[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 10 (Thursday, January 30, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Page S840]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        REAUTHORIZATION OF ISTEA

  Mr. DORGAN. Mr. President, one issue I want to visit is the need to 
reauthorize the ISTEA program or the highway program in this country. 
It is important for States like North Dakota.
  I notice the Senator from Alaska is on the floor. He will, I am sure, 
have the same feelings about this that I have. We are large States in 
land mass, small States in population. We have a need to construct a 
network of highways still across our States for interstate commerce and 
for a whole range of needs, but we have a very small tax base with 
which to do it.
  We have seen developed in this discussion who are the donor States 
and who are the donee States with respect to highway moneys. Well, that 
is largely irrelevant to me. If they want to ship fresh fruit and 
frozen fish from Boston to Seattle, do they want to ship them on gravel 
roads through North Dakota and Wyoming? I do not think so. We want to 
maintain and develop a National Highway System that works for 
everybody. That means that we need, as small States in the debate on 
this highway system, fairness for the highway needs for our States.
  I will just say that as we work through this debate in the coming 
weeks and months, those of us who come from States like North Dakota 
and Wyoming and Alaska and others are going to be working very hard to 
make sure that we are treated fairly in this reauthorization. Mr. 
President, I yield the floor.
  Mr. STEVENS addressed the Chair.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Chair recognizes the Senator from Alaska.

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