing in all levels of government in our surface transportation system, this $1.7 billion is a relatively small step, but it moves us in the direction of a mode shift in transportation to 10 percent of all trips by transit. If we made just that little step in America, we would save the equivalent of all the oil we import from Saudi Arabia. That is what we can do. It's within our grasp now. We don't need a research program. We don't need a man-on-the-moon program. We just need the funding to invest in what is already at hand: solid, responsible, reliable, effective transportation systems for the public to use instead of getting in their private vehicle. Had the administration in 2003 concurred in a $375 billion transportation program for the next 6 years, as its own Department of Transportation recommended, and as Mr. Young, then-chairman of the committee, and I introduced, we would have been far better positioned today than we are now. Instead, that administration proposed only a $5.5 billion funding flat out over the 6 years for transit. We wound up with $10 billion in the SAFETEA legislation over the 5 years of the legislation. But we have to do far better than that, and this bill moves us in the right direction.

Mr. OBERSTAR

Mr. OBERSTAR. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Arthur Chan, a dedicated staffer and an exceptional public servant, on his retirement from the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. Over the last 15 years, Art has undertaken a number of critical roles on the Committee, and has been integral to the passage of numerous landmark pieces of legislation designed to rebuild America. Throughout his service, protecting the public interest was paramount to Art as he worked to develop transportation policy. In 1993, Art joined what was then the Committee on Public Works and Transportation, serving as Chief Economist for the Full Committee under Chairman Norman Mineta. In the 104th Congress, Art made the transition to the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment in order to focus on the passage of the Water Resources Development Act of 1996. Art quickly learned the intricacies of the Army Corps of Engineers programs and was instrumental in the enactment of the legislation. Art continued to play a key role on the subcommittee, and was vital to the passage of a number of water infrastructure bills. In 2003, Art took on the role of Highway Policy Director for the Subcommittee on Highways and Transit, where he quickly became an expert on the Federal-aid highway program and was a lead negotiator during the creation of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU), the 2005 surface transportation legislation. Prior to his public service, Art earned his Ph.D. in economics, master's degrees in both economics and political science, and his B.A., with distinction, all from the University of Nebraska. A true intellectual, Art stayed in academia, teaching students first at Boston University and then at New Mexico State University. When Art began his public service, first with GAO and then with the Committee, his teaching experience was quickly apparent to all who worked with him. Art always found the time to share his knowledge with anyone who asked, from Members of Congress to new Committee staffers. Throughout his career, he developed a command of a range of issues spanning the Committee's jurisdiction. Art's expertise is complemented by his dedication to defending the public interest. In his decade and a half of service, his first priority was always crafting sound public policy. The depth and breadth of his knowledge allowed Art to understand the benefits or shortfalls of the most complex legislative proposal, and to assess its potential impact on the users of our transportation system. The American public has been well-served by Art's insightful commitment to his work. Art is a true believer in the intents and ideals of our transportation programs, and has always sought to protect and improve upon them. As anyone who has sat across from him at the negotiating table knows, Art is relentless in his efforts to achieve the best possible policy solutions to address our transportation challenges. His devotion to this pursuit and his attention to detail led to many long days and late nights in the legislative counsel's office, and is reflected in the high quality of the work he produced. His commitment to maintaining the integrity of our transportation infrastructure programs has been a hallmark of Art's service. Madam Speaker, it is with wholehearted gratitude that I rise today to honor Art Chan's service to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, to the House of Representatives, and to the United States. Art's institutional knowledge, insightful counsel, and tenacity have earned him the well-deserved respect of Members and colleagues on both sides of the aisle, and he will be greatly missed. I wish Art continued happiness and success in his future endeavors.

Mr. OBERSTAR

Mr. OBERSTAR. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that, during proceedings today in the House and in the Committee of the Whole, the Chair may be authorized to reduce to 2 minutes the minimum time for electronic voting on any question that otherwise could be subjected to 5-minute voting under clause 8 or 9 of rule XX or under clause 6 of rule XVIII.

Mr. OBERSTAR

Mr. OBERSTAR. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks, and include extraneous material on H.R. 6052.

Mr. OBERSTAR

Mr. OBERSTAR. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that when the House adjourns today on a motion offered pursuant to this order, it adjourn to meet at 10 a.m. on Monday, June 30, 2008, unless it sooner has received a message from the Senate transmitting its concurrence in House Concurrent Resolution 379, in which case the House shall stand adjourned pursuant to that concurrent resolution.

Mr. OBERSTAR

Mr. OBERSTAR. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the motions to suspend the rules relating to the following measures be considered as adopted in the form considered by the House on Tuesday June 24, 2008: House Resolution 1294, House Concurrent Resolution 163, House Resolution 353, House Resolution 1231, H.R. 2245, H.R. 4264, H.R. 4918, House Resolution 1271, House Concurrent Resolution 370, House Concurrent Resolution 195, House Resolution 970, House Concurrent Resolution 365.