[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 106 (Friday, July 29, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1675-E1676]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       TRIBUTE TO CLIFFORD J. HARVISON, NTTC, UPON HIS RETIREMENT

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. NICK J. RAHALL II

                            of west virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 28, 2005

  Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today not to bury Cliff Harvison, but 
to praise him.
  After, a number of decades of working in Washington, DC, and with 40 
years dedicated soley to serving the cargo tank truck industry, Cliff 
is retiring at the end of this year.
  Through the establishment of the Department of Transportation, the 
Environmental Protection Agency, the Occupational Safety and Health 
Administration, and more recently, the Department of Homeland Security; 
through deregulation of the trucking industry, and carrier 
consolidation; through the terrorist attacks on our infrastructure and 
upon our Nation; Cliff Harvison has kept watch at the National Tank 
Truck Carriers, Inc., the tank truck industry's national trade 
association.
  In addition to working with me--for almost three decades as a Member 
of Congress who understands the needs and vast potential of our 
national transportation network to States such as West Virginia--as 
well as working with a great many other Members of Congress over the 
last several decades, Cliff has worked also with labor, with Federal 
agencies, and with his own carriers to improve highway transportation. 
In so doing, he has played a key role in the development of major 
legislative and regulatory initiatives aimed at highway safety, 
hazardous materials uniformity, and transportation security. The Motor 
Carrier Safety Act, the Hazardous Materials Transportation Act--and its 
successor, the Hazardous Materials Transportation Uniform Safety Act--
the Safe Food Transportation Act, truck driver hazardous materials 
endorsements--these are all key pieces of legislation and regulation 
affecting motor carriers, and bear the stamp of Cliff Harvison's input 
as an honest, and honorable, broker.
  Mr. Speaker, without America's cargo tank truck industry, Americans 
would not be able to buy gas conveniently at so many comer filling 
stations across the country. If we couldn't rely on the cargo tank 
truck industry, our chemical manufacturing sector, which is a very 
important manufacturing industry in parts of my

[[Page E1676]]

home State of West Virginia, would be impeded by a great difficulty in 
getting goods to help make products to serve our ever day needs. Were 
it not for our cargo tank truck industry, it would not be possible to 
move fertilizers, baking products, plastics, and many other household 
products we take for granted.
  All of these different products, transported in so many different 
kinds of uniquely designed trailers to ensure safe transportation, are 
vital to our national interests. Likewise, the ease with which they are 
transported guarantees Americans more affordable gasoline and other 
products, and protects our way of life. In addition, the cargo tank 
truck industry itself employs hundreds of thousands of Americans with 
good paying jobs.
  As the cargo tank truck industry has evolved over the last four 
decades to play an increasingly integral role in our national economy, 
one constant has been Cliff Harvison's dedicated service to the 
industry, and to our Nation.
  For these reasons, and many more, I am pleased to be able to honor 
Cliff for his service.

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