[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 129 (Wednesday, September 18, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Page S10759]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              FEDERAL AVIATION REAUTHORIZATION ACT OF 1996

  Ms. MOSELEY-BRAUN. Mr. President, I would like for a moment to 
comment on the pending legislation, the FAA Reauthorization Act, to add 
a few words in support of comments made by Senator Wyden earlier 
regarding the train whistle amendment.
  I am particularly gratified at the activity of the managers in 
accepting the language of the train whistle amendment because I think 
it does represent a step in the right direction in calling for Federal-
State cooperation, Federal-State partnership and engagement and 
involvement of local governments in the decisionmaking process.
  Certainly, we are all concerned about safety, and safety is at the 
core of the legislative authority pertaining to the train whistle 
requirement. At the same time, our laws have to achieve a balance. We 
have to balance the various interests, particularly the interests of 
local communities in maintaining quality of life in those communities--
areas like my own and those represented by Senator Wyden. There are 
parts of my State, for example, in which you have the confluence of 
many different railroad lines, in particular in suburban communities, 
which may mean that, at the behest of safety, the communities lose 
whatever quality of life they have because you may have train whistles 
sounding every 5 minutes.
  As you know, Mr. President, the Chicago area has been known 
historically as the transportation hub of the United States. So in the 
hub, when we have the confluence of many different rail lines, the 
train whistle issue cuts to the heart of our ability to balance the 
needs of communities, to maintain communities where people can live 
versus our national need for safety.
  So I think the language of this amendment goes a long way in 
encouraging local input, in encouraging flexibility, and encouraging 
the kind of cooperation we need. The days of heavy-handed bureaucratic 
responses to these kinds of issues have to be over. We have to begin to 
explore ways in which we can maximize local input, at the same time 
recognizing our connection as a national community.
  I believe the train whistle language does that, recognizes the 
overarching interests that bring us together, but it also provides 
local governments the capacity and ability to be heard without having 
to spend a lot of money for lawyers and hiring specialists and the 
like, that they can do it in a simplified and straightforward manner.
  So I thank the managers of this legislation. I thank Senator Wyden 
for his leadership in this area.
  I yield the floor.

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