[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 82 (Monday, May 19, 2008)]
[House]
[Pages H4098-H4099]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
NATIONAL PUBLIC WORKS WEEK
Ms. HIRONO. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the
resolution (H. Res. 1137) supporting the goals and ideals of National
Public Works Week, and for other purposes.
The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
The text of the resolution is as follows:
H. Res. 1137
Whereas public works infrastructure, facilities, and
services have far-reaching effects on the United States
economy and the Nation's competitiveness in the world
marketplace;
Whereas public works infrastructure, facilities, and
services play a pivotal role in the health, safety, and
quality of life of communities throughout the United States;
Whereas public works infrastructure, facilities, and
services could not be provided without the skill and
dedication of public works professionals, including engineers
and administrators, representing State and local governments
throughout the United States;
Whereas public works professionals design, build, operate,
maintain, and protect the transportation systems, water
supply infrastructure, sewage and refuse disposal systems,
public buildings, and other structures and facilities that
are vital to the citizens, communities, and commerce of the
United States;
Whereas the Corps of Engineers, in partnership with public
port authorities, provides navigational improvements that
link United States producers and customers with national and
international markets;
Whereas the public waterways, including locks and dams
constructed, operated, and maintained by the Corps of
Engineers, provide a safe, energy efficient, and cost
effective means of transporting goods and services;
Whereas the Corps of Engineers, in partnership with local
public entities, provides levees, reservoirs, and other
structural and nonstructural flood damage reduction measures
that protect millions of families, homes, and businesses;
Whereas highway investment by all levels of government
supported a total of 2,140,000 jobs in 2007;
Whereas every $1 invested in public transportation
generates as much as $6 in economic returns to the Nation's
economy;
Whereas the capital asset program of the General Services
Administration is authorized annually to provide Federal
employees with necessary office space, courts of law, and
other special purpose facilities;
Whereas since 1972 the Nation has invested more than
$250,000,000,000 in wastewater infrastructure facilities to
establish a system that includes 16,000 publicly owned
wastewater treatment plants, 100,000 major pumping stations,
600,000 miles of sanitary sewers, and 200,000 miles of storm
sewers;
Whereas the Pipelines and Hazardous Materials Safety
Administration is charged with the safe and secure movement
of almost 1,000,000 daily shipments of hazardous materials by
all modes of transportation and oversees the safety and
security of 2,300,000 miles of gas and hazardous liquid
pipelines, which account for 64 percent of the energy
commodities consumed in the United States;
Whereas the National Railroad Passenger Corporation
annually provides more than 25,000,000 people with intercity
rail service;
Whereas 8 airfield projects are under construction,
including 3 new runways, 2 airfield reconfigurations, 1
runway extension, 1 end around taxiway, and 1 center taxiway,
providing some of the busiest airports in the Nation with the
potential to accommodate more than 400,000 additional annual
operations and improve airport safety and efficiency while
decreasing the average delay per operation at these airports
by almost 2 minutes;
Whereas in the report of the Department of Transportation
entitled ``2006 Status of the Nation's Highways, Bridges, and
Transit: Conditions & Performance'', the Department confirms
that investment in the Nation's highway, bridge, and transit
infrastructure has not kept up with growing demands on the
system;
Whereas the National Surface Transportation Policy and
Revenue Study Commission report estimates that the United
States needs to invest up to $340,000,000,000 annually for
the next 50 years to upgrade the Nation's existing
transportation network to a good state of repair and to build
the more advanced facilities the Nation will require to
remain competitive; and
Whereas public works professionals are observing National
Public Works Week from May 18 through 24, 2008: Now,
therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) supports the goals and ideals of National Public Works
Week;
(2) recognizes and celebrates the important contributions
that public works professionals make every day to improve the
public infrastructure of the United States and the
communities that those professionals serve; and
(3) urges citizens and communities throughout the United
States to join with representatives of the Federal Government
in activities and ceremonies that are designed to pay tribute
to the public works professionals of the Nation and to
recognize the substantial contributions that public works
professionals make to the Nation.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from
Hawaii (Ms. Hirono) and the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Petri) each
will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Hawaii.
General Leave
Ms. HIRONO. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may
have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks
and to include extraneous materials on H. Res. 1137.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentlewoman from Hawaii?
There was no objection.
Ms. HIRONO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of House Resolution 1137, supporting
the goals and ideals of National Public Works Week. I thank the
gentleman from Minnesota, Jim Oberstar, Chair of the Transportation and
Infrastructure Committee, for bringing this measure to the floor and
for his strong advocacy in support of our Nation's infrastructure
needs.
This week, we honor and recognize the oftentimes unsung heroes of
this Nation's public health and economic livelihood, the public works
professionals who keep our country running smoothly. The infrastructure
facilities and services that these professionals design, maintain and
repair are critical to addressing our country's vast needs. Without our
rail systems, our airports, our pipelines, our water treatment plants
and other such services, our country would be unable to function.
Instituted as a public education campaign in 1960, every third week
in May recognizes the quiet dedication of the workers who continue to
build and maintain our country's transportation and infrastructure each
year. For the hard work that these workers put in to improve each
citizen's life on a daily basis, it is only fitting that we designate
one week a year to celebrate their efforts. In the past, Presidents
Dwight Eisenhower and Lyndon Johnson have sent letters of
acknowledgment to this event, and a Presidential Proclamation was
signed by President John F. Kennedy in 1962.
While we will continue to formally appreciate this week, I believe it
would
[[Page H4099]]
also be fitting for us to show our appreciation through our actions.
Last August, the House of Representatives passed the Water Resources
Development Act of 2007, WRDA, by a vote of 381-40. This past November,
this body overrode a presidential veto for WRDA 2007 by a vote of 361-
54. The vote showed an ever-present need to continue to invest and
improve in our country's vast network of infrastructure. We must
continue to remind our President that these projects need funding, and
that ignoring our Nation's needs will only cause our current problems
to grow and our infrastructure to deteriorate.
I support our public works professionals, our transportation and
infrastructure systems and National Public Works Week. I urge my
colleagues to join me in supporting this resolution.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. PETRI. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I join in support of the resolution before us. It is
appropriate and important that we honor the hardworking men and women
who make our infrastructure the envy of the world. Investment in the
Nation's highway, bridge and transit infrastructure has not kept up
with growing demands on the system. Our Department of Transportation
found that to maintain highway bridge and transit networks, governments
at all levels would need to invest nearly $95 billion per year for each
of the next 20 years, and to improve highway, bridge and transit
networks, that level of investment would need to increase to nearly
$154 billion per year.
Recently, the National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue
Study Commission, a bipartisan commission made up of representatives
from various transportation sectors appointed by leadership in both
parties and from the executive branch, reported to the Congress that
the United States needs to invest up to $340 billion annually for the
next 50 years to upgrade the Nation's existing transportation network
to a good state of repair and to build the more advanced facilities
that our people will require to remain competitive with other emerging
economic powers around the world.
We have neglected this work for a generation, and it will come back
to haunt our children and our grandchildren, unless we begin the
necessary investment and the necessary work, not just to provide the
jobs, which is obviously important, but to provide the efficient
undergirding of our economy, which will enable us to maintain our
standard of living, improve it, and maintain our competitiveness as an
international power.
Our committee, the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, has
jurisdiction over our water transportation system, and that consists of
926 coastal and inland harbors maintained by the Corps of Engineers and
some 25,000 miles of inland and coastal commercial waterways. If we
don't keep our harbors and waterways operating efficiently, we
obviously threaten our economic prosperity. To meet these needs, as
well as the need for flood protection and environmental restoration,
passing a Water Resources Development Act for 2008 is high on our
committee's agenda.
According to separate studies conducted by the Congressional Budget
Office, EPA and municipal groups, the current rate of capital
investment will not keep our waterway treatment systems operational.
State and local governments are spending nearly $10 billion a year in
capital investments and waste water infrastructure, and most of this
funding comes from local ratepayers.
{time} 1500
However, to meet the needs of communities all over our country, we
should be doubling that spending. We can't continue to take our modern
wastewater treatment facilities for granted. Not only are they critical
to protect our health and environment, they are important to protect
our economy as well.
Public infrastructure plays an important role in enhancing our
quality of life, improving our environment, and contributing to our
economic prosperity. These systems, and the professionals, engineers,
and administrators who maintain them, are sometimes taken for granted.
So it is important that Congress recognize the contribution they make
to ensure that America remains the world's premier economic power, and
passage of this resolution will do that. I urge all Members to support
House Resolution 1137.
I yield back the balance of my time.
Ms. HIRONO. In closing, Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the
gentleman for his acknowledgement of the importance of maintaining our
infrastructure, rail, water, air, and highways.
Mr. OBERSTAR. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of House
Resolution 1137. This resolution acknowledges and celebrates Public
Works Week, which this year is celebrated the week of May 18 through
May 24.
We celebrate National Public Works Week for a full week each year
during the month of May. This week honors the many public works
professionals--those individuals who design, build, operate, maintain,
and protect transportation systems, water supply infrastructure, sewage
and refuse disposal systems, public buildings, and other structures and
facilities that are vital to our Nation. H. Res. 1137 pays tribute to
these professionals.
Public works do exactly that--they allow our public to work, and they
keep our country safe. Our industries and communities rely on
railroads, highways, airports, and public transit to travel, and our
government conducts business in public works buildings across this
Nation.
Towns and cities around the country are serviced by necessary systems
for sewage and waste disposal, as well as water supply for our homes,
businesses, and crops. Pipelines safely transport natural gas and
hazardous liquids over millions of miles throughout the country.
It is appropriate to designate a week to recognize these entities and
those who work for them and the public good. Public works are often not
recognized until problems are encountered. As public works
professionals work daily to coordinate, design, and maintain our public
works, we must also work to fund our country's infrastructure needs,
which our so critical to our Nation's economy and its citizens.
Last November, this Congress overrode a veto of the Water Resources
Development Act (``WRDA'') of 2007 by an overwhelming margin (361-54),
showcasing the desires of the American people for renewed investment in
our infrastructure. In contrast to this action, President Bush failed
to include any projects authorized by WRDA in the fiscal year 2009
budget.
The House of Representatives has passed three additional water
infrastructure bills: H.R. 569, the Water Quality Investment Act of
2007; H.R. 700, the Healthy Communities Water Supply Act of 2007; and
H.R. 720, the Water Quality Financing Act of 2007. I urge my colleagues
in the Senate to promptly take action on similar legislation.
On August 1, 2007, on the same evening that the House passed the WRDA
Conference Report, the I-35W Mississippi River bridge collapsed during
rush hour traffic in my home State of Minnesota. Of the 597,340 U.S.
highway bridges, 73,784 are structurally deficient and 80,317 are
functionally obsolete. This tragic event further highlighted the public
works investment needs that our Nation faces.
Last week, the leadership of this committee introduced a bill to
revitalize the Amtrak intercity passenger rail system.
I continue to vigorously support our country's public works, and I
urge my colleagues to join me in agreeing to this resolution.
Ms. HIRONO. I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentlewoman from Hawaii (Ms. Hirono) that the House suspend the rules
and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 1137.
The question was taken.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
Mr. PETRI. Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a
quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not
present.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be
postponed.
The point of no quorum is considered withdrawn.
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