[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 24 (Tuesday, March 10, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1675-S1676]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        INTERMODAL SURFACE TRANSPORTATION EFFICIENCY ACT OF 1997

  The Senate continued with the consideration of the bill.
  Mr. D'AMATO. Mr. President, I believe that we have made substantial 
progress and, hopefully, we will be able to come to an accommodation 
that will meet the needs a number of my colleagues have expressed 
relating to the fixed rail modernization system. We are working on that 
at the present time. I hope we are going to be able to further deal 
with the question of New Starts in a way that will be satisfactory to 
my colleagues.
  Last, but not least, it is my hope that we can resolve even the most 
contentious of points if those who are advocating changes will either 
meet with our staffs or come to the floor for the purposes of 
introducing their amendments so we can dispose of this significant 
portion of the bill, hopefully today. I believe we can, or certainly we 
can make very significant progress.
  If we are not going to have agreement, then I can tell you it is my 
intent, after negotiations and after deliberations and debate, to move 
to table those amendments on which we cannot come to an agreement. But 
I hope we will work to the best of our ability. I think by putting this 
off we are not going to add to the likelihood of finishing this chapter 
of the bill today, and that is my hope.
  This is an important piece of legislation which I believe the Senate, 
and I know Senator Lott, our majority leader, is anxious to dispose of. 
That means the difference between States doing nothing and States 
beginning their highway projects in an orderly fashion, undertaking the 
necessary work to get their transit systems going and improving them. 
There are contracts that have to be let out. It takes time.
  So, the sooner we get this done the more likely that some of the 
programs that otherwise will not continue, or start, this spring, will 
get started. We have to give the States assurance that there is going 
to be an orderly flow of funds. So I urge my colleagues if they have 
provisions or have statements they want to make, between now and 12:15 
they can certainly come down. That would be a good time to make those 
statements. If there is legislation that they seek, now is the time to 
make it known to the committee, to the staff, and seek either an 
accommodation or action on their legislation. Certainly between now and 
12:15, if anyone wants to come down to speak to these issues, or 12:30 
when we go out--or thereafter, when we reconvene at 2:15--we are ready, 
willing and able to deal with whatever ramifications my colleagues 
might have or whatever legislative solution they might look for. We are 
willing to discuss and entertain their legislative proposals, again, by 
way of staff work directly, or the Senator meeting with his colleagues 
and/or Senators offering legislation. We can attempt to dispose of 
their legislative proposals one way or the other.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. SARBANES. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. SARBANES. Mr. President, I just want to make a few points about 
the importance of transit as we are considering this amendment.
  First of all, when we had the energy crisis, there was a tremendous 
focus at the time on transit, which in a sense faded from the scene 
because we no longer confront an energy crisis. But it is very 
important to underscore how energy efficient mass transit is in terms 
of moving people and goods. We have developed and, of course, even 
improved technology with respect to low emissions on clean-fuel buses, 
clean technology for light rail systems and for heavy rail systems.
  People have to understand that means it is just that much less oil we 
have to import. So we are able to decrease our dependence on foreign 
oil by developing transit systems. And, of course, we are able to, as a 
consequence, improve our balance of payments situation. We often lose 
sight of that. We do not talk about that very much nowadays because 
energy isn't seen as a critical issue. But I simply want to remind 
people that at the time when we had the oil embargoes and everything, 
there was a tremendous emphasis on transit and its importance.
  Secondly, the importance of transit for improving the environment I 
think is indisputable. It is estimated that over 40 percent, between 40 
and 50 percent, of all Americans live in areas with unhealthy air, 
according to the EPA. In many communities, transit investments are a 
cornerstone of the strategies to achieve air quality standards. A 
failure to develop transit capacity will undermine our efforts to give 
millions of Americans cleaner air to breathe. So we have to recognize 
that transit is important for environmental purposes as well.
  Thirdly, traffic congestion in our Nation's largest 50 cities is 
estimated to cost travelers over $50 billion annually, just from the 
bottlenecks and the gridlocks. These delays translate directly into 
added cost to businesses and to individuals. Transit carries the 
equivalent of 5 million additional automobiles per year. People need to 
sort of envision what would happen if we did not have these transit 
systems. You would have utter chaos.
  So we have to address this congestion and delay cost for millions of 
American motorists. And it is interesting to note, transit is used 
disproportionately during peak periods, peak-period commuting, which is 
exactly the same time when the roads are at their most congested. So, 
obviously, it serves a very important purpose in limiting or 
diminishing the amount of congestion that would otherwise occur on the 
highways.
  Now, not only does it eliminate or decrease the amount of congestion, 
transit also provides essential access for people to jobs and shopping 
and medical services. It is estimated there are about 80 million or 
above Americans who do not drive, in other words, people who, to get 
around independently, are totally dependent on transit.
  Transit is also essential now as we focus on moving people from 
welfare to

[[Page S1676]]

work, a major national priority, one as a consequence of the 
legislation passed by the Congress. Now the States are under very tight 
constraints in terms of addressing that population. It is estimated 
that only a very small percentage of welfare recipients, 6 percent, own 
cars. So most people on welfare would be dependent on transit in order 
to get them to and from their jobs.
  So a strong and vibrant transit system, I think, is critical to the 
Nation's economy, to the well-being of our communities. I hope we can 
keep these additional considerations in mind as we address the transit 
title which is now pending before the Senate. There are these 
additional benefits that flow from it, and they really flow to the 
country as a whole.
  If we can reduce our dependence on foreign oil and the import of oil, 
we become less in the hands, as it were, of others overseas, and we 
improve our balance of payments position. Transit makes an important 
contribution in that regard. It clearly makes a very strong 
contribution in the effort to improve our environment and to achieve 
clean air quality. It helps to reduce congestion.
  Of course, people look around and say there is a tremendous amount of 
congestion now. I only say to them, think how much worse it would be if 
we did not have the transit systems. I mean, for those in the areas 
that are served by a transit system and are traveling by automobile or 
truck and encounter a lot of congestion, think what they would 
encounter if there was not a transit system moving millions and 
millions of people every day. You would have absolute gridlock in those 
areas of the country.
  Now, as we deal, of course, with the welfare-to-work challenge, 
transit is a major component in helping us to succeed in addressing 
that challenge. It is also clear that transit is an important 
contributor to economic development and property values. Those areas 
that have the availability of convenient transit services have 
discovered that it makes an important contribution in spurring economic 
development and job creation. So, Mr. President, I hope our colleagues 
will keep this in mind.
  An argument was strongly made in this body many years ago that we 
needed farm-to-market roads. We needed roads to make it possible for 
farmers to move their goods to market. As a nation, we responded to 
that and sought to support a farm-to-market network of highway 
transportation. I am supportive of that concept.
  I think if we are going to build the Nation, we have to be sensitive 
to the needs of all parts of our country. I very much hope my 
colleagues will be sensitive to the needs of transit. Actually, 
everywhere in the country, we have provisions in this bill for rural 
transit, and transit in cities of over 50,000 and up to 200,000, 
special provisions. But, of course, we have the situation in which we 
have the greater urban centers where literally millions of people move 
every day on mass transit. If it were not there, if we did not have a 
first-rate system, we would have a total, total breakdown in the 
functioning of the economy.
  Mr. President, I yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Sessions). The clerk will call the roll.
  The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. SARBANES. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. SARBANES. Mr. President, I think we are now scheduled to go out, 
as I understand it, for the party conferences.

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