[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 62 (Friday, May 15, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Page S4941]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                    AMTRAK REFORM BOARD NOMINATIONS

 Mr. WYDEN. Mr. President, for the last three years, this 
Congress struggled with many of the difficult issues in the Amtrak 
reauthorization bill. We finally reached an agreement late last year 
and sent legislation to the President for his signature, which he 
signed on December 2, 1997.
  In the process, my state, and its neighbors, lost a valuable service 
on the route of the Pioneer. I fought hard to keep that service running 
but citizens of eastern Oregon continue to feel frustrated over the 
loss of this service.
  I want Amtrak to succeed and I want to make sure that the legislation 
we enacted last year is properly implemented. The Administration is 
late in submitting its nominations for the Amtrak Reform Board which 
was created in last year's bill. Although I hear that the 
Administration has begun the process of picking candidates for the 
seven positions that are required by law, I am concerned that the names 
under consideration will not represent the various regions of the 
country that make up the Amtrak system. If the restoration of the 
Pioneer is to receive fair consideration, it must be by a Board of 
Directors that reflects the regional needs of all sections of the 
country. My friend, the Majority Leader, who also sits on the Commerce 
Committee has made clear on more than one occasion that if Amtrak is 
only a series of regional corridors and not a national system, it will 
not continue to receive the support of Congress.
  While I believe the new Amtrak Board should meet the qualifications 
spelled out in the Act, they should also have a sense of geographical 
balance. I fear the loss of support for a national system if we wind up 
with a Board that represents only one region of the country. In 
particular, the west and mid-western states again appear to be left out 
of consideration as sources of Amtrak director candidates.
  As a member of the Senate Commerce Committee, I will be looking for 
regional balance when these nominations are submitted and encourage my 
colleagues to do so as well.

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