[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 57 (Thursday, April 19, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E596]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         SURFACE TRANSPORTATION EXTENSION ACT OF 2012, PART II

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                          HON. MAZIE K. HIRONO

                               of hawaii

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, April 18, 2012

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the state of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 4348) to 
     provide an extension of Federal-aid highway, highway safety, 
     motor carrier safety, transit, and other programs funded out 
     of the Highway Trust Fund pending enactment of a multiyear 
     law reauthorizing such programs, and for other purposes:

  Ms. HIRONO. Mr. Chair, I rise today to express my opposition to the 
bill passed by this chamber last night, H.R. 4348, the Surface 
Transportation Extension Act of 2012, Part II.
  Each day that Congress fails to act on a long-term reauthorization of 
our nation's surface transportation programs is another day that our 
roads and bridges deteriorate. It's another day that our states and 
counties will be unable to plan and budget for projects to improve our 
communities and facilitate commerce. And it's another day that workers 
in the hard hit construction industry will have to wait for a chance to 
get back on the job.
  It would have been a tremendous victory for the American people if 
the House had come together as the Senate did last month. They passed a 
two year transportation bill on a strong, bipartisan vote of 74 22. It 
isn't a perfect bill, but it is a step forward for strengthening our 
economy and getting people back to work.
  However, the Majority in the House has blocked every attempt to have 
a clean, up or down vote on the Senate's bipartisan bill. Instead, they 
have chosen to pursue controversial, ideologically driven proposals. In 
fact, the bill this chamber passed yesterday has already drawn a veto 
threat from the White House for its inclusion of provisions to 
unnecessarily expedite the Keystone pipeline project. It would also 
undermine environmental protection procedures that allow our 
constituents the opportunity to weigh in on projects that impact their 
communities and quality of life.
  These are not small policy changes. The Keystone XL pipeline is a 
huge project that could have significant consequences for years to 
come. It deserves rigorous and objective analysis to determine whether 
it is in fact in the best interest of our nation's future to approve 
and construct such a project.
  Changing our environmental protection procedures for infrastructure 
projects requires the same sort of thoughtful debate and careful 
analysis. Infrastructure projects are long-term--they fundamentally 
change communities. We need to make sure that the impacts of these 
projects, and the views of local residents and businesses, are taken 
into account before taxpayer funds are committed.
  I do support the provisions of H.R. 4348 that will allow for full 
utilization of funds in the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund and provide 
for additional resources to continue restoring the Gulf Coast. I 
believe that these are important issues for the House and Senate to 
consider during their Conference.
  However, I am still disappointed that the House has failed to come 
together on legislation that has historically been truly bipartisan. I 
hope that Conferees will get to work expeditiously and come up with a 
product that can receive bipartisan support in both the Senate and the 
House.
  We owe it to our states, communities, and the families that depend on 
paychecks in the construction industry to move this forward quickly.

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