Richard Shelby

Mr. SHELBY

Mr. SHELBY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the amendments be considered en bloc.

Mr. SHELBY. Mr. President, I have two amendments, one on behalf of Senator McCain, and one on behalf of Senator Specter. It is my understanding they have been cleared. I send them to the desk.

Mr. SHELBY. I move to lay that motion on the table. The motion to lay on the table was agreed to. Amendments Nos. 3328 and 3329, En Bloc

Mr. SHELBY. Mr. President, I want to state to my colleagues tonight that I believe myself, as I said earlier, that what Senator DeWine is offering to do makes a lot of sense. I will work with Senator DeWine and Senator Lautenberg in the conference when we get into the seriousness of what we can do with money. Interdiction here dealing with drugs should be and will be one of our No. 1 priorities.

Mr. SHELBY. Among these amendments is an amendment on behalf of the Presiding Officer, Mr. Frist, an amendment on behalf of Senator Abraham, an amendment on behalf of Senator Levin, an amendment on behalf of Senators Lautenberg and Kerry of Massachusetts, an amendment on behalf of Senators Bond, Kohl and Johnson, an amendment on behalf of Senator Durbin, and an amendment on behalf of Senator Burns.

Mr. SHELBY. Mr. President, I appreciate the effort of the Senator from Ohio, first, in offering this very important amendment and, second, in briefly tonight explaining to the Senate the kinds of resources that are to be acquired with the additional assistance he has been talking about. I also commend him for his diligence in seeking additional funds for the Coast Guard dealing with interdiction.

Mr. SHELBY. I appreciate your bringing this matter to my attention. I look forward to working with you in conference to ensure that an innovative project such as the Chehalis I-5 Flood Control Project receives the federal commitment that it deserves.

Mr. SHELBY. Yes. The Committee intends the funding to be available for both projects.

Mr. SHELBY. I know this initiative was of interest to the senior Senator from Wisconsin and that you had requested funds so that your State and the other Midwestern states could complete detailed implementation planning. As you know, we were unable to fund high speed rail corridor planning studies in the Senate Transportation Appropriations bill due to budget constraints. However, I will work with you and if we revisit this issue in conference and take another look at corridor planning studies, I assure you that the Midwest Rail initiative will receive every consideration.

Mr. SHELBY. I thank the Senator from Ohio for his statement. I have listened with interest to his remarks and recognize his concerns. The Senator from Ohio has raised very compelling arguments and I will carefully consider his request during the conference committee's deliberations.

Mr. SHELBY. Yes, we appreciate the concerns raised by the Senators from Delaware. We agree with the House Report language and want to assure you that we will work with you to ensure that these additional overhead costs are not imposed on the airport sponsor willing to construct the new control tower.

Mr. SHELBY. The Senator can be assured we will give the project our full consideration in the conference.

Mr. SHELBY. I urge the amendments be adopted en bloc.

Mr. SHELBY. Yes, Senator, I am aware of the success of the state of New Mexico's initial two-week demonstration of the Northern New Mexico Park and Ride.

Mr. SHELBY. I thank the distinguished Senator from Florida for his comments regarding our subcommittee's past support of the Southwest Florida International Airport. The Senator has been very active in keeping the subcommittee informed on the progress of the expansion at RSW. Because of this, I am well aware of the intense growth that this airport has experienced over the past several years. Likewise, I am aware of the efforts of RSW to work with the FAA in developing an LOI request, and that this effort has resulted in a substantial reduction in their request, making it reasonable within today's budget environment. I believe the behavior and efforts exhibited by RSW in working with the FAA, as well as their established need, are exactly the sorts of things the FAA should be looking for when considering LOI requests. Accordingly, I encourage the FAA to give priority consideration to RSW's request for a Letter of Intent.

Mr. SHELBY. My colleague from Utah is correct in his understanding of this situation. Since the Federal Highway Administration already has a relationship developed with UDOT, the Committee included the state agency to facilitate the flow of these research funds to the Utah Transportation Center made up by the universities mentioned. The Committee believes that these funds should be made available to the UTC expeditiously so that this opportunity for bridge structure research is not lost.

Mr. SHELBY. The FAA contract tower program has been proven to be a very cost-effective way for the FAA and local airports to work as partners to improve air traffic safety in many smaller communities. In fact, the Department of Transportation Inspector General recently determined that the program provides quality air traffic control services at a lower cost compared to the FAA. This cost-sharing program would enable some airports that fall just below the eligibility criteria for a contract tower to retain their air traffic control services by paying for a share of the costs. The Committee believes that this program will improve aviation safety in small communities at a minimal expense to the FAA. highway research and development, bridge structures and the utah transportation center

Mr. SHELBY. Mr. President, I agree with the Senator from Vermont that every effort should be made by the Secretary of Transportation to use funds from within the Bridge Discretionary Program to repair and rehabilitate covered bridges across the nation.

Mr. SHELBY. Mr. President, I agree with the Senator from Vermont that the Federal Highway Administration should make this a priority and move to publish guidance as soon as possible.

Mr. SHELBY. Mr. President, I agree with the Senator from Vermont that preserving our nation's historic covered bridges should be a priority for the U.S. Department of Transportation and transportation departments across the nation.

Mr. SHELBY. That is right.

Mr. SHELBY. Mr. President, we are working together, Senator Lautenberg and I, and our staffs. We are close to resolving a number of amendments here, but there are some amendments that will require votes. I just ask the sponsors to come on down to the floor because we are probably going to have to have some votes on them: The McConnell amendment regarding expedited review, the McCain amendment regarding Amtrak bookkeeping, the Leahy amendment regarding helicopters, the Kerry amendment regarding Amtrak, and the Durbin amendment, smoking on international flights. It is just a few minutes before 7. Senator Lautenberg and I are ready to move. If Members who are sponsoring those amendments would come on down and help us, I think it would expedite the bill tonight.

Mr. SHELBY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. SHELBY

Mr. SHELBY. Mr. President, I would just like to tell my colleagues in the Senate, some of them are here on the floor and in their offices, Senator Lautenberg and I are ready to move this bill toward third reading. We haven't heard from anyone. We will give a few more minutes in case somebody wants to get in, or offer an amendment to this bill, but we believe this is a well put together bill, as I said earlier. Both sides have put a lot of work into it. We should not keep Senators here all evening. We will move as soon as we can. If we don't hear from somebody on the floor in just a few minutes, it is my idea, if Senator Lautenberg concurs at that time, to move to third reading.

Mr. SHELBY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.