[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 86 (Thursday, May 18, 2017)]
[House]
[Page H4318]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      NATIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE WEEK

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Costa) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. COSTA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to urge my colleagues to act 
together in a bipartisan fashion to improve the state of our Nation's 
infrastructure. It is long overdue.
  This week is National Infrastructure Week where we recognize the 
challenges we face in addressing America's transportation systems, its 
water systems, its ports, its harbors. Sadly, what we have to recognize 
isn't particularly positive.
  This year, the infrastructure grade that we received from America's 
Society of Civil Engineers, a national organization that is made up of 
some of the best and the brightest engineers in our country, gave our 
Nation a D-plus. That is not a good grade. Never has been.
  As a matter of fact, this same organization has estimated that, to 
rectify our Nation's infrastructure, we need to invest over $1 
trillion, $1 trillion of new investments, to provide the sort of 
transportation, water and ports and harbors, that our Nation needs and 
deserves.
  So we must do better than a D-plus. Literally, we are living off the 
investments that our parents and our grandparents made a generation and 
two ago, and it is an aging infrastructure.

  We know from our country's history that the infrastructure projects 
that move forward most effectively are those combined with local, 
State, and Federal funding; all the governments doing their part with 
private participation.
  We, in California, are no strangers to infrastructure problems caused 
by a lack of investment, but we are stepping up to the plate to make 
the necessary crucial improvements.
  In my own district, the counties that I represent, Merced, Madera, 
and Fresno Counties, have all increased their local sales tax in order 
to pay for crucial road repairs, new road projects, highways, and other 
essential transportation needs.
  Last month, the California legislature enacted legislation that 
Governor Brown signed into law to increase the State's gas tax and 
vehicle fee to pay for roads, bridges, and other transportation 
improvement projects.
  Clearly, these are tough decisions, and they come with policy 
implications and political risks. I mean, let's face it, it is never 
popular, whether it is your local, State, or Federal level, to raise 
taxes to pay for these much-needed improvements, but it must be done. 
The last time we increased the gas tax nationally was 1994.
  In California, Governor Brown's decision to pursue high-speed rail, 
among other efforts, is a long-term commitment in the 21st century to 
do what is necessary to create the inner city rail and auto and air 
transportation, the interconnectivity that comes with that.
  There is a reason why we must do this. California has 40 million 
people today. By the year 2030, it will have 50 million people; the 
sixth or seventh largest economy in the world.
  So why are we not doing this on a national level? It is simple. What 
is lacking is the political will--the political will to come together 
on a bipartisan basis. Now is the time for the Federal Government to 
face this challenge head-on in a bipartisan fashion. And we know we can 
do this.

                              {time}  1030

  Not only has the process begun in California, but many other States 
across the Nation have stepped up to the plate to put in resources to 
rebuild their infrastructure, and we must get serious about that. 
President Trump has made a proposal for infrastructure, and I think we 
need to ensure that that infrastructure proposal also includes water.
  Water is critical not just in California but in Western States and 
throughout the country. We need to significantly improve our water 
storage or water delivery and our drinking water systems. We have taken 
initial steps to meet these challenges by acting at the State and 
Federal level.
  In 2014, California passed Proposition 1, which authorized $7.12 
billion for water infrastructure projects. Late last year, after hard 
work by many of my colleagues in a bipartisan fashion, the California 
delegation passed the Water Infrastructure Improvement Act, or the WIIN 
Act, that was signed by President Obama last December. This law 
authorized vital new water projects across the State, including, in the 
valley, additional storage at the New Exchequer Dam, and San Luis 
Reservoir in Merced County, as well as funding for water recycling 
projects like the North Valley Regional Recycled Water Program, and it 
will provide 50,000 acre-feet of additional water for both Merced and 
Stanislaus Counties.
  Although we have made some significant efforts to improve 
California's water infrastructure, this first good step indicates that 
we must build upon that and do more at all levels of government. That 
is what we must do on a bipartisan level. Let's take President Trump's 
suggestion and make this a bipartisan effort. This is an opportunity to 
invest.

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