[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 38 (Wednesday, April 6, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3314-S3315]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. INHOFE:
  S. 732. A bill to authorize funds to Federal aid highways, highway 
safety programs, and transit programs, and for other purposes; from the 
Committee on Environment and Public Works; placed on the calendar.
  Mr. INHOFE. Mr. President, I am introducing today the Safe, 
Accountable, Flexible and Efficient Transportation Equity Act of 2005, 
SAFETEA, which the Committee on Environment and Public Works reported 
out on March 16, 2005. This bill reauthorizes the Federal aid highway 
program which has been operating on extensions since it expired on 
September 30, 2003. The bill I am introducing today is essentially S. 
1072 as passed by the Senate in the 108th Congress, with the exception 
that the overall funding level has been changed from $318 billion over 
6 years to reflect the President's proposed funding level of $283.9 
billion over 6 years.
  Last year, this body voted 76 to 21 to adopt S. 1072. Clearly, there 
was overwhelming support for this measure

[[Page S3315]]

then, and in conversations with Members this year, I am confident that 
there is a real desire to get this bill done. We are already to take 
the bill up on the Senate floor just as soon as it is scheduled by the 
leadership.
  It has been nearly 18 months since the current program, 
Transportation Equity Act for the 21 Century--TEA-21, expired. To date, 
we have done a total of six extensions with the current extension due 
to expire on May 31. This next deadline is fast approaching, and in 
addition to completing action on the floor, we still must conference 
with the House which has a very different formula program than proposed 
last year. We will have more challenging issues to address and need as 
much time as possible to do so.
  Briefly, as in the bill passed by the Senate last year, the bill I am 
introducing today will address several critical issues in our 
transportation system. Specifically, the language improves on the 
existing program in the following areas:
  Safety: Nearly 43,000 people died in 2002 on our Nation's highways. 
This represents the single greatest cause of accidental death in 
America. The Environment and Public Works Committee bill addresses this 
by creating a new core safety program and funding it accordingly.
  Congestion: According to the Department of Transportation, time spent 
in congestion increased from 31.7 percent in 1992 to 33.1 percent in 
2000. Based on this rate, a typical ``rush hour'' in an urbanized area 
is 5.3 hours per day. The problem is not in just urban areas; cities 
with populations less than 500,000 have experienced the greatest growth 
in travel delays, according to the DOT. Under this proposal, we would 
address the congestion problem by establishing a new Transportation 
Freight Gateway program which targets bottlenecks around ports and 
intermodal facilities.
  Environment: This bill addresses the need to reduce delays in project 
delivery in several ways. The bill contains carefully balanced language 
on incorporating environmental concerns into planning and project 
review as early as practicable, while ensuring that disagreements over 
such concerns don't indefinitely delay much needed transportation 
projects. The language on the section 4(f) process will also help 
reduce unnecessary delays by enabling projects with de minimis impacts 
on 4(f) resources to proceed in a timely manner.
  Also, the bill seeks to correct the inconsistencies between the 
transportation planning and air quality planning that must take place 
in areas in nonattainment under the Clean Air Act. The bill 
rationalizes the schedules for developing transportation plans and 
demonstrating conformity and aligns the length of the transportation 
plan considered under conformity with the length of the air quality 
plan.
  Equity: The bill provides all States at least 10 percent growth over 
TEA-21 while increasing the rate of return for donor States from the 
current 90.5 percent to 92 percent by 2009. We maintain the TEA-21 
scope of 92.5 percent.
  The longer we delay enactment of a multiyear bill, we are negatively 
affecting economic growth. According to DOT estimates, every $1 billion 
of Federal Funds invested in highway improvements creates 47,000 jobs. 
The same $1 billion investment yields $500 million in new orders for 
the manufacturing sector and $500 million spread throughout other 
sectors of the economy.
  States contract awards for the 2005 spring and summer construction 
season are going out to bid. If we fail to pass this bill soon, States 
will not know what to expect in Federal funding and the uncertainty 
will potentially force States to delay putting these projects out for 
bid. According to the American Association of State Highway 
Transportation Officials, AASHTO, an estimated 90,000 jobs are at 
stake. This problem is exacerbated for northern States which have 
shorter construction seasons. Many State transportation departments 
have advanced State dollars to construct projects eligible for Federal 
funding in anticipation of our action to reauthorize the program. 
Without a new bill, States are essentially left ``holding the bag.''
  Over the past 6 years under TEA-21, we have made great progress in 
preserving and improving the overall physical condition and operation 
of our transportation system; however, more needs to be done. A safe, 
effective transportation system is the foundation of our economy. We 
are past due to fulfill an obligation to this country and the American 
people.
  As mentioned earlier, the bill is essentially the same bill that was 
passed on the Senate floor last year--a bipartisan product of many 
months of hard work and compromise. It remains a very good piece of 
legislation.
  The most significant difference with this bill, of course, is that it 
is drafted at the $283.9 billion level over 6 years. Since 2004 is 
behind us, the Environment and Public Works Committee bill includes 
only years 2005 to 2009 which is effectively $283.9 minus fiscal year 
2004. S. 1072 passed the Senate last year and guaranteed all donor 
States a rate of return of 95 percent. At a lower funding level, we 
were able only to achieve a 92-percent rate of return but kept the 10 
percent floor over TEA-21.
  I am certain my colleagues share my strong desire to get a 
transportation reauthorization bill passed and signed into law by the 
President. I urge the leadership to schedule consideration of this bill 
this month so we can get it done.
                                 ______