[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 72 (Friday, May 18, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E856-E857]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         REP. BARROW MOTION TO INSTRUCT CONFEREES ON H.R. 4348

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. PETER A. DeFAZIO

                               of oregon

                    in the house of representatives

                          Friday, May 18, 2012

  Mr. DeFAZIO. Mr. Speaker, now is not the time to delay or jeopardize 
the renewal of a job-creating national transportation program by 
insisting on a deal-breaking provision already rejected by the U.S. 
Senate. This motion to instruct needlessly puts millions of private 
sector transportation, manufacturing, engineering, and construction 
jobs at risk.
  We desperately need long-term investments in our decrepit and failing 
transportation system. We need to bring certainty to states and the 
private sector in transportation project planning. But the continued 
temporary extensions of transportation authorities as passed by the 
House of Representatives are costing us jobs.
  We are getting substantiated reports from the 50 states that they are 
delaying or even canceling transportation investments and projects for 
this construction season because of the uncertainty in federal funding. 
According to AASHTO, seven states will forgo at least 60,000 private 
sector jobs this construction season. I am certain the number would be 
more than a 100,000 forgone jobs if all 50 states were considered.
  And remember, with strong buy American provisions in the bill, these 
are not just construction jobs. These are manufacturing jobs and 
sophisticated engineering jobs--jobs we need to keep and continue to 
create in this country.
  Unlike the House transportation bill that would keep us limping along 
with 60-day and 90-day extensions, the Senate transportation bill would 
provide two years of funding. Instead of forgoing hundreds of thousands 
of jobs for this construction season alone, the Senate bill would 
maintain or create millions of jobs and begin making the investments we 
need to address the 150,000 bridges in need of repair or replacement 
and the 42 percent of the National Highway System pavement in fair or 
poor condition--to say nothing of the needed investments to move our 
transportation system into the 21st Century.

[[Page E857]]

  The Senate transportation bill also includes a desperately needed 
one-year extension of the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-
Determination Act. This program provides an essential lifeline for more 
than 700 rural federally forested communities and 9 million 
schoolchildren across the nation. For Oregon, these payments may mean 
the difference between keeping criminals in our jails and sheriffs on 
the road or financial insolvency and the dissolution of county 
governments.
  Congress can debate the XL pipeline any day of the week. And we 
should. Let's have a debate about the route, expedited approval, and 
environmental reviews. Let's have a debate on energy policies to reduce 
America's dependence on foreign oil, bring down the price of gas for 
American consumers, and lead to a more secure energy future. But it's 
telling that Republican leadership has refused to bring a clean XL 
pipeline bill to the floor of this House. Instead, they insist on 
attaching it to must-pass legislation to score political points and to 
try to embarrass the President--these are not serious efforts to 
legislate.
  With the national unemployment rate still hovering around 8 percent 
and the real unemployment rate closer to 15 percent it is absolutely 
unacceptable that Congress would take any risk of jeopardizing what 
should be a bipartisan effort to maintain or create millions of 
private-sector American jobs.
  I urge my colleagues to reject this motion and to quickly pass a 
conferenced transportation bill that makes desperately needed 
investments in our transportation system, creates jobs, and helps 
ensure rural counties across the nation are able to offer basic 
government services.

                          ____________________