[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 20]
[Senate]
[Page 28369]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



 REMARKS BY U.S. TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY RODNEY SLATER ON THE PASSING 
                         OF SENATOR JOHN CHAFEE

  Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, today, as we gather together to witness 
Lincoln Chafee take the oath of office to serve as the Senator from 
Rhode Island, I am reminded of my conversation last week with 
Transportation Secretary Rodney Slater.
  We shared fond memories of our friend and spoke of his many 
contributions to transportation safety. Secretary Slater worked closely 
with Chairman Chafee on transportation issues that came before the 
Committee on Environment and Public Works.
  I ask unanimous consent to print in the Record the remarks made last 
week by Transportation Secretary Rodney Slater on the passing of our 
colleagues, Senator John Chafee.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

  Statement of U.S. Transportation Secretary Rodney E. Slater on the 
                     Passing of Senator John Chafee

       We are deeply saddened by the death of Senator John Chafee. 
     He served the people of Rhode Island and of this nation long 
     and well, and leaves a legacy of accomplishment that will 
     endure for generations.
       As chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works 
     Committee, Sen. Chafee realized that the highway system is 
     more than concrete, asphalt and steel, and was an early 
     champion of a safer, more balanced, environmentally sensitive 
     transportation system. As a key author of the ground-breaking 
     Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991, he 
     possessed a vision of how much better and stronger our 
     surface transportation system could be. He then worked 
     tirelessly to preserve and build on those gains in the 1998 
     Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century. He cared 
     deeply about health care, and fought hard for critical 
     highway safety improvements and against drunk and drugged 
     driving.
       Sen. Chafee was responsible for the creation of the 
     Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program and 
     transportation enhancement activities. He insisted that the 
     highway system not be looked at alone, but rather as a 
     comprehensive network which includes trains, planes, buses, 
     ferries, bicycles and pedestrain paths.
       Sen. Chafee also was a protector of our marine environment, 
     playing a major role in the passage of legislation to prevent 
     oil spills and prohibit ocean dumping. He also was 
     instrumental in the passage of the 1990 Clean Air Act. He 
     always worked in a bipartisan manner with President Clinton 
     and this administration in order to get things done.
       Here at the U.S. Department of Transportation, we will work 
     to carry forward his legacy as we continue to build the 
     transportation system of the next century.

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