[House Report 112-348]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]


                                                 Union Calendar No. 233

112th Congress, 1st Session - - - - - - - - - - - House Report 112-348

                                (112-64)
 
   SUMMARY ON THE ACTIVITIES OF THE COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION AND 

                 INFRASTRUCTURE FOR THE 112TH CONGRESS

                               __________

                      ONE HUNDRED TWELFTH CONGRESS

                             FIRST SESSION

                     July 1, 2011-December 30, 2011

                               __________

             COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE

                     U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES




 December 23, 2011.--Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on 
            the State of the Union and ordered to be printed
             COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE

                    JOHN L. MICA, Florida, Chairman
DON YOUNG, Alaska                    NICK J. RAHALL II, West Virginia
THOMAS E. PETRI, Wisconsin           PETER A. DeFAZIO, Oregon
HOWARD COBLE, North Carolina         JERRY F. COSTELLO, Illinois
JOHN J. DUNCAN, Jr., Tennessee       ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON, District of 
FRANK A. LoBIONDO, New Jersey            Columbia
GARY G. MILLER, California           JERROLD NADLER, New York
TIMOTHY V. JOHNSON, Illinois         CORRINE BROWN, Florida
SAM GRAVES, Missouri                 BOB FILNER, California
BILL SHUSTER, Pennsylvania           EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON, Texas
SHELLEY MOORE CAPITO, West Virginia  ELIJAH E. CUMMINGS, Maryland
JEAN SCHMIDT, Ohio                   LEONARD L. BOSWELL, Iowa
CANDICE S. MILLER, Michigan          TIM HOLDEN, Pennsylvania
DUNCAN HUNTER, California            RICK LARSEN, Washington
ANDY HARRIS, Maryland                MICHAEL E. CAPUANO, Massachusetts
ERIC A. ``RICK'' CRAWFORD, Arkansas  TIMOTHY H. BISHOP, New York
JAIME HERRERA BEUTLER, Washington    MICHAEL H. MICHAUD, Maine
FRANK C. GUINTA, New Hampshire       RUSS CARNAHAN, Missouri
RANDY HULTGREN, Illinois             GRACE F. NAPOLITANO, California
LOU BARLETTA, Pennsylvania           DANIEL LIPINSKI, Illinois
CHIP CRAVAACK, Minnesota             MAZIE K. HIRONO, Hawaii
BLAKE FARENTHOLD, Texas              JASON ALTMIRE, Pennsylvania
LARRY BUCSHON, Indiana               TIMOTHY J. WALZ, Minnesota
BILLY LONG, Missouri                 HEATH SHULER, North Carolina
BOB GIBBS, Ohio                      STEVE COHEN, Tennessee
PATRICK MEEHAN, Pennsylvania         LAURA RICHARDSON, California
RICHARD L. HANNA, New York           ALBIO SIRES, New Jersey
JEFFREY M. LANDRY, Louisiana         DONNA F. EDWARDS, Maryland
STEVE SOUTHERLAND II, Florida
JEFF DENHAM, California
JAMES LANKFORD, Oklahoma
REID J. RIBBLE, Wisconsin
CHARLES J. ``CHUCK'' FLEISCHMANN, 
    Tennessee

                        SUBCOMMITTEE ON AVIATION

                  THOMAS E. PETRI, Wisconsin, Chairman
HOWARD COBLE, North Carolina         JERRY F. COSTELLO, Illinois
JOHN J. DUNCAN, Jr., Tennessee       RUSS CARNAHAN, Missouri
FRANK A. LoBIONDO, New Jersey        DANIEL LIPINSKI, Illinois
SAM GRAVES, Missouri                 PETER A. DeFAZIO, Oregon
JEAN SCHMIDT, Ohio                   BOB FILNER, California
FRANK C. GUINTA, New Hampshire       EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON, Texas
RANDY HULTGREN, Illinois             LEONARD L. BOSWELL, Iowa
CHIP CRAVAACK, Minnesota, Vice       TIM HOLDEN, Pennsylvania
    Chair                            MICHAEL E. CAPUANO, Massachusetts
BLAKE FARENTHOLD, Texas              MAZIE K. HIRONO, Hawaii
BILLY LONG, Missouri                 STEVE COHEN, Tennessee
PATRICK MEEHAN, Pennsylvania         ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON, District of 
STEVE SOUTHERLAND II, Florida            Columbia
JAMES LANKFORD, Oklahoma             NICK J. RAHALL II, West Virginia
REID J. RIBBLE, Wisconsin              (Ex Officio)
CHARLES J. ``CHUCK'' FLEISCHMANN, 
    Tennessee
JOHN L. MICA, Florida (Ex Officio)
        SUBCOMMITTEE ON COAST GUARD AND MARITIME TRANSPORTATION

                FRANK A. LoBIONDO, New Jersey, Chairman
DON YOUNG, Alaska                    RICK LARSEN, Washington
HOWARD COBLE, North Carolina         ELIJAH E. CUMMINGS, Maryland
ANDY HARRIS, Maryland                CORRINE BROWN, Florida
FRANK C. GUINTA, New Hampshire       TIMOTHY H. BISHOP, New York
CHIP CRAVAACK, Minnesota             MAZIE K. HIRONO, Hawaii
BLAKE FARENTHOLD, Texas              MICHAEL H. MICHAUD, Maine
JEFFREY M. LANDRY, Louisiana,        NICK J. RAHALL II, West Virginia
  Vice Chair                           (Ex Officio)
JOHN L. MICA, Florida (Ex Officio)

 SUBCOMMITTEE ON ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, PUBLIC BUILDINGS, AND EMERGENCY 
                               MANAGEMENT

                   JEFF DENHAM, California, Chairman
TIMOTHY V. JOHNSON, Illinois         ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON, District of 
ERIC A. ``RICK'' CRAWFORD,               Columbia
    Arkansas,                        HEATH SHULER, North Carolina
  Vice Chair                         MICHAEL H. MICHAUD, Maine
RANDY HULTGREN, Illinois             RUSS CARNAHAN, Missouri
LOU BARLETTA, Pennsylvania           TIMOTHY J. WALZ, Minnesota
BOB GIBBS, Ohio                      DONNA F. EDWARDS, Maryland
PATRICK MEEHAN, Pennsylvania         BOB FILNER, California
RICHARD L. HANNA, New York           NICK J. RAHALL II, West Virginia
CHARLES J. ``CHUCK'' FLEISCHMANN,      (Ex Officio)
    Tennessee
JOHN L. MICA, Florida (Ex Officio)

                  SUBCOMMITTEE ON HIGHWAYS AND TRANSIT

                JOHN J. DUNCAN, Jr., Tennessee, Chairman
DON YOUNG, Alaska                    PETER A. DeFAZIO, Oregon
THOMAS E. PETRI, Wisconsin           JERROLD NADLER, New York
HOWARD COBLE, North Carolina         BOB FILNER, California
FRANK A. LoBIONDO, New Jersey        LEONARD L. BOSWELL, Iowa
GARY G. MILLER, California           TIM HOLDEN, Pennsylvania
TIMOTHY V. JOHNSON, Illinois         MICHAEL E. CAPUANO, Massachusetts
SAM GRAVES, Missouri                 MICHAEL H. MICHAUD, Maine
BILL SHUSTER, Pennsylvania           GRACE F. NAPOLITANO, California
SHELLEY MOORE CAPITO, West Virginia  MAZIE K. HIRONO, Hawaii
JEAN SCHMIDT, Ohio                   JASON ALTMIRE, Pennsylvania
CANDICE S. MILLER, Michigan          TIMOTHY J. WALZ, Minnesota
ANDY HARRIS, Maryland                HEATH SHULER, North Carolina
ERIC A. ``RICK'' CRAWFORD, Arkansas  STEVE COHEN, Tennessee
JAIME HERRERA BEUTLER, Washington    LAURA RICHARDSON, California
FRANK C. GUINTA, New Hampshire       ALBIO SIRES, New Jersey
LOU BARLETTA, Pennsylvania           DONNA F. EDWARDS, Maryland
BLAKE FARENTHOLD, Texas              EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON, Texas
LARRY BUCSHON, Indiana               ELIJAH E. CUMMINGS, Maryland
BILLY LONG, Missouri                 NICK J. RAHALL II, West Virginia
BOB GIBBS, Ohio                        (Ex Officio)
RICHARD L. HANNA, New York, Vice 
    Chair
STEVE SOUTHERLAND II, Florida
JOHN L. MICA, Florida (Ex Officio)
     SUBCOMMITTEE ON RAILROADS, PIPELINES, AND HAZARDOUS MATERIALS

                  BILL SHUSTER, Pennsylvania, Chairman
GARY G. MILLER, California           CORRINE BROWN, Florida
SAM GRAVES, Missouri                 JERROLD NADLER, New York
SHELLEY MOORE CAPITO, West Virginia  RICK LARSEN, Washington
JEAN SCHMIDT, Ohio                   TIMOTHY H. BISHOP, New York
CANDICE S. MILLER, Michigan          MICHAEL H. MICHAUD, Maine
JAIME HERRERA BEUTLER, Washington    GRACE F. NAPOLITANO, California
RANDY HULTGREN, Illinois             DANIEL LIPINSKI, Illinois
LOU BARLETTA, Pennsylvania           JASON ALTMIRE, Pennsylvania
LARRY BUCSHON, Indiana               TIMOTHY J. WALZ, Minnesota
BILLY LONG, Missouri                 LAURA RICHARDSON, California
PATRICK MEEHAN, Pennsylvania         ALBIO SIRES, New Jersey
RICHARD L. HANNA, New York           PETER A. DeFAZIO, Oregon
JEFFREY M. LANDRY, Louisiana         JERRY F. COSTELLO, Illinois
JEFF DENHAM, California              NICK J. RAHALL II, West Virginia
REID J. RIBBLE, Wisconsin              (Ex Officio)
CHARLES J. ``CHUCK'' FLEISCHMANN, 
    Tennessee
JOHN L. MICA, Florida (Ex Officio)

            SUBCOMMITTEE ON WATER RESOURCES AND ENVIRONMENT

                       BOB GIBBS, Ohio, Chairman
DON YOUNG, Alaska                    TIMOTHY H. BISHOP, New York
JOHN J. DUNCAN, Jr., Tennessee       JERRY F. COSTELLO, Illinois
GARY G. MILLER, California           ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON, District of 
TIMOTHY V. JOHNSON, Illinois             Columbia
BILL SHUSTER, Pennsylvania           RUSS CARNAHAN, Missouri
SHELLEY MOORE CAPITO, West Virginia  DONNA F. EDWARDS, Maryland
CANDICE S. MILLER, Michigan          CORRINE BROWN, Florida
DUNCAN HUNTER, California            BOB FILNER, California
ANDY HARRIS, Maryland                EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON, Texas
ERIC A. ``RICK'' CRAWFORD, Arkansas  MICHAEL E. CAPUANO, Massachusetts
JAIME HERRERA BEUTLER, Washington,   GRACE F. NAPOLITANO, California
    Vice Chair                       JASON ALTMIRE, Pennsylvania
CHIP CRAVAACK, Minnesota             STEVE COHEN, Tennessee
LARRY BUCSHON, Indiana               LAURA RICHARDSON, California
JEFFREY M. LANDRY, Louisiana         MAZIE K. HIRONO, Hawaii
JEFF DENHAM, California              NICK J. RAHALL II, West Virginia
JAMES LANKFORD, Oklahoma               (Ex Officio)
REID J. RIBBLE, Wisconsin
JOHN L. MICA, Florida (Ex Officio)
                            C O N T E N T S

                              ----------                              
                                                                   Page
Jurisdiction of the House Committee on Transportation and 
  Infrastructure.................................................     1
Foreward.........................................................     3
Table of Bills Enacted into Law..................................     5
Table of Concurrent Resolutions Approved by Both Chambers........     6
Table of Bills and Resolutions Passed by the House but Not Acted 
  on by the Senate...............................................     6
Committee Organizational Meetings and Markups....................     7
Summary of Activities:
    Full Committee...............................................    10
    Subcommittee on Aviation.....................................    28
    Subcommittee in Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation......    37
    Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and 
      Emergency Management.......................................    47
    Subcommittee on Highways and Transit.........................    61
    Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials    65
    Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment..............    71
Oversight Plan...................................................    79
    Summary of Actions Taken and Recommendations Made Regarding 
      Oversight Plan.............................................    80
    Summary of Any Additional Oversight Activities Undertaken by 
      Committee or Recommendations or Actions....................    90
    Summary of Oversight Hearings Pursuant to Clauses 2(n), (o), 
      and (p) of Rule XI of the Rules of the House of 
      Representatives............................................    90
Oversight or Legislative Activity Conducted as Part of or as a 
  Result of the Inventory and Review of Existing, Pending, and 
  Proposed Regulations and Orders................................    94
Publications.....................................................    96
                         LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL

                              ----------                              

                          House of Representatives,
            Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure,
                                 Washington, DC, December 23, 2011.
Hon. John A. Boehner,
Speaker, House of Representatives,
Washington, DC.
    Dear Mr. Speaker: Pursuant to clause 1(d) of rule XI of the 
Rules of the House of Representatives, I submit the Summary of 
the Activities of the Committee on Transportation and 
Infrastructure for the first session 112th Congress.
    The purpose of this report is to provide Members of 
Congress, Congressional staff, and the general public with an 
overview of the activities of the Committee. This report is 
intended as a general reference tool and not as a substitute 
for Committee hearing records, reports, and files.
            Sincerely,
                                              John L. Mica,
                                                          Chairman.
    Enclosure.
                                                 Union Calendar No. 233
112th Congress                                                   Report
                        HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

 1st Session                                                    112-348

======================================================================

   SUMMARY ON THE ACTIVITIES OF THE COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION AND 
                 INFRASTRUCTURE FOR THE 112TH CONGRESS

                                _______
                                

 December 23, 2011.--Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on 
            the State of the Union and ordered to be printed

                                _______
                                

  Mr. Mica, from the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, 
                        submitted the following

                              R E P O R T

 PROVISIONS OF THE RULES OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES APPLICABLE TO 
     COMMITTEE ACTIVITIES; JURISDICTION OF THE HOUSE COMMITTEE ON 
                   TRANSPORTATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE

                                ``RULE X


                      ``ORGANIZATION OF COMMITTEES

            ``COMMITTEES AND THEIR LEGISLATIVE JURISDICTIONS

    ``1. There shall be in the House the following standing 
committees, each of which shall have the jurisdiction and 
related functions assigned by this clause and clauses 2, 3, and 
4. All bills, resolutions, and other matters relating to 
subjects within the jurisdiction of the standing committees 
listed in this clause shall be referred to those committees, in 
accordance with clause 2 of rule XII, as follows:
    ``(r) Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
    ``(1) Coast Guard, including lifesaving service, 
lighthouses, lightships, ocean derelicts, and the Coast Guard 
Academy.
    ``(2) Federal management of emergencies and natural 
disasters.
    ``(3) Flood control and improvement of rivers and harbors.
    ``(4) Inland waterways.
    ``(5) Inspection of merchant marine vessels, lights and 
signals, lifesaving equipment, and fire protection on such 
vessels.
    ``(6) Navigation and laws relating thereto, including 
pilotage.
    ``(7) Registering and licensing of vessels and small boats.
    ``(8) Rules and international arrangements to prevent 
collisions at sea.
    ``(9) The Capitol Building and the Senate and House Office 
Buildings.
    ``(10) Construction or maintenance of roads and post roads 
(other than appropriations therefor).
    ``(11) Construction or reconstruction, maintenance and care 
of buildings and grounds of the Botanic Garden, the Library of 
Congress, and the Smithsonian Institution.
    ``(12) Merchant marine (except for national security 
aspects thereof).
    ``(13) Purchase of sites and construction of post offices, 
customhouses, Federal courthouses, and Government buildings 
within the District of Columbia.
    ``(14) Oil and other pollution of navigable waters, 
including inland, coastal, and ocean waters.
    ``(15) Marine affairs, including coastal zone management, 
as they relate to oil and other pollution of navigable waters.
    ``(16) Public buildings and occupied or improved grounds of 
the United States generally.
    ``(17) Public works for the benefit of navigation, 
including bridges and dams (other than international bridges 
and dams).
    ``(18) Related transportation regulatory agencies (except 
the Transportation Security Administration).
    ``(19) Roads and the safety thereof.
    ``(20) Transportation, including civil aviation, railroads, 
water transportation, transportation safety (except automobile 
safety and transportation security functions of the Department 
of Homeland Security), transportation infrastructure, 
transportation labor, and railroad retirement and unemployment 
(except revenue measures related thereto).
    ``(21) Water power.

                                FOREWORD

    The 112th Congress began as the country was struggling with 
high unemployment (9.0% in January 2011), high home foreclosure 
rates, crumbling infrastructure, and dwindling hope among 
Americans. At the end of the first session of the 112th 
Congress, the country's unemployment rate has not greatly 
improved, settling at 8.6% in November 2011, and the country 
remains concerned about its future. The Committee on 
Transportation and Infrastructure continues to be committed to 
three primary objectives that will help improve the nation's 
economy:
        1. Creating jobs;
        2. Saving the taxpayer money; and
        3. Shrinking the size of the Federal government.
    In the first session of the 112th Congress, the Committee 
held six markups, one organizational meeting, 70 hearings, 14 
listening sessions, seven roundtables, and one symposium. In 
addition, the Committee reported 16 bills, issued two 
investigative reports on the Transportation Security 
Administration, and approved the Committee Oversight Plan and 
the Views and Estimates.
    The Committee crafted 12 bills which passed both the House 
and Senate. An important and timely bill, H.R. 2887, the 
``Surface and Air Transportation Programs Extension Act of 
2011,'' extended the expiring surface transportation program to 
March 31, 2012. The bill also extended the expiring air 
transportation programs until January 31, 2012. H.R. 2887 is a 
bipartisan, bicameral agreement that allows more time to 
complete the ultimate goal of comprehensive, long-term 
authorizations of the nation's aviation, highway, rail and 
safety programs. By passing long-term reauthorizations, 
millions of American jobs will be created, and the nation's 
highways, bridges and transit systems will be rebuilt and 
strengthened.
    The Committee ordered reported 20 important transportation 
and infrastructure bills during the first session of Congress. 
Specifically, since the June Activities Report, the Committee 
and the House have approved H.R. 2018, the ``Clean Water 
Cooperative Federalism Act of 2011,'' which restores the 
historic and balanced partnership between EPA and the states in 
regulating the nation's waters. It ensures EPA works with the 
states in setting reasonable, sound water quality standards.
    Additionally, the Committee and the House has approved H.R. 
2838, the ``Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Act of 
2011,'' which is a fiscally responsible reauthorization of the 
U.S. Coast Guard that includes programmatic reforms to help 
ensure the Service better utilizes resources and more 
efficiently replaces its aging assets.
    H.R. 2594, the ``European Union Emissions Trading Scheme 
Prohibition Act of 2011,'' also passed the Committee and the 
House. The legislation is a strong bipartisan response to EU 
plans to impose a costly fee on any civil aviation operators 
landing in or departing from EU airports.
    These bills contained provisions that will reduce or 
prevent government-imposed burdens and red tape on American 
businesses. Such legislation will ensure that the creation of 
much-needed U.S. jobs are not stifled or curtailed.
    The Committee could not have achieved these accomplishments 
without the bipartisan leadership and dedication of each of the 
Members of the Committee, particularly Ranking Member Nick J. 
Rahall, II, and the Chairs and Ranking Members of each of the 
Subcommittees. The Subcommittee Chairs immediately began their 
work by conducting hearings and guiding bills and resolutions 
through each of their respective Subcommittees.
    Consequently, I submit the Legislative and Oversight 
Activities of the Committee on Transportation and 
Infrastructure for the first session of the 112th Congress. 
This summary highlights accomplishments that will create jobs, 
save the taxpayer money, and shrink the size of the federal 
government all while improving the safety, security, and 
efficiency of the country's transportation systems and 
infrastructure for years to come.
                                      John L. Mica,
                                                  Chairman,
                    Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.


                                             BILLS ENACTED INTO LAW
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
     Public Law No.                 Date Enacted                    Bill No.                    Title
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
P.L. 112-2.............  February 17, 2011................  S. 188.................  A bill to designate the
                                                                                      United States courthouse
                                                                                      under construction at 98
                                                                                      West First Street, Yuma,
                                                                                      Arizona, as the ``John M.
                                                                                      Roll United States
                                                                                      Courthouse''.
P.L. 112-5.............  March 4, 2011....................  H.R. 662...............  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.
P.L. 112-7.............  March 31, 2011...................  H.R. 1079..............  To amend the Internal
                                                                                      Revenue Code of 1986 to
                                                                                      extend the funding and
                                                                                      expenditure authority of
                                                                                      the Airport and Airway
                                                                                      Trust Fund, to amend title
                                                                                      49, United States Code, to
                                                                                      extend the airport
                                                                                      improvement program, and
                                                                                      for other purposes.
P.L. 112-11............  April 25, 2011...................  S. 307.................  A bill to designate the
                                                                                      Federal building and
                                                                                      United States courthouse
                                                                                      located at 217 West King
                                                                                      Street, Martinsburg, West
                                                                                      Virginia, as the ``W.
                                                                                      Craig Broadwater Federal
                                                                                      Building and United States
                                                                                      Courthouse''.
P.L. 112-16............  May 31, 2011.....................  H.R. 1893..............  To amend the Internal
                                                                                      Revenue Code of 1986 to
                                                                                      extend the funding and
                                                                                      expenditure authority of
                                                                                      the Airport and Airway
                                                                                      Trust Fund, to amend title
                                                                                      49, United States Code, to
                                                                                      extend the airport
                                                                                      improvement program, and
                                                                                      for other purposes.
P.L. 112-21............  June 29, 2011....................  H.R. 2279..............  To amend the Internal
                                                                                      Revenue Code of 1986 to
                                                                                      extend the funding and
                                                                                      expenditure authority of
                                                                                      the Airport and Airway
                                                                                      Trust Fund, to amend title
                                                                                      49, United States Code, to
                                                                                      extend the airport
                                                                                      improvement program, and
                                                                                      for other purposes.
P.L. 112-27............  August 5, 2011...................  H.R. 2553..............  To amend the Internal
                                                                                      Revenue Code of 1986 to
                                                                                      extend the funding and
                                                                                      expenditure authority of
                                                                                      the Airport and Airway
                                                                                      Trust Fund, to amend title
                                                                                      49, United States Code, to
                                                                                      extend the airport
                                                                                      improvement program, and
                                                                                      for other purposes.
P.L. 112-30............  September 16, 2011...............  H.R. 2887..............  To provide an extension of
                                                                                      surface and air
                                                                                      transportation programs,
                                                                                      and for other purposes.
P.L. 112-31............  September 23, 2011...............  S. 846.................  A bill to designate the
                                                                                      United States courthouse
                                                                                      located at 80 Lafayette
                                                                                      Street in Jefferson City,
                                                                                      Missouri, as the
                                                                                      Christopher S. Bond United
                                                                                      States Courthouse.
P.L. 112-61............  November 30, 2011................  H.R. 3321..............  To facilitate the hosting
                                                                                      in the United States of
                                                                                      the 34th America's Cup by
                                                                                      authorizing certain
                                                                                      eligible vessels to
                                                                                      participate in activities
                                                                                      related to the
                                                                                      competition, and for other
                                                                                      purposes.
P.L. 112-XX............  .................................  H.R. 2845..............  To amend title 49, United
                                                                                      States Code, to provide
                                                                                      for enhanced safety and
                                                                                      environmental protection
                                                                                      in pipeline
                                                                                      transportation, to provide
                                                                                      for enhanced reliability
                                                                                      in the transportation of
                                                                                      the Nation's energy
                                                                                      products by pipeline, and
                                                                                      for other purposes.
P.L. 112-XX............  .................................  H.R. 1264..............  To designate the property
                                                                                      between the United States
                                                                                      Federal Courthouse and the
                                                                                      Ed Jones Building located
                                                                                      at 109 South Highland
                                                                                      Avenue in Jackson,
                                                                                      Tennessee, as the ``M.D.
                                                                                      Anderson Plaza'' and to
                                                                                      authorize the placement of
                                                                                      a historical/
                                                                                      identification marker on
                                                                                      the grounds recognizing
                                                                                      the achievements and
                                                                                      philanthropy of M.D.
                                                                                      Anderson.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


                                CONCURRENT RESOLUTIONS APPROVED BY BOTH CHAMBERS
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
      Resolution No.                      Title                      House Passage            Senate Passage
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
H. Con. Res. 16..........  Authorizing the use of the Capitol  May 11, 2011............  May 12, 2011
                            Grounds for the Greater
                            Washington Soap Box Derby.
H. Con. Res. 46..........  Authorizing the use of the Capitol  May 11, 2011............  May 12, 2011
                            Grounds for the National Peace
                            Officers' Memorial Service.
H. Con. Res. 67..........  Authorizing the use of the Capitol  September 7, 2011.......  September 8, 2011
                            Grounds for the District of
                            Columbia Special Olympics Law
                            Enforcement Torch Run.
H. Con. Res. 93..........  Providing for a correction to the   December 14, 2011.......  December 15, 2011
                            enrollment of the bill H.R. 2845.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


BILLS AND RESOLUTIONS PASSED BY THE HOUSE BUT NOT ACTED ON BY THE SENATE
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                        Date of House
       Bill No.                    Title                   Passage
------------------------------------------------------------------------
H.R. 362..............  To redesignate the Federal  May 2, 2011
                         building and United
                         States Courthouse located
                         at 200 East Wall Street
                         in Midland, Texas, as the
                         ``George H. W. Bush and
                         George W. Bush United
                         States Courthouse and
                         George Mahon Federal
                         Building''.
H.R. 872..............  To amend the Federal        March 31, 2011
                         Insecticide, Fungicide,
                         and Rodenticide Act and
                         the Federal Water
                         Pollution Control Act to
                         clarify Congressional
                         intent regarding the
                         regulation of the use of
                         pesticides in or near
                         navigable waters, and for
                         other purposes.
H.R. 1938.............  To direct the President to  July 26, 2011
                         expedite the
                         consideration and
                         approval of the
                         construction and
                         operation of the Keystone
                         XL oil pipeline, and for
                         other purposes.
H.R. 2018.............  To amend the Federal Water  July 13, 2011
                         Pollution Control Act to
                         preserve the authority of
                         each State to make
                         determinations relating
                         to the State's water
                         quality standards, and
                         for other purposes.
H.R. 2594.............  To prohibit operators of    October 24, 2011
                         civil aircraft of the
                         United States from
                         participating in the
                         European Union's
                         emissions trading scheme,
                         and for other purposes.
H.R. 2838.............  To authorize                November 15, 2011
                         appropriations for the
                         Coast Guard for fiscal
                         years 2012 through 2015,
                         and for other purposes.
H.R. 1791.............  To designate the United     November 16, 2011
                         States courthouse under
                         construction at 101 South
                         United States Route 1 in
                         Fort Pierce, Florida, as
                         the ``Alto Lee Adams,
                         Sr., United States
                         Courthouse''.
------------------------------------------------------------------------


                                  COMMITTEE ORGANIZATIONAL MEETINGS AND MARKUPS
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  Date of Organizational Meeting or
                Markup                   Full or Subcommittee            Agenda                  Outcome
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
January 26, 2011.....................  Full Committee.........  Organizational Meeting.
February 16, 2011....................  Full Committee.........  The Committee
                                                                 considered the
                                                                 following measures:
                                                                 Committee       Approved by voice vote
                                                                 resolution to reduce
                                                                 facility costs by
                                                                 consolidating National
                                                                 Gallery of Art and
                                                                 Federal Trade
                                                                 Commission operations
                                                                 in the District of
                                                                 Columbia.
                                                                 H.R. 690,       Ordered reported as
                                                                 Federal Trade            amended by voice vote
                                                                 Commission and
                                                                 National Gallery of
                                                                 Art Facility
                                                                 Consolidation, Savings
                                                                 and Efficiency Act of
                                                                 2011.
                                                                 Norton
                                                                 amendment to H.R. 690.
                                                                 Denham
                                                                 amendment to H.R. 690.
                                                                 H.R. 362, to    Ordered reported by
                                                                 redesignate the          voice vote
                                                                 Federal building and
                                                                 United States
                                                                 Courthouse located at
                                                                 200 East Wall Street
                                                                 in Midland, Texas, as
                                                                 the ``George H. W.
                                                                 Bush and George W.
                                                                 Bush United States
                                                                 Courthouse and George
                                                                 Mahon Federal
                                                                 Building''.
                                                                 H.R. 658, the   Ordered reported as
                                                                 FAA Reauthorization      amended by recorded
                                                                 and Reform Act of 2011.  vote 34-35
                                                                 Mica manager's
                                                                 amendment
                                                                 Costello
                                                                 amendment
                                                                 Shuster
                                                                 amendment
                                                                 Hirono
                                                                 amendment (OSHA)
                                                                 Hirono
                                                                 amendment (flight
                                                                 attendant fatigue)
                                                                 Michaud
                                                                 amendment
                                                                 Lipinski
                                                                 amendment
                                                                 H.R. 662, the   Ordered reported by
                                                                 Surface Transportation   voice vote
                                                                 Extension Act of 2011.
March 16, 2011.......................  Full Committee.........  The Committee
                                                                 considered the
                                                                 following measures:
                                                                 Fiscal Year     Approved by voice vote
                                                                 2012 Budget Views and
                                                                 Estimates of the
                                                                 Committee on
                                                                 Transportation and
                                                                 Infrastructure.
                                                                 S. 307, A bill  Ordered reported by
                                                                 to designate the         voice vote
                                                                 Federal building and
                                                                 United States
                                                                 Courthouse located at
                                                                 217 West King Street,
                                                                 Martinsburg, West
                                                                 Virginia, as the ``W.
                                                                 Craig Broadwater
                                                                 Federal Building and
                                                                 United States
                                                                 Courthouse''.
                                                                 H.R. 872,       Ordered reported by
                                                                 Reducing Regulatory      record vote 46-8
                                                                 Burdens Act of 2011.
                                                                 Schmidt
                                                                 manager's amendment.
                                                                 Bishop
                                                                 amendment, offered and
                                                                 withdrawn.
                                                                 H.R. 1079,      Ordered reported by
                                                                 Airport and Airway       voice vote
                                                                 Extension Act of 2011.
May 25, 2011.........................  Subcommittee on          The Committee            .......................
                                        Economic Development,    considered the
                                        Public Buildings, and    following measures:     Approved for Full
                                        Emergency Management.    H.R. 1734, The   Committee action
                                                                 Civilian Property
                                                                 Realignment Act, a
                                                                 bill to establish a
                                                                 framework through
                                                                 which a BRAC-like
                                                                 commission would
                                                                 independently review
                                                                 federal properties and
                                                                 make recommendations
                                                                 for consolidations, co-
                                                                 locations,
                                                                 redevelopement,
                                                                 selling or other
                                                                 actions to minimize
                                                                 costs.
                                                                 Rep. Denham
                                                                 amendment in the
                                                                 nature of a substitute.
June 22, 2011........................  Full Committee.........  The Committee
                                                                 considered the
                                                                 following measures:
                                                                 H.R. 1073, To   Ordered reported by
                                                                 designate the United     voice vote
                                                                 States courthouse to
                                                                 be constructed in
                                                                 Jackson, Mississippi,
                                                                 as the ``R. Jess Brown
                                                                 United States
                                                                 Courthouse''.
                                                                 H.R. 1264, To   Ordered reported by
                                                                 designate the property   voice vote
                                                                 between the United
                                                                 States Federal
                                                                 Courthouse and the Ed
                                                                 Jones Building located
                                                                 at 109 South Highland
                                                                 Avenue in Jackson,
                                                                 Tennessee, as the
                                                                 ``M.D. Anderson
                                                                 Plaza'' and to
                                                                 authorize the
                                                                 placement of a
                                                                 historical/
                                                                 identification marker
                                                                 on the grounds
                                                                 recognizing the
                                                                 achievements and
                                                                 philanthropy of M.D.
                                                                 Anderson.
                                                                 H.R. 1791, To   Ordered reported by
                                                                 designate the United     voice vote
                                                                 States courthouse
                                                                 under construction at
                                                                 101 South United
                                                                 States Route 1 in Fort
                                                                 Pierce, Florida, as
                                                                 the ``Alto Lee Adams,
                                                                 Sr., United States
                                                                 Courthouse''.
                                                                 H.R. 2018, The  Ordered to be reported
                                                                 Clean Water              (Amended) by the Yeas
                                                                 Cooperative Federalism   and Nays: 35-19.
                                                                 Act of 2011.
                                                                 Summary of
                                                                 Legislative and
                                                                 Oversight Activities
                                                                 Committee Report.
September 8, 2011....................  Full Committee.........  The Committee
                                                                 considered the
                                                                 following measures:
                                                                 H.R. 2594, To   Ordered reported by
                                                                 prohibit operators of    voice vote
                                                                 civil aircraft of the
                                                                 United States from
                                                                 participating in the
                                                                 European Union's
                                                                 emissions trading
                                                                 scheme, and for other
                                                                 purposes;
                                                                 H.R. 2838, To   Ordered reported as
                                                                 authorize                amended by voice vote
                                                                 appropriations for the
                                                                 Coast Guard for fiscal
                                                                 years 2012 through
                                                                 2015, and for other
                                                                 purposes;
                                                                 H.R. 2839, To   Ordered reported by
                                                                 suppress the threat of   voice vote
                                                                 piracy on the high
                                                                 seas, and for other
                                                                 purposes;
                                                                 H.R. 2844, To   Approved by voice vote
                                                                 authorize the
                                                                 Administrator of
                                                                 General Services to
                                                                 convey a parcel of
                                                                 real property in the
                                                                 District of Columbia
                                                                 to provide for the
                                                                 establishment of a
                                                                 National Women's
                                                                 History Museum and
                                                                 direct the
                                                                 Administrator of
                                                                 General Services to
                                                                 transfer
                                                                 administrative
                                                                 jurisdiction, custody,
                                                                 and control of the
                                                                 building located at
                                                                 600 Pennsylvania
                                                                 Avenue, NW., in the
                                                                 District of Columbia,
                                                                 to the National
                                                                 Gallery of Art, and
                                                                 for other purposes;
                                                                 H.R. 2845, To   Ordered reported as
                                                                 amend title 49, United   amended by voice vote
                                                                 States Code, to
                                                                 provide for enhanced
                                                                 safety and
                                                                 environmental
                                                                 protection in pipeline
                                                                 transportation, to
                                                                 provide for enhanced
                                                                 reliability in the
                                                                 transportation of the
                                                                 Nation's energy
                                                                 products by pipeline,
                                                                 and for other
                                                                 purposes;
                                                                 General         Approved by voice vote
                                                                 Services
                                                                 Administration Capital
                                                                 Investment and Leasing
                                                                 Program Resolutions.
October 13, 2011.....................  Full Committee.........  The Committee
                                                                 considered the
                                                                 following measures:
                                                                 H.R. 1734, To   Ordered reported as
                                                                 decrease the deficit     amended by voice vote
                                                                 by realigning,
                                                                 consolidating,
                                                                 selling, disposing,
                                                                 and improving the
                                                                 efficiency of Federal
                                                                 buildings and other
                                                                 civilian real
                                                                 property, and for
                                                                 other purposes;
                                                                 H.R. 2840, To   Ordered reported by
                                                                 amend the Federal        voice vote
                                                                 Water Pollution
                                                                 Control Act to
                                                                 regulate discharges
                                                                 from commercial
                                                                 vessels, and for other
                                                                 purposes;
                                                                 H.R. 2919, To   Ordered reported as
                                                                 eliminate the            amended by voice vote
                                                                 reimbursement
                                                                 requirement for
                                                                 certain tornado
                                                                 shelters constructed
                                                                 with Federal
                                                                 assistance, and for
                                                                 other purposes;
                                                                 H.R. 2668, To   Ordered reported by
                                                                 designate the station    voice vote
                                                                 of the United States
                                                                 Border Patrol located
                                                                 at 2136 South Naco
                                                                 Highway in Bisbee,
                                                                 Arizona, as the
                                                                 ``Brian A. Terry
                                                                 Border Patrol
                                                                 Station''.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


                         Summary of Activities

                             Full Committee

                                HEARINGS

    Title: Developing True High-Speed Rail in the Northeast 
Corridor: Stop Sitting on our Federal Assets: Grand Central 
Station, Northeast Balcony, New York, New York
    Date: January 27, 2011
    Purpose: Received testimony regarding the potential and 
development of high-speed rail in the Northeast Corridor, 
highlighting the importance of economic development, 
opportunities and incentives for private sector investment, and 
the need for competition and public-private partnerships.
    Summary: The Committee heard testimony from the City of New 
York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, former Governor of Pennsylvania 
Ed Rendell, the regional transportation planning organization 
for the New York region, a national high-speed rail advocacy 
organization, an infrastructure investment company, and a 
representative of rail labor. Discussions centered on the need 
to develop improved and increased intercity passenger rail 
services in the Northeast Corridor (NEC), including real high-
speed rail, and why the NEC is the premiere corridor in the 
U.S. for development of high-speed rail.
    The NEC serves the most densely populated region in the 
United States, connecting the major cities of Washington, DC, 
Philadelphia, New York City and Boston. As one of the most 
valuable transportation assets in the United States, providing 
the only continuous physical link, along with I-95, between the 
largest population centers, the NEC is mostly owned and 
controlled by Amtrak, the government-subsidized intercity 
passenger rail provider. Of the 437 total miles of the NEC, 
Amtrak owns and operates on 363 miles, with states controlling 
the remaining track. The Northeast region's population density, 
economic productivity, transit connectivity, and crippling 
congestion on the roads and in the air make the NEC the best 
opportunity for real high-speed rail in the U.S.
    However, despite recent capital improvement projects by 
Amtrak and the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), the NEC 
still fails to meet international standards for high-speed 
rail, with the Acela (Amtrak's high-speed service) averaging 
only 83 miles per hour between Washington, DC and New York and 
65 miles per hour from New York to Boston. Internationally, 
high-speed trains can average 150 miles per hour and many 
nations are upgrading their trains to reach top speeds of 220 
miles per hour.
    Title: Improving and Reforming Our Nation's Surface 
Transportation Programs: Beckley, West Virginia Field Hearing
    Date: February 14, 2011
    Purpose: Received testimony on the local transportation 
challenges facing the State of West Virginia, and the local 
area surrounding Beckley. Pursuant to the belief that the best 
ideas come outside of Washington, and that state and local 
governments know their needs best, the Committee held multiple 
field hearings and listening sessions across the country in 
order to gather specific policy proposals for reauthorization 
of the Federal surface transportation programs.
    Summary: This field hearing was part of the Committee's 
effort to gather ideas and policy proposals to prepare for the 
reauthorization of the Federal surface transportation programs 
under SAFETEA-LU, which expired on September 30, 2009, but was 
extended through September 30, 2011. The Committee received 
testimony from the West Virginia Secretary of Transportation, 
an executive director of a contractors association, an 
executive director of an expressway authority, an executive 
director of a highway authority, an executive director of a 
county redevelopment authority, and a program director of a 
transportation institute. The witnesses discussed specific 
suggestions and policy proposals to improve and reform the 
nation's surface transportation programs.
    DOT currently administers over 100 highway, transit, and 
highway safety programs, many of which serve duplicative 
purposes or are no longer needed. The hearing focused on ways 
to consolidate or eliminate these duplicative or unnecessary 
programs and study performance management approaches that 
increase the accountability and transparency of Federal surface 
transportation funds, as well as creative financing solutions 
and private sector investment into transportation projects.
    With the Highway Trust Fund (HTF) expected to run out of 
money in 2013, innovative financing tools and private sector 
investment in financing surface transportation projects were 
methods the Committee discussed with the witnesses and will 
explore to help the Federal government and states find ways to 
do more with less and better leverage existing revenue sources. 
The hearing also focused on potential reforms to the project 
delivery process and explored what improvements could be made 
to existing rules and regulations governing project delivery in 
order to expedite the delivery process for all projects and 
reduce the cost of transportation projects.
    Title: Improving and Reforming Our Nation's Surface 
Transportation Programs: Columbus, Ohio Field Hearing
    Date: February 19, 2011
    Purpose: Received testimony on the local transportation 
challenges facing the State of Ohio, and the local area 
surrounding Columbus. Pursuant to the belief that the best 
ideas come outside of Washington, and that state and local 
governments know their needs best, the Committee held multiple 
field hearings and listening sessions across the country in 
order to gather specific policy proposals for reauthorization 
of the Federal surface transportation programs.
    Summary: This field hearing was part of the Committee's 
effort to gather ideas and policy proposals to prepare for the 
reauthorization of the Federal surface transportation programs 
under SAFETEA-LU, which expired on September 30, 2009, but was 
extended through September 30, 2011. The Committee received 
testimony from the State Director of the Ohio DOT, a president 
of a local construction company, a local county engineer, a 
local mayor, a chairman of a railcar company, and several other 
witnesses representing different interests within the 
transportation community. The witnesses discussed specific 
suggestions and policy proposals to improve and reform the 
nation's surface transportation programs.
    With the HTF expected to run out of money in 2013, 
innovative financing tools and private sector investment in 
financing surface transportation projects were methods the 
Committee discussed with the witnesses and will explore to help 
the Federal government and states find ways to do more with 
less and better leverage existing revenue sources. The hearing 
also focused on potential reforms to the project delivery 
process and explored what improvements could be made to 
existing rules and regulations governing project delivery in 
order to expedite the delivery process for all projects and 
reduce the cost of transportation projects.
    Title: Improving and Reforming Our Nation's Surface 
Transportation Programs To Support Job Creation and the Economy
    Date: February 23, 2011
    Committee: A joint hearing between the Subcommittee on 
Highways and Transit and the U.S. Senate Committee on 
Environment and Public Works.
    Purpose: Received testimony in a joint hearing in Los 
Angeles, California, with the U.S. Senate on the local 
transportation challenges facing Southern California and the 
State of California. This bi-cameral field hearing was part of 
the Committee's effort to gather ideas and policy proposals to 
prepare for the reauthorization of the Federal surface 
transportation programs under SAFETEA-LU, which expired on 
September 30, 2009, but was extended through September 30, 
2011.
    Summary: Pursuant to the belief that the best ideas come 
outside of Washington, and that state and local governments 
know their needs best, the Committee held this hearing in 
conjunction with the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and 
Public Works in an effort to receive testimony from a number of 
representatives from different transportation industries. The 
Committee received testimony from the Mayor of Los Angeles, the 
State Director of the California DOT, a chief executive officer 
of a county transportation authority, two different executive 
directors of local transportation commissions, and several 
other transportation industry representatives. The witnesses 
provided the Committee with specific suggestions and policy 
proposals to improve and reform the nation's surface 
transportation programs.
    At the hearing, witnesses testified on the cash balance in 
the Highway Account of the HTF. The Highway Account had a 
balance of $22.55 billion at the end of FY 2000. The balance 
dropped to $13 billion by the expiration of TEA 21--the 
previous six-year surface transportation authorization--at the 
end of FY 03. In September 2008 the balance in the Highway 
Account decreased to a level requiring Congress to transfer $8 
billion into the HTF from the General Fund. Subsequent General 
Fund transfers to the HTF in 2009 and 2010 totaled $26.5 
billion. Current projections show the cash balance in the 
Highway Account of the HTF will be depleted sometime in 2013 
and the Mass Transit Account will be depleted sometime in 2014.
    With the HTF expected to be depleted in 2013, the witnesses 
provided ideas for innovative financing tools and private 
investment in financing surface transportation projects, 
methods the Subcommittee will explore to help the Federal 
government and states find ways to do more with less and better 
leverage existing revenue sources. The Subcommittee also 
gathered ideas on potential reforms to the project delivery 
process and explored what improvements could be made to 
existing rules and regulations governing project delivery in 
order to expedite the delivery process for all projects and 
reduce the cost of transportation projects.
    DOT currently administers over 100 highway, transit, and 
highway safety programs, many of which serve duplicative 
purposes or are no longer needed. The Committee discussed with 
the witnesses approaches that would consolidate or eliminate 
duplicative or unnecessary programs. The Committee will study 
performance management approaches that increase the 
accountability and transparency of Federal surface 
transportation funds moving forward to ensure their 
effectiveness.
    Title: Improving and Reforming Our Nation's Surface 
Transportation Programs: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Field Hearing
    Date: February 24, 2011
    Purpose: Received testimony on the local transportation 
challenges facing the State of Oklahoma, and the local area 
surrounding Oklahoma City. Pursuant to the belief that the best 
ideas come outside of Washington, and that state and local 
governments know best what they need, the Committee held 
multiple field hearings and listening sessions across the 
country in order to gather specific policy proposals for 
reauthorization of the Federal surface transportation programs.
    Summary: This field hearing was part of the Committee's 
effort to gather ideas and policy proposals to prepare for the 
reauthorization of the Federal surface transportation programs 
under SAFETEA-LU, which expired on September 30, 2009, but was 
extended through September 30, 2011. The Committee received 
testimony from the Governor of Oklahoma, the State Secretary of 
the Oklahoma DOT, presidents of local construction groups, a 
president of a safety group, and a transportation revenue 
group. The witnesses discussed specific ideas, suggestions and 
policy proposals to improve and reform the nation's surface 
transportation programs.
    At the hearing, witnesses testified on the cash balance in 
the Highway Account of the HTF. The Highway Account had a 
balance of $22.55 billion at the end of FY 2000. The balance 
dropped to $13 billion by the expiration of TEA 21--the 
previous six-year surface transportation authorization--at the 
end of FY 03. In September 2008 the balance in the Highway 
Account decreased to a level requiring Congress to transfer $8 
billion into the HTF from the General Fund. Subsequent General 
Fund transfers to the HTF in 2009 and 2010 totaled $26.5 
billion. Current projections show the cash balance in the 
Highway Account of the HTF will be depleted sometime in 2013 
and the Mass Transit Account will be depleted sometime in 2014.
    With the HTF expected to be depleted in 2013, the witnesses 
provided ideas for innovative financing tools and private 
investment in financing surface transportation projects, 
methods the Subcommittee will explore to help the Federal 
government and states find ways to do more with less and better 
leverage existing revenue sources. The Subcommittee also 
gathered ideas on potential reforms to the project delivery 
process and explored what improvements could be made to 
existing rules and regulations governing project delivery in 
order to expedite the delivery process for all projects and 
reduce the cost of transportation projects.
    DOT currently administers over 100 highway, transit, and 
highway safety programs, many of which serve duplicative 
purposes or are no longer needed. The Committee discussed with 
the witnesses approaches that would consolidate or eliminate 
duplicative or unnecessary programs. The Committee will study 
performance management approaches that increase the 
accountability and transparency of Federal surface 
transportation funds moving forward to ensure their 
effectiveness.
    Title: American Presidential Libraries: Their Mission and 
Their Future
    Date: February 28, 2011
    Purpose: Received testimony in a joint hearing between the 
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and the 
Committee on Oversight and Government Reform on presidential 
libraries.
    Summary: The Committees received testimony from the 
Archivist of the United States, directors of presidential 
libraries, a family member of a former president, and an 
historian. With over two million visitors per year, the 
presidential libraries are national treasures that serve as 
centers for the study of the executive branch and individual 
presidents by historians, students, and the general public. 
Testimony from witnesses focused on the relationship between 
the Federal government and our Nation's public and private 
presidential libraries. Witnesses examined the future role of 
the government and other cooperative relationships that will 
assist these vital institutions. Specific topics of discussion 
included the digitalization of presidential materials and the 
role of newer technology in the mission of the libraries. 
Presidential Library directors also elaborated on how the 
enormous volume of presidential correspondence, memoranda, and 
other documents are processed by archivists. The cost of 
maintaining library facilities throughout the Nation by the 
Federal government was also discussed. Relating to this topic, 
the benefits and shortfalls of a central repository for 
presidential materials located in Washington, DC were debated 
by the participants.
    Title: Improving and Reforming Our Nation's Surface 
Transportation Programs: Maitland, Florida Field Hearing
    Date: March 14, 2011
    Purpose: Received testimony on the local transportation 
challenges facing Florida, and the greater Orlando area. 
Pursuant to the belief that the best ideas come outside of 
Washington, and that state and local governments know best what 
they need, the Committee held multiple field hearings and 
listening sessions across the country in order to gather 
specific policy proposals for reauthorization of the Federal 
surface transportation programs.
    Summary: This field hearing was part of the Committee's 
effort to gather ideas and policy proposals to prepare for the 
reauthorization of the Federal surface transportation programs 
under SAFETEA-LU, which expired on September 30, 2009, but was 
extended through September 30, 2011. The Committee received 
testimony from an engineer from the Florida DOT, a president of 
a transportation builders association, a local county chairman, 
a local staff director of a metropolitan planning organization, 
a president of a high-speed rail company, a representative of 
the transportation disadvantaged community, and a partner from 
a national law firm. The witnesses discussed specific ideas, 
suggestions and policy proposals to improve and reform the 
nation's surface transportation programs.
    With the HTF expected to run out of money in 2013, 
innovative financing tools and private investment in financing 
surface transportation projects were discussed to help the 
Federal government and states find ways to do more with less 
and better leverage existing revenue sources. The witnesses 
also testified on potential reforms to the project delivery 
process and what improvements could be made to existing rules 
and regulations governing project delivery in order to expedite 
the delivery process for all projects and reduce the cost of 
transportation projects.
    DOT currently administers over 100 highway, transit, and 
highway safety programs, many of which serve duplicative 
purposes or are no longer needed. The Committee discussed with 
the witnesses approaches that would consolidate or eliminate 
duplicative or unnecessary programs. The Committee will study 
performance management approaches that increase the 
accountability and transparency of Federal surface 
transportation funds moving forward to ensure their 
effectiveness.
    Title: Biometric IDs for Pilots and Transportation Workers: 
Diary of Failures
    Date: April 14, 2011
    Purpose: Received testimony on the inclusion of biometric 
identifiers on identification for airline pilots and other 
transportation workers, as well as the state of federal 
biometric standards and uses.
    Summary: The Committee continued oversight of the Federal 
Aviation Administration (FAA) pilot license program. The FAA 
has ignored Congressional and Administrative guidance on 
issuing biometric credentials to airline pilots. In section 
4022 of the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 
2004 (P.L. 108-458), Congress mandated that not later than one 
year after the date of enactment, the FAA must begin to issue 
improved pilot licenses consistent with the requirements of 
title 49, United States Code, and title 14, Code of Federal 
Regulations. The Act further specified the improved pilot 
licenses would be resistant to tampering, alteration, and 
counterfeiting, include a photograph of the individual to whom 
the license is issued, and be capable of accommodating a 
digital photograph, a biometric identifier, or any other unique 
identifier that the FAA considered necessary. Six years later, 
the FAA still has not included biometric identifiers or 
photographs on pilot licenses. Once the photograph mandate is 
implemented, a pilot license will be an acceptable 
identification card to use at airport checkpoints and, 
according to existing Federal standards for personal identity 
verification cards, a pilot license may be used to quickly and 
electronically verify pilot identification at airport 
checkpoints, allowing pilots to bypass physical screening.
    The Committee heard testimony from Peggy Gilligan, 
Associate Administrator for Aviation Safety at the FAA, 
regarding FAA's current pilot license and FAA's progress in 
developing a pilot license that includes biometric identifiers. 
Ms. Gilligan also testified regarding FAA's desire to cooperate 
with the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) in 
creating a biometric pilot license and FAA's desire to avoid 
duplicating the existing biometric standards promulgated by the 
National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). The 
Committee heard testimony from Cita Furlani, Director of the 
Information Technology Laboratory, NIST, regarding federal 
standards for biometric identifiers, the types of biometric 
identifiers in use, and the implementation and interoperability 
of these identifiers. The Committee invited testimony from John 
Pistole, Administrator, TSA, and John Schwartz, Transportation 
Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) Program Manager, TSA, 
but they refused to attend.
    The hearing demonstrated the FAA ignored Congressional 
mandates regarding the inclusion of biometric identifiers on 
federal pilot licenses. The Committee's oversight of this 
important issue will increase the security of the country's 
aviation system by ensuring that future pilot licenses are 
secure, tamper-resistant, and contain biometric identifiers.
    Title: Stimulus Status: Two Years and Counting
    Date: May 4, 2011
    Purpose: Received testimony, pursuant to the Committee-
approved Oversight Plan and House Rule XI, Clause 2(n), to 
examine the audit work performed by the Government 
Accountability Office (GAO), the Department of Transportation 
Inspector General (DOT IG), and the Environmental Protection 
Agency Inspector General (EPA IG) on implementation of the 
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. GAO and the two IGs 
performed extensive audit work on the implementation of funded 
programs from the Department of Transportation (DOT), including 
the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), the Federal Transit 
Administration (FTA), the Federal Aviation Administration 
(FAA), and the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), and the 
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The audits uncovered 
significant lapses in oversight by the implementing agencies, 
mismanagement of grants and funds, and lack of transparency.
    Summary: The Committee heard testimony from DOT IG, Calvin 
L. Scovel, III, EPA IG, Arthur A. Elkins, Jr., and the GAO 
directors on transportation and infrastructure projects, 
Phillip Herr and David Trimble, on their extensive audit work 
regarding the implementation of the American Recovery and 
Reinvestment Act, particularly areas of grant mismanagement, 
poor project selection, and lack of transparency. Roy Kienitz, 
Undersecretary for Policy at DOT, also testified.
    Title: Opening the Northeast Corridor to Private 
Competition for Development of High-Speed Rail
    Date: May 26, 2011
    Purpose: Received testimony regarding the development of 
high-speed rail in the NEC through private competition using a 
public-private partnership.
    Summary: Witnesses at the hearing were U.S. Senator Frank 
R. Lautenberg (D-NJ), a representative from the Reason 
Foundation, an infrastructure investor, a national real estate 
development and investment representative, a national high-
speed rail advocacy organization, and two rail labor 
representatives. Discussions centered on how private sector 
rail infrastructure management and passenger rail operations 
expertise, as well as private sector financing, can be made 
part of the strategy to improve and expand passenger rail 
services, including real high-speed rail, on the NEC.
    Public-private partnerships share financing, management, 
and operational responsibilities for a project between public 
entities and private investors or partners. Private sector 
financing and participation would allow high-speed rail and 
other intercity passenger rail projects on the NEC to be 
developed and constructed quickly and more efficiently. Several 
international examples of successful and profitable rail 
development and operations through private sector partnering 
were discussed.
    An alternative strategy to Amtrak's expensive and slow 
proposal, a ``Vision for High-Speed Rail in the Northeast 
Corridor,'' was discussed at the hearing, and would allow 
Northeastern States to manage the Northeast Corridor 
infrastructure and operations under a public-private 
partnership model. This plan would use a request for proposals 
solicitation to attract competitive bids to finance, design, 
build, operate, and maintain high-speed and enhanced intercity 
passenger rail service on the NEC. Federal support for this 
project would still be needed, but competition will ensure that 
taxpayer dollars are used as efficiently as possible.
    Title: How To Best Improve Bus Safety on Our Nation's 
Highways
    Date: June 13, 2011
    Purpose: Received testimony related to improving the 
existing laws and regulations governing bus safety. The hearing 
was part of the Committee's effort to reauthorize Federal 
surface transportation programs under SAFETEA-LU, which expired 
on September 30, 2009, but was extended through September 30, 
2011.
    Summary: As a result of recent high profile bus accidents 
in Virginia, New Jersey, and New York, questions regarding the 
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's (FMCSA) 
effectiveness in keeping unsafe ``rogue'' bus operators off the 
nation's highways were raised. The Committee received testimony 
from Anne S. Ferro, the Administrator of the FMCSA, Major David 
Palmer of the Texas Department of Public Safety on behalf of 
the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance, Peter Pantuso, 
President and Chief Executive Officer of the American Bus 
Association, Victor Parra, President and Chief executive 
Officer of the United Motorcoach Association, and Jaqueline S. 
Gillan, Vice President of the Advocates for Highway and Auto 
Safety. The witnesses offered ideas and specific suggestions 
for improving and reforming motorcoach safety and the 
effectiveness of DOT in keeping unsafe operators off the 
nation's highways.
    As part of its Motorcoach Safety Action plan, the FMCSA and 
its state and local law enforcement partners conducted more 
than 3,000 surprise passenger carrier safety inspections over a 
two-week period in May 2011 that resulted in 442 unsafe buses 
or drivers being removed from the nation's highways. The strike 
force issued out-of-service citations to 127 drivers and 315 
vehicles during the unannounced inspections. In addition to the 
strike force inspections, the FMCSA and state safety 
investigators initiated 38 full safety compliance reviews on 
commercial passenger bus companies. According to the FMCSA, 
from 2005 to 2010, it doubled the number of unannounced bus 
safety inspections and comprehensive safety reviews of the 
estimated 4,000 over-the-road bus companies. Roadside safety 
inspections of motorcoaches jumped from 12,991 in 2005 to 
25,703 in 2010, while compliance reviews rose from 457 in 2005 
to 1,042 in 2010.
    Realizing that bus transportation is one of safest modes of 
travel, the Committee discussed ideas that ensure Federal 
safety laws are effectively enforced, particularly to prevent 
continued operations by bad actors in the industry. In 2009, 
more than 35,000 buses provided 723 million passenger trips and 
traveled more than 58 billion passenger miles. The hearing 
focused on ways to curb accidents related to driver fatigue and 
error, and focused on specific policy provisions for the 
Committee's consideration to make highways safer for the 
traveling public.
    The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) 
is charged with improving safety on the national highway system 
by reducing the number of accidents and the consequences of 
those accidents that do occur. According to NHTSA's 2009 
Traffic Safety Facts FARS/GES Annual Report, 0.6 percent of all 
traffic crashes involved buses and these crashes resulted in 
less than 50 fatalities. Although the agency does not regulate 
the operation of motorcoaches, NHTSA is responsible for issuing 
and enforcing Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, which set 
performance criteria that every new motorcoach must meet. These 
standards include crash avoidance protection measures and 
occupant restraint systems. The witnesses discussed the 
effectiveness of these safety measures and whether or not the 
performance criteria for new motorcoach companies is stringent 
enough to prevent future bad actors from operating on the 
highways.
    Title: Legislative hearing on the Committee print, 
``Competition for Intercity Passenger Rail in America''
    Date: June 22, 2011
    Purpose: Received testimony on managing Amtrak's Northeast 
Corridor business unit as a public-private partnership, as 
envisioned in the draft legislation, ``Competition for 
Intercity Passenger Rail in America'' at the request of Ranking 
Member Nick J. Rahall and Subcommittee Ranking Member Corrine 
Brown.
    Summary: The Committee heard testimony from the President 
of Amtrak, Joseph Boardman, an adjunct scholar from the 
American Enterprise Institute, the Executive Director of the 
Council of Northeast Governors, the Vice President of 
Government Affairs & General Counsel of the U.S. High Speed 
Rail Association, and the President of the Transportation 
Trades Department of the AFL-CIO.
    On June 15, 2011, Chairman John L. Mica and Subcommittee on 
Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials Chairman Bill 
Shuster sponsored a public roll-out and discussion of their 
draft bill, ``Competition for Intercity Passenger Rail in 
America Act of 2011.'' Shortly after, a legislative hearing was 
requested in order to further discuss and fine-tune the 
proposal in order to gather commentary and concerns from other 
members and affected parties.
    The Competition for Intercity Passenger Rail in America 
draft bill offers a new plan for high-speed and intercity 
passenger rail on the Northeast Corridor (NEC) by leveraging 
private sector investment and increasing competition in the 
form of public-private partnerships. It would separate the NEC 
from Amtrak, transferring titles from Amtrak to the U.S. 
Department of Transportation in consideration for all but one 
share of the Amtrak's preferred stock and forgiveness of all 
Amtrak's mortgages and liens held by the Secretary. The draft 
bill would also create a NEC Executive Committee to whom the 
Secretary would lease the NEC for 99 years and whose role is to 
manage the NEC infrastructure and operations.
    After the legislative hearing, the comment and review 
period for the draft bill was left open for thirty calendar 
days in order to gain more submissions and commentary from the 
public.
    Title: NextGen: Leveraging Public, Private, and Academic 
Resources
    Date: November 7, 2011
    Purpose: Received testimony on ways the Federal Aviation 
Administration (FAA) can leverage public, private, and academic 
resources to deliver the operational efficiency and safety 
benefits of the agency's air traffic control modernization 
program.
    Summary: The Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure 
held a field hearing in Daytona Beach, Florida on air traffic 
control modernization or NextGen. The hearing focused on ways 
the FAA can leverage public, private, and academic resources to 
deliver the operational efficiency and safety benefits of the 
agency's air traffic control modernization program, known as 
NextGen. The hearing was held on the campus of Embry-Riddle 
Aeronautical University where the FAA's Florida NextGen Test 
Bed is located in partnership with the University, the Daytona 
Beach International Airport, and various aerospace industry 
partners. At the hearing, panelists discussed how technologies 
and capabilities developed at the Test Bed would be integrated 
into the national airspace, and also the benefits of early 
industry involvement in NextGen programs. Panelists also 
discussed the unique research and development capabilities 
available to the FAA through its partnership with Embry-Riddle.
    The Committee heard testimony from the FAA Administrator, 
J. Randolph ``Randy'' Babbitt, the Government Accountability 
Office, and several industry witnesses, some of whom are 
participants in the Florida NextGen Test Bed.
    Title: The Federal Railroad Administration's High-Speed and 
Intercity Passenger Program: Mistakes and Lessons Learned
    Date: December 6, 2011
    Purpose: Received testimony on the Federal Railroad 
Administration's High-Speed and Intercity Passenger Rail 
(HSIPR) Program which was funded in the 2009 American Recovery 
and Reinvestment Act and in FY 10, but has not received funding 
in FY 11 and 12.
    Summary: The Committee heard testimony from the Secretary 
of Transportation, Ray LaHood, along with four other witnesses: 
the Chairman of the Northeast Corridor Infrastructure & 
Operations Advisory Commission; the Editor and Publisher of 
Innovation News Brief; the American Enterprise Institute; and 
the President of the National Association of Railroad 
Passengers.
    Using that framework set forth in the Passenger Rail 
Investment and Improvement Act of 2008 (PRIIA), the American 
Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) allocated $8 billion in 
federal funding used to launch the FRA's HSIPR program in June 
2009. The ARRA combined two separate PRIIA grant programs, the 
State Capital Grants for Intercity Passenger Rail Service (49 
USC 24402), and the High-Speed Rail Corridor Development 
Program (49 USC 26106), which had different purposes and 
criteria. The State Capital Grants were available to expand or 
improve intercity passenger rail transportation, regardless of 
speed; the High-Speed Rail Corridor program was targeted to 
designated high-speed rail corridors only for corridors that 
reach speed of at least 110 miles per hour. In FY 10, the two 
programs were once again combined under HSIPR, and $2 billion 
in funding was appropriated. However, in FY 11 and 2012, 
Congress has not funded the HSIPR Program, and the FY 11 
Omnibus actually rescinded $400 million of unobligated HSIPR 
funds. The hearing examined the status of the program, what 
types of passenger rail projects were funded, very few of which 
were high-speed projects, why certain states rejected funding.
    The commentary from members and some witnesses also 
stressed the importance of significant investment in the 
Northeast Corridor, specifically for high-speed rail. With its 
heavy population, crowded highways and airports, and a record-
setting year for Amtrak riders in the Northeast, this corridor 
is the best candidate in the nation for high-speed rail 
investment.
    Title: Restoring Jobs in the Gulf of Mexico: H.R. 3096, the 
Resources and Ecosystems Sustainability, Tourist Opportunities, 
and Revived Economies of the Gulf Coast States Act of 2011
    Date: December 7, 2011
    Purpose: Received testimony from the Gulf Coast region on 
H.R. 3096, the Resources and Ecosystems Sustainability, Tourist 
Opportunities, and Revived Economies of the Gulf Coast States 
Act of 2011. The Subcommittee was also interested in an update 
on uncompensated claims from damages occurring as a result of 
the BP DEEPWATER HORIZON Oil Spill and how H.R. 3096 might 
affect claims made under Section 1012 of the Oil Pollution Act 
of 1990.
    Summary: The Subcommittee heard testimony from three 
separate panels. The first panel was made up of members of the 
House of Representatives from Gulf Coast states. Congressmen 
Pete Olson (R-TX), Jeff Miller (R-FL), Steve Palazzo (R-MS), Jo 
Bonner (R-AL), and Steve Scalise (R-LA) testified on the first 
panel. The second panel included Mr. Craig Bennett, Director of 
the National Pollution Funds Center at the United States Coast 
Guard, and Mr. Tony Penn, Deputy Chief of the Assessment and 
Restoration Division in the Office of Response and Restoration 
at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The 
last panel consisted of the Honorable Garret Graves, Chair of 
the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority of Louisiana; 
the Honorable Robert Craft, Mayor of the City of Gulf Shores, 
AL; the Honorable Bill Williams, Commissioner on the Gulf 
County Board of Commissioners; Mr. Julian MacQueen, Chief 
Executive Officer at Innisfree Hotels, Inc; Dr. Robert 
Weisberg, Professor at University of South Florida; and Mr. 
Mike Voisin of Motivatit Seafoods in Houma, LA.
    The RESTORE Act of 2011 was introduced by Representative 
Steve Scalise (R-LA) and a bipartisan group of 24 Members 
representing Gulf Coast districts. The bill was also 
sequentially referred to the Natural Resources Committee and 
the Science, Space and Technology Committee. If enacted, the 
legislation would establish a Gulf Coast Restoration Trust Fund 
in the Treasury and a Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council. 
It would also redirect 80% of any Clean Water Act 
administrative and civil penalties paid by those responsible 
for the DEEPWATER HORIZON oil spill to the five Gulf Coast 
states (Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas) to 
aid in economic and ecological recovery following the explosion 
and sinking of the DEEPWATER HORIZON mobile offshore drilling 
unit in April 2010. Witnesses from the Administration fielded a 
number of questions regarding their position on H.R. 2096, 
while the majority of witnesses on the last panel focused on 
the remaining damage from the spill and the benefits this 
legislation may provide for their respective communities.
    Title: California's High-Speed Rail Plan: Skyrocketing 
Costs and Project Concerns
    Date: December 15, 2011
    Purpose: Received testimony related to the constant 
increasing cost of building a high-speed rail system in 
California. While the 800-mile statewide project was originally 
estimated to be $43 billion in 2008, the total cost estimate 
has more than doubled to $98.5 billion and the project 
completion date has been extended 13 years.
    Summary: The Committee heard testimony from the 
Administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration, Joseph 
Szabo; the CEO of California High Speed Rail Authority; the 
Mayor of Tustin, California; the Mayor of Fresno, California; 
the Director of the Kings County Community Development Agency; 
the Co-founder of the Californians Advocating Responsible Rail 
Design; and the Vice President of Preserve Our Heritage.
    The California High-Speed Rail project is the largest 
beneficiary of federal funding from the High-Speed Intercity 
Passenger Rail (HSIPR) grant program under the American 
Recovery and Reinvestment Act (P.L. 111-5) and the FY 10 
Consolidated Appropriations Act (P.L. 111-117). In total, the 
project has been awarded $3.896 billion ($2.952 billion from 
the Recovery Act, and $945 million from the FY 10 
Appropriations bill). This represents almost 39 percent of the 
total HSIPR grant funding awarded by the FRA. All of the $3.896 
billion awarded to the California High-Speed Rail has been 
obligated and is under contract. However, only $142 million has 
actually been spent, $47 million for environmental studies and 
preliminary engineering work and $95 million for Transbay 
Terminal train box design and construction. All federal funds 
provided through the Recovery Act must be completely spent by 
September 30, 2017, under the federal appropriations law 
``five-year rule'' (31 U.S.C. 1552).
    During this hearing, members raised concerns about the 
project including the projected increased costs and lengthening 
timeline, a pending lawsuit against the California High Speed 
Rail Authority and eroding citizen support.

                     ACTIVITIES AND INVESTIGATIONS

    Report Title: TSA Ignores More Cost-Effective Screening 
Model
    Date: June 3, 2011
    Purpose: Majority staff investigated the basis and 
rationale for the January 28, 2011, decision by John Pistole, 
Administrator, TSA, to halt the expansion of the Screening 
Partnership Program (SPP), the comparative efficiencies of SPP 
and non-SPP screening, and the various screening models used in 
the international community.
    Summary: After the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, 
Congress passed the Aviation and Transportation Security Act of 
2001 (ATSA) (P.L. 107-71), creating the TSA to regulate 
aviation security standards, among other purposes. ATSA also 
created the SPP to allow TSA-certified contractors, under 
federal supervision and regulation, to conduct passenger and 
baggage screening at airports. The law provided airport 
authorities the option to ``opt-out'' of the federal screening 
model. Since the creation of the SPP, a total of sixteen 
airports have chosen to opt-out of the federal screening model 
and use private contractors for passenger and baggage 
screening.
    On January 28, 2011, TSA Administrator John Pistole 
announced that he would not expand the SPP and denied pending 
SPP applications from five airports. Administrator Pistole's 
announcement marked the first time in the program's ten-year 
history that an airport had been refused participation in the 
statutorily-mandated program. Covert testing, anecdotal 
information, and independent evaluation have shown that 
utilizing private screening professionals under federal 
regulation and oversight is the better and more cost-effective 
security option.
    The Committee conducted an investigation into the basis and 
rationale for Administrator Pistole's decision, the comparative 
efficiencies of SPP and non-SPP screening, and the various 
screening models used in the international community. As a 
result of this investigation, the Committee Majority Staff made 
several key findings:
         1.  Taxpayers would save $1 billion over five years if 
        the Nation's top 35 airports operated as efficiently as 
        San Francisco International Airport does under the SPP 
        model.
         2.  SPP screeners are 65 percent more efficient than 
        their federal counterparts.
         3.  Taxpayers would save more than $38.6 million a 
        year if Los Angeles International Airport joined the 
        SPP.
         4.  TSA concealed significant cost factors unique to 
        the federal screening model.
         5.  TSA has hired 137,100 staff since the agency's 
        creation and spent more than $2 billion on recruiting 
        and training costs.
         6.  ``Clear and substantial advantage'' for approving 
        five airport applications existed and were ignored by 
        TSA when TSA denied their application to the SPP.
         7.  TSA's SPP application and evaluation process is 
        flawed.
         8.  TSA does not have specific criteria to determine 
        if a ``clear or substantial advantage'' exists to order 
        to evaluate SPP applications.
         9.  There is evidence that TSA officials erroneously 
        claimed no communication with union representatives 
        about the SPP.
        10.  TSA officials recommended abolishing the SPP.
        11.  Most of the rest of the world utilizes a SPP-like 
        screening model at airports.
    The Administration has often used cost as a justification 
for not promoting the SPP. In 2007, TSA claimed that SPP 
airports cost 17.4 percent more to operate than airports under 
the federal security model. Committee Chairman John L. Mica 
requested that the GAO examine TSA's claim. As a result, GAO 
found that TSA's methodology for the cost assessment was flawed 
and identified multiple cost elements the agency had excluded 
when performing the analysis. TSA then revised its cost 
assessment in January 2011 to reflect a three percent higher 
operating cost at SPP airports than airports using federal 
screeners. However, TSA's 2011 cost analysis has not been 
independently verified.
    Majority Committee Staff conducted their own cost analysis 
using three cost metrics that have been dismissed in previous 
cost comparisons conducted by TSA: screener productivity, 
screener turnover, and use of the National Deployment Force 
(NDF). Assuming that all other costs related to screening 
operations at the SPP and non-SPP airport are equal, the 
Committee found that SPP screeners are 65 percent more 
efficient than non-SPP screeners, and additional costs 
associated with ineffective workforce management were 42 
percent higher than similar costs under the SPP model. Majority 
Committee Staff produced its finding in a report released on 
June 3, 2011.
    To see the report, please visit: http://republicans
.transportation.house.gov/Media/file/112th/Aviation/
2011_06_03_TSA_SPP_Report.pdf
    Report Title: A Decade Later: A Call for TSA Reform
    Date: November 16, 2011
    Purpose: Investigate TSA's operations ten years after its 
creation and provide recommendations to improve TSA operational 
efficiency.
    Summary: In the wake of September 11, 2001, President 
George W. Bush signed into law the Aviation and Transportation 
Security Act (ATSA; P.L. 107-71). Most notably, ATSA created 
the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). TSA has a 
vital and important mission and is critical to the security of 
the traveling public. To fulfill its mission, TSA employs many 
hard-working, dedicated personnel. It is the government's 
responsibility, however, to direct the agency's mission and 
prevent a cumbersome bureaucracy from inhibiting TSA's ability 
to address and adapt to changing security needs. Almost all 
western countries have evolved their airport screening systems 
to meet current aviation threats through federal oversight of 
private contract screeners. The U.S. must also evolve to 
provide the most effective transportation security system at 
the most reasonable cost to the taxpayer.
    This report is an examination and critical analysis of the 
development, evolution, and current status and performance of 
TSA ten years after its creation. Since its inception, TSA has 
lost its focus on transportation security. Instead, it has 
grown into an enormous, inflexible and distracted bureaucracy, 
more concerned with human resource management and consolidating 
power, and acting reactively instead of proactively. TSA must 
realign its responsibilities as a federal regulator and focus 
on analyzing intelligence, setting screening and security 
standards based on risk, auditing passenger and baggage 
screening operations, and ensuring compliance with national 
screening standards.
    As a result of the investigation, the Committee made 
several key findings:
         1.  With 21 other agencies housed within the 
        Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the status and 
        mission of TSA have gradually eroded to make the agency 
        a tangential and inert unit within DHS's massive 
        structure.
         2.  The turnover of five Administrators in less than a 
        decade, with periods of long vacancy between 
        appointments, has obstructed TSA's ability to carry out 
        its mission.
         3.  With more than 65,000 employees, TSA is larger 
        than the Departments of Labor, Energy, Education, 
        Housing and Urban Development, and State, combined. TSA 
        is a top-heavy bureaucracy with 3,986 headquarters 
        personnel and 9,656 administrative staff in the field.
         4.  Since 2001, TSA staff has grown from 16,500 to 
        over 65,000, a near 400% increase. In the same amount 
        of time, total passenger enplanements in the U.S. have 
        increased less than 12%.
         5.  Since 2002, TSA procured six contracts to hire and 
        train more than 137,000 staff, for a total of more than 
        $2.4 billion, at a rate of more than $17,500 per hire. 
        More employees have left TSA than are currently 
        employed at the agency.
         6.  Over the past ten years, TSA has spent nearly $57 
        billion to secure the U.S. transportation network, and 
        TSA's classified performance results do not reflect a 
        good return on this taxpayer investment.
         7.  On average, there are 30 TSA administrative 
        personnel--21 administrative field staff and nine 
        headquarters staff--for each of the 457 airports where 
        TSA operates.
         8.  TSA's primary mission, transportation security, 
        has been neglected due to the agency's constant focus 
        on managing its enormous and unwieldy bureaucracy.
         9.  TSA has failed to develop an effective, 
        comprehensive plan to evolve from a one-size-fits-all 
        operation--treating all passengers as if they pose the 
        same risk--into a highly intelligent, risk-based 
        operation that has the capacity to determine a 
        traveler's level of risk and adjust the level of 
        screening in response.
        10.  TSA's operations are outdated--the primary threat 
        is no longer hijacking, but explosives designed to take 
        down an aircraft.
        11.  TSA's passenger and checked baggage screening 
        programs have been tested over the years, and while the 
        test results are classified, their performance outcomes 
        have changed very little since the creation of TSA.
        12.  As recently reported by the Committee on Oversight 
        and Government Reform, more than 25,000 security 
        breaches have occurred at U.S. airports in the last 
        decade, despite a massive TSA presence.
        13.  Even though most of the serious terrorist attempts 
        against the U.S. in the last decade have originated 
        overseas, the number of TSA personnel that oversee key 
        international departure points with direct flights into 
        the United States is limited.
        14.  TSA's behavior detection program, Screening of 
        Passengers by Observation Techniques (SPOT), costs a 
        quarter of a billion dollars to operate annually, 
        employing almost 3,000 behavior detection officer full-
        time equivalents (FTEs). In spite of this costly 
        program, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) 
        found that 17 known terrorists traveled on 24 different 
        occasions through security at eight airports where TSA 
        operated this program.
        15.  TSA has tested numerous pilot programs for trusted 
        travelers, including its current PreCheck program, but 
        has failed to develop an expedited screening program 
        that utilizes biometrics to positively identify 
        participants.
        16.  TSA has failed to follow congressional directives 
        to establish biometric credentialing standards and 
        biometric card reader standards. These standards are 
        necessary for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) 
        to implement a congressionally-directed requirement for 
        biometric pilot licenses.
        17.  GAO found that TSA's implementation of the 
        Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC), 
        which has cost over half-a-billion dollars, has been 
        crippled by latent programmatic weaknesses. TSA still 
        has not deployed TWIC card-readers to many of the 
        Nation's ports.
        18.  On January 28, 2011, TSA Administrator Pistole 
        halted the expansion of the Screening Partnership 
        Program (SPP), despite the following evidence:
           a.  An independent consultant found that ``private 
        screeners performed at a level that was equal to or 
        greater than that of federal TSOs [Transportation 
        Security Officers].''
           b.  GAO found that TSA analytics ignored critical 
        data relating to costs.
           c.  USA Today uncovered covert TSA test results in 
        2007 that showed significantly higher screener 
        detection capabilities at an SPP airport than at an 
        airport where screening was provided by TSA.
        19.  The Nation's 35 largest airports account for 
        nearly 75% of passenger traffic. TSA has failed to 
        prioritize the deployment of in-line explosive 
        detection systems (EDS) at these locations which would 
        ensure the best baggage screening operations for a 
        large portion of air travelers. Less than half of these 
        35 airports have complete in-line EDS, with some 
        systems only configured to detect at TSA's 1998 
        explosive detection standards. Additionally, TSA has 
        failed to reimburse airports for design costs incurred 
        in the installation of in-line EDS.
        20.  TSA wasted $39 million to procure 207 Explosive 
        Trace Detection Portals, but deployed only 101 because 
        the machines could not consistently detect explosives 
        in an operational environment. After lengthy and costly 
        storage, TSA recently paid the Department of Defense 
        $600 per unit to dispose of the useless machines.
        21.  TSA deployed 500 Advanced Imaging Technology (AIT) 
        devices in a haphazard and easily-thwarted manner at a 
        total cost of more than $122 million. By 2013, TSA 
        estimates that the total cost to taxpayers for AIT 
        deployment will reach almost half-a-billion dollars. In 
        2010, GAO examined the AIT devices and found that ``it 
        remains unclear whether the AIT would have detected the 
        weapon used in the December 2009 [Underwear Bomber] 
        incident.'' While TSA continues to use AIT machines, 
        the effectiveness of these devices in detecting 
        explosives is still under review and remains 
        questionable.
        22.  TSA warehouses are nearly at capacity, containing 
        almost 2,800 pieces of screening equipment, including 
        650 state-of-the-art AT-2 carry-on baggage screening 
        machines costing approximately $97 million. TSA's 
        failure to deploy this cutting-edge technology in a 
        timely manner is yet another example of the agency's 
        flawed procurement and deployment program.
    The Committee makes the following recommendations in the 
report:
         1.  TSA must act with greater independence from the 
        DHS bureaucracy. Terrorists constantly evolve their 
        methods, and TSA must have similar flexibility to 
        respond quickly and appropriately to any intelligence 
        it receives. Without this ability, TSA will continue to 
        be a solely reactive and ineffective agency that cannot 
        ensure the security of U.S. travelers.
         2.  The TSA Administrator's stature must be elevated. 
        The constant turnover and long vacancy of this vital 
        position has caused great disruption at TSA. With each 
        new Administrator, there have been repeated changes in 
        vision and direction of the agency. In order for TSA to 
        be an effective and successful agency, it must have 
        stable leadership that can make both short- and long-
        term plans for improving the agency and providing 
        effective and cost efficient aviation and 
        transportation security. The TSA Administrator must be 
        a priority appointment for the President, along with 
        other agency heads and Cabinet-level Secretaries, and 
        the length of the term of the TSA Administrator's 
        appointment and compensation should be reexamined.
         3.  TSA must function as a federal regulator, 
        analyzing intelligence, setting screening and security 
        standards and protocols based on risk, auditing 
        passenger and baggage screening operations, and 
        enforcing national screening standards. TSA needs to 
        focus on analyzing and disseminating intelligence 
        information, developing a regulatory structure to 
        secure the critical interests of the U.S. 
        transportation sector, and enforcing these regulations 
        to maintain a standardized set of practices throughout 
        the country.
         4.  TSA should expand and revise the Screening 
        Partnership Program so that more airport authorities 
        can transition airport screening operations to private 
        contractors under federal supervision.
         5.  The TSA Administrator must set performance 
        standards for passenger and baggage screening 
        operations based on risk analysis and common sense. 
        Detailed, specific, articulated metrics by which TSA 
        will measure screening performance are critical to 
        effective airport security operations. Without a clear 
        list of standards, TSA will not be able to adequately 
        measure and systematically improve screener 
        performance.
         6.  The number of TSA administrative personnel must be 
        dramatically reduced. TSA's massive bureaucracy must be 
        streamlined so that TSA can focus on analyzing 
        intelligence and setting risk-based security standards 
        without being bogged down by managing its bloated 
        administration.
         7.  The number of TSA personnel stationed abroad and 
        the number of TSA personnel that oversee key 
        international departure points with direct flights into 
        the United States and are engaged with other 
        governments and organizations must be adjusted in order 
        to effectively respond to the international threat to 
        the U.S. transportation network.
         8.  TSA should require that the screening of all 
        passengers and baggage on in-bound flights is 
        equivalent to U.S. domestic screening standards. 
        Rescreening passengers after an international flight 
        lands in the U.S. does not avert the risk to U.S. 
        citizens, while en route to the United States.
         9.  TSA must develop an expedited screening program 
        using biometric credentials that would allow TSA to 
        positively identify trusted passengers and crew members 
        so that the agency can prioritize its screening 
        resources based on risk. TSA will never be able to 
        function as a truly risk-based organization until the 
        agency can differentiate between passengers based on 
        levels of risk.
        10.  TSA performance results should be made public 
        after 24 months or when deemed appropriate for security 
        purposes, so that passengers can know the level of 
        security they receive. Public reporting of performance 
        evaluations provides transparency and will incentivize 
        TSA to operate at the highest standards.
        11.  A qualified outside organization must conduct a 
        comprehensive, independent study of TSA's management, 
        operations, and technical capabilities, and make 
        recommendations to increase TSA's efficacy and its 
        ability to better analyze intelligence and set risk-
        based, common sense security standards.
    To see the report, please visit: http://republicans
.transportation.house.gov/Media/file/112th/Aviation/2011-11-16-
TSA_Reform_Report.pdf

                        Subcommittee on Aviation

    To date, the Subcommittee on Aviation, chaired by 
Representative Thomas Petri, with Representative Jerry Costello 
serving as ranking member, held five hearings and four Member's 
roundtables. The Subcommittee developed major legislation, H.R. 
658, the FAA Reauthorization and Reform Act of 2011, to 
reauthorize and reform the programs, funding, and organization 
of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and to provide 
$59.7 billion over four years for FAA programs. On April 1, 
2011, the House passed H.R. 658. The Subcommittee also 
developed major legislation, H.R. 2594, the European Union 
Emissions Trading Scheme Prohibition Act of 2011, to prohibit 
U.S. air carriers and other aircraft operators from 
participating in the European Union (EU) Emissions Trading 
Scheme. On October 24, 2011, the House passed H.R. 2594.

                                HEARINGS

    Title: FAA Reauthorization of 2011: FAA Administrator
    Date: February 8, 2011
    Purpose: Received testimony on the reauthorization of the 
FAA. The hearing covered issues of funding and financing the 
Airport and Airway Trust Fund, which helps fund the development 
of a nationwide airport and airway system. The Trust Fund also 
funds FAA investments in air traffic control facilities and 
airport grants, thereby creating jobs.
    Summary: The Subcommittee heard testimony from 
Administrator Randy Babbitt who testified on the importance of 
a long term reauthorization act, and offered his viewpoint on 
the issues to be addressed in the reauthorization bill. The 
hearing discussed the FAA's Facility and Equipment (F&E) 
program, which includes development, installation, and 
transitional maintenance of navigational and communication 
equipment to support aviation operations. The hearing looked at 
safety issues, commercial service to small community through 
the Essential Air Service (EAS), and the importance of Next 
Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) to the future of 
aviation. The hearing also explored issues related to FAA 
regulation of the aviation industry and the importance of a 
long-term FAA bill to ensure a steady source of funding and 
create jobs.
    Title: FAA Reauthorization of 2011: Stakeholders
    Date: February 9, 2011
    Purpose: Received testimony on the reauthorization of the 
FAA from aviation stakeholders.
    Summary: The Subcommittee heard testimony from airport and 
airline associations, labor unions, and manufacturers' 
associations. The seven witnesses testified on the importance 
of a long term reauthorization act and offered their advice on 
the issues to be addressed in the reauthorization process. The 
hearing covered issues of funding and financing for the EAS 
Program and the Airport and Airway Trust Fund. The hearing 
discussed the importance of NextGen and the need to continue 
its implementation to remain competitive in the global 
marketplace and to address looming issues related to congestion 
and environmental impacts. The hearing addressed safety 
concerns, labor issues, and standardization of regulation 
interpretation. The hearing also explored areas where the 
industry believed there was excessive or unnecessary regulation 
that negatively impacted the ability of industry to grow 
economically and create jobs.
    Title: Roundtable--A Discussion of Airports and Fixed-Based 
Operator Issues
    Date: June 15, 2011
    Purpose: Discussed various issues regarding the 
relationship between airports and fixed-based operators (FBOs), 
including competition, the use of both federal and private 
funds, and leases, as well as other issues.
    Summary: Earlier this Congress, Representative John Duncan 
introduced H.R. 1474, the Freedom from Competition Act of 2011, 
which would prohibit any entity receiving federal funding from 
using these funds to compete with a private business. This 
legislation resulted in debate on legislation's impact on the 
relationship between airports and FBOs. The Aviation 
Subcommittee invited representatives from associations 
representing FBOs and airports to discuss the issues.
    Title: GPS Reliability: A Review of Aviation Industry 
Performance, Safety Issues, and Avoiding Potential New and 
Costly Government Burdens
    Date: June 23, 2011
    Purpose: A joint hearing on Global Positioning System (GPS) 
Reliability by the Subcommittees on Aviation and Coast Guard 
and Maritime Transportation to receive testimony on stakeholder 
concerns with GPS interference, the implications of that 
interference on GPS reliability, NextGen, aviation job 
creation, and the potential remedies to GPS interference.
    Summary: The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is 
considering an application by a company called LightSquared to 
build nationwide broadband internet infrastructure. 
LightSquared has applied to have high-power internet broadcast 
stations across the country on the spectrum neighboring the 
low-powered GPS signal. A broad coalition of industry 
stakeholders who use GPS, including almost all of the aviation 
groups, have expressed concern the high-powered broadband 
signal will overpower and disable critical GPS navigation and 
timing functions. Initial testing by the Department of Defense 
(DoD) and DOT have validated some of these interference 
concerns. There are similar concerns related to how GPS 
interference might impact maritime safety. The Subcommittees 
will hear testimony from DOT, the DoD, the Coast Guard, 
LightSquared, the RTCA Inc., and representatives of airlines, 
manufacturers, and general aviation.
    Title: European Union's Emissions Trading Scheme: Violation 
of International Law
    Date: July 27, 2011
    Purpose: The hearing focused on the unilateral actions of 
the European Union (''EU'') in applying their Emissions Trading 
Scheme (``ETS'') to all civil aviation operations; the EU's 
actions and international law; and the impact of the EU's ETS 
on U.S. operators, the competitiveness of the U.S. aviation 
industry, and U.S. aviation jobs.
    Summary: The EU's ETS began in 2005 with the capping of 
emissions of carbon dioxide from more than 10,000 stationary 
sources within the. Under the ETS, the EU auctions a specified 
number of emissions allowances for each multi-year period, and 
distributes a certain number of allowances for free. Starting 
in January 2012, civil aviation operators landing in or 
departing from the EU will be included in the ETS. This means 
that all segments of international flights to, within, and from 
the EU by U.S. air carriers would be subject to the ETS, 
including those portions over the United States, Canada, and 
international waters. The United States government has filed 
its objection to the implementation of the EU ETS and believes 
that ICAO is the appropriate forum to address climate change. 
The U.S. is not alone in its opposition, there is virtually 
universal international opposition to the implementation of the 
ETS. In response to the unilateral and illegal actions of the 
EU, the House of Representatives introduced a bipartisan bill 
that directs the Secretary of Transportation to prohibit 
American air carriers from participating in the scheme. The 
Subcommittee received testimony from the Federal government and 
industry witnesses regarding the EU ETS.
    Title: Roundtable--European Union's Emissions Trading 
Scheme
    Date: September 21, 2011
    Purpose: As a follow-up to the Subcommittee's Hearing in 
July regarding the European Union's Emissions Trading Scheme 
(EU ETS), the Subcommittee held a roundtable to be briefed on 
and discuss what actions had been taken by the U.S. Government, 
and to learn how discussions between the U.S. and the EU had 
progressed since the hearing. The Subcommittee invited 
representatives from the Department of Transportation, Federal 
Aviation Administration, and the Department of State to receive 
an update on actions regarding the EU ETS.
    Summary: The European Union has proposed the application of 
its Emissions Trading Scheme to civil aviation operators 
landing in or departing from the EU. This application of the 
ETS is a unilateral and illegal action by the EU that would 
result in U.S. air carriers having to buy emissions allowances 
for all segments of a flight, not just segments of the flight 
over EU Member States. In July, the Subcommittee held a hearing 
to discuss the EU's actions and international law; and the 
impact of the EU's ETS on U.S. operators, the competitiveness 
of the U.S. aviation industry, and U.S. aviation jobs. Since 
the hearing, actions have been taken by other countries and the 
U.S. related to the EU's ETS. The roundtable discussed the 
measures that have been taken by the DOT, State Department and 
FAA, as well as the ongoing negotiations between the concerned 
U.S. federal agencies and the EU. The actions of other 
countries in opposition to the EU ETS were also discussed.
    Title: Comprehensive Review of FAA's NextGen Program: 
Costs, Benefits, Progress, and Management
    Date: October 5, 2011
    Purpose: An oversight hearing on the Next Generation Air 
Traffic Control System (NextGen) by the Subcommittee on 
Aviation to receive testimony on benefits, costs, and the 
progress of NextGen implementation.
    Summary: To meet future demands of air traffic on the 
National Airspace System (NAS), the FAA is in the process of 
upgrading the current system of air traffic navigation and 
control via ground based navigation stations and radar to a 
modernized system that utilizes Global Positioning System (GPS) 
technology to provide navigation and separation. This project 
involves many different stakeholders from both the government 
and the private sector, and will provide many benefits from 
reduced flight time and congestion to environmental benefits 
from reduced emissions.
    The Subcommittee received testimony from the FAA, the 
Department of Transportation Inspector General's (DOT IG) 
office, the Government Accountability Office, the Air Line 
Pilots Association, the National Business Aviation Association, 
the Air Transport Association, and Deloitte, LLC. While the 
benefits from the NextGen project were not disputed, the 
problems in the execution of implementing such a large program 
were highlighted, primarily by the DOT IG. The project involves 
many individual components coming together to form one large 
system, and delays to those individual systems prohibit the 
benefits from the NextGen project from being realized. Those 
delays seem to not be as a result of a lack of funding, but 
rather from poor management from the FAA.
    The Subcommittee will use the testimony and problems as 
highlighted by the witnesses to continue to provide oversight 
of the entire NextGen project. The management problem in 
implementing NextGen systems is of particular concern to the 
Subcommittee, and soon to be enacted legislation will provide 
strict deadlines for implementing NextGen systems as well as 
help address the management issues that are adversely affecting 
implementation of the overall system.
    Title: Roundtable--A Discussion of Helicopter Issues: Air 
Tours, Safety Concerns and Noise
    Date: October 27, 2011
    Purpose: The Subcommittee met for a general discussion on 
helicopter issues, specifically addressing air tours, safety 
concerns, and noise over residential areas. The roundtable 
provided an opportunity for Members to learn about important 
helicopter issues and progress that has been made over the 
years to improve helicopter safety. The Helicopter Association 
International, Federal Aviation Administration, and National 
Transportation Safety Board all participated in the roundtable. 
Additionally, the Subcommittee invited three Members who are 
not on the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure to 
participate in the discussions given their interest in the 
topic.
    Summary: Helicopters play a unique and diverse role within 
the aviation system, providing a variety of services in a range 
of different environments. The unique nature of helicopter 
operations means they come with their own set of operational 
issues. In 2007, the FAA issued a final rule which set safety 
and oversight rules for a broad variety of sightseeing and 
commercial air tour flights. In the opinion of both federal 
agencies and industry, the rule has greatly improved the safety 
of helicopter air tour operations. In addition, the unique 
nature of helicopter operations and the variety of services 
they provide have brought about a concern of helicopter noise 
over residential areas. The roundtable provided an opportunity 
for members and industry to discuss concerns regarding 
helicopter operations and to allow all interested parties to 
continue to work together in the future to address ongoing 
helicopter noise issues.
    Title: Roundtable--Terminal Area Safety
    Date: November 17, 2011
    Purpose: The Subcommittee met in an informal setting to 
discuss the rise in terminal area air traffic control safety 
incidents in which aircraft pass too close to one another.
    Summary: Over the last few years, the number of incidents 
in which aircraft in terminal area airspace have gotten within 
too close proximity to one another as a result of air traffic 
controller errors has spiked at an alarming rate. The FAA, 
during this same period of time, created two programs that are 
designed to better report and record terminal area safety 
incidents. Members and aviation safety stakeholders met to 
discuss whether the spike in incidents is because of the 
implementation of these new programs, or if there had been 
serious erosion in air traffic control safety.
    The Subcommittee members met with representatives from the 
FAA, the Government Accountability Office (GAO), the Department 
of Transportation Inspector General (DOT IG), the National Air 
Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA), and the FAA Managers 
Association. While the FAA and NATCA believe that the rise in 
reported incidents is because of the reporting programs the FAA 
is implementing, the DOT IG and the GAO have released reports 
recently that suggest that the new programs are not the sole 
explanation for the increase in reported operational errors. 
The Subcommittee members will use the information gained during 
the roundtable to take a closer look at terminal area safety 
and continue to monitor the implementation of the FAA's 
reporting programs.

                              LEGISLATION

    Title: Airport and Airway Extension Act of 2011
    Public Law Number: P.L. 112-7 (March 31, 2011)
    Bill Number: H.R. 1079
    Summary: The most recent long-term FAA reauthorization act, 
Vision 100--Century of Aviation Reauthorization Act (P.L. 108-
176), expired September 30, 2007. During the 110th and 111th 
Congresses, the House and Senate were unable to reach agreement 
on a final, long-term reauthorization. In April 2011, the House 
passed H.R. 658, the FAA Reauthorization and Reform Act of 
2011. In February 2011, the Senate passed its own comprehensive 
FAA reauthorization act. To allow the two chambers time to 
negotiate a multi-year FAA reauthorization act, Congress passed 
a 60-day extension of the FAA's authority to administer 
aviation programs and to receive tax proceeds. The prior 
extension expired on March 31, 2011. H.R. 1079 extended that 
authority through May 31, 2011. The bill extended the 
authorization of appropriations for aviation programs, excise 
taxes on aviation fuels and air transportation of persons and 
property, and the expenditure authority of the Airport and 
Airway Trust Fund. This legislation also extended, various 
airport development projects, including: (1) the pilot program 
for passenger facility fees at non-hub airports, (2) small 
airport grants for airports located in the Marshall Islands, 
Micronesia, and Palau, (3) state and local airport land use 
compatibility projects, (4) the authority of the Metropolitan 
Washington Airports Authority to apply for an airport 
development grant and impose a passenger facility fee, (5) the 
temporary increase to 95 percent in the government share of 
certain Airport Improvement Program (AIP) project costs, and 
(6) Midway Island airport development. It also extended AIP 
projects and project grant authority.
    Title: FAA Reauthorization and Reform Act of 2011
    Bill Number: H.R. 658 (passed House on April 1, 2011)
    Summary: The FAA Reauthorization and Reform Act of 2011. 
H.R. 658 meets the total aggregate FY 08 appropriations levels 
starting in 2012, resulting in about $4 billion in savings 
compared to 2010 appropriations. H.R. 658 is a long-term FAA 
reauthorization which provides clear funding levels and much 
needed stability to the aviation, airport, and airline 
communities, and as a result will create jobs and boost the 
economy. H.R. 658 addresses redundancies in positions and 
policies of the FAA and eliminates them, and in addition 
consolidates and realigns the air traffic control facilities in 
order to eliminate unnecessary facilities. H.R. 658 improves 
the safe and efficient operation of our Nation's aviation 
system.
    H.R. 658 contains provisions that would set deadlines and 
create accountability for the implementation of Next 
Generation; directs the Administrator to establish and 
implement a safety assessment system for foreign repair 
stations that perform maintenance on U.S. aircraft; requires 
the Secretary to develop a plan for the safe integration of 
commercial unmanned aircraft systems into the National airspace 
system in an expedited fashion, and in coordination with other 
Federal agencies; authorizes funding for EAS in Alaska and 
Hawaii given their unique nature but repeals the EAS Local 
Participation Program, terminating the EAS program on October 
1, 2013; increases from 24 to 34 the number of slots exempt 
from specified requirements and prohibitions concerning 
operation of an aircraft nonstop between Ronald Reagan 
Washington National Airport and another airport more than 1,250 
statute miles away (Perimeter Rule limit); revises FAA 
personnel management system requirements with respect to the 
mediation, alternative resolution, and binding arbitration of 
disputes between the Administrator and FAA employees about 
implementation of proposed changes to the system; directs the 
Administrator to provide for the realignment of FAA services 
and facilities to facilitate NextGen air traffic control 
modernization; Prohibits finalization of onerous regulations 
regarding the shipment of lithium batteries; amends the Railway 
Labor Act to grant the DOT Inspector General the authority to 
review National Mediation Board operations to determine 
compliance with Federal laws, rules, and regulations; and 
extends the moratorium on FAA regulation of experimental space 
vehicles.
    Title: The Airport and Airway Extension Act of 2011, Part 
II
    Public Law Number: P.L. 112-16 (May 31, 2011)
    Bill Number: H.R. 1893
    Summary: The most recent long-term FAA reauthorization act, 
Vision 100--Century of Aviation Reauthorization Act (P.L. 108-
176), expired September 30, 2007. During the 110th and 111th 
Congresses, the House and Senate were unable to reach agreement 
on a final, long-term reauthorization. In April 2011, the House 
passed H.R. 658, the FAA Reauthorization and Reform Act of 
2011. In February 2011, the Senate passed its own comprehensive 
FAA reauthorization act. To allow the two chambers time to 
negotiate a multi-year FAA reauthorization act, Congress passed 
a 60-day extension of the FAA's authority to administer 
aviation programs and to receive tax proceeds. The prior 
extension expired on May 31, 2011. H.R. 1893 extended that 
authority through June 30, 2011. The bill extends the 
authorization of appropriations for aviation programs, excise 
taxes on aviation fuels and air transportation of persons and 
property, and the expenditure authority of the Airport and 
Airway Trust Fund. This legislation also extends, various 
airport development projects, including: (1) the pilot program 
for passenger facility fees at non-hub airports, (2) small 
airport grants for airports located in the Marshall Islands, 
Micronesia, and Palau, (3) state and local airport land use 
compatibility projects, (4) the authority of the Metropolitan 
Washington Airports Authority to apply for an airport 
development grant and impose a passenger facility fee, (5) the 
temporary increase to 95 percent in the government share of 
certain Airport Improvement Program (AIP) project costs, and 
(6) Midway Island airport development. It also extends AIP 
projects and project grant authority.
    Title: The Airport and Airway Extension Act of 2011, Part 
III
    Public Law Number: P.L. 112-21 (June 29, 2011)
    Bill Number: H.R. 2279
    Summary: The most recent long-term FAA reauthorization act, 
Vision 100--Century of Aviation Reauthorization Act (P.L. 108-
176), expired September 30, 2007. During the 110th and 111th 
Congresses, the House and Senate were unable to reach agreement 
on a final, long-term reauthorization. In April 2011, the House 
passed H.R. 658, the FAA Reauthorization and Reform Act of 
2011. In February 2011, the Senate passed its own comprehensive 
FAA reauthorization act. To allow the two chambers time to 
negotiate a multi-year FAA reauthorization act, Congress passed 
a 3-week extension of the FAA's authority to administer 
aviation programs and to receive tax proceeds. The prior 
extension expired on June 30, 2011. H.R. 2279 extended that 
authority through July 22, 2011. The bill extends the 
authorization of appropriations for aviation programs, excise 
taxes on aviation fuels and air transportation of persons and 
property, and the expenditure authority of the Airport and 
Airway Trust Fund. This legislation also extends, various 
airport development projects, including: (1) the pilot program 
for passenger facility fees at non-hub airports, (2) small 
airport grants for airports located in the Marshall Islands, 
Micronesia, and Palau, (3) state and local airport land use 
compatibility projects, (4) the authority of the Metropolitan 
Washington Airports Authority to apply for an airport 
development grant and impose a passenger facility fee, (5) the 
temporary increase to 95 percent in the government share of 
certain Airport Improvement Program (AIP) project costs, and 
(6) Midway Island airport development. It also extends AIP 
projects and project grant authority.
    Title: The Airport and Airway Extension Act of 2011, Part 
IV
    Public Law Number: P.L. 112-27 (August 5, 2011)
    Bill Number: H.R. 2553
    Summary: The most recent long-term FAA reauthorization act, 
Vision 100--Century of Aviation Reauthorization Act (P.L. 108-
176), expired September 30, 2007. During the 110th and 111th 
Congresses, the House and Senate were unable to reach agreement 
on a final, long-term reauthorization. In April 2011, the House 
passed H.R. 658, the FAA Reauthorization and Reform Act of 
2011. In February 2011, the Senate passed its own comprehensive 
FAA reauthorization act. To allow the two chambers time to 
negotiate a multi-year FAA reauthorization act, Congress passed 
a 7-week extension of the FAA's authority to administer 
aviation programs and to receive tax proceeds. The prior 
extension expired on July 22, 2011. H.R. 2553 extended that 
authority through September 17, 2011. The bill extends the 
authorization of appropriations for aviation programs, excise 
taxes on aviation fuels and air transportation of persons and 
property, and the expenditure authority of the Airport and 
Airway Trust Fund. This legislation also extends, various 
airport development projects, including: (1) the pilot program 
for passenger facility fees at non-hub airports, (2) small 
airport grants for airports located in the Marshall Islands, 
Micronesia, and Palau, (3) state and local airport land use 
compatibility projects, (4) the authority of the Metropolitan 
Washington Airports Authority to apply for an airport 
development grant and impose a passenger facility fee, (5) the 
temporary increase to 95 percent in the government share of 
certain Airport Improvement Program (AIP) project costs, and 
(6) Midway Island airport development. It also extends AIP 
projects and project grant authority. The bill also includes 
reforms to the Essential Air Service (EAS) Program. The first 
reform provision was adopted unanimously by the Senate and is 
included in its long-term FAA reauthorization bill. Under this 
reform, only airports that are 90 miles or more away from a 
large or medium hub airport would be eligible to participate in 
the EAS program. The second reform caps the subsidy for each 
passenger under the EAS Program at $1,000.00.
    Title: The Surface and Air Transportation Programs 
Extension Act of 2011
    Public Law Number: P.L. 112-30 (September 16, 2011)
    Bill Number: H.R. 2887
    Summary: The most recent long-term FAA reauthorization act, 
Vision 100--Century of Aviation Reauthorization Act (P.L. 108-
176), expired September 30, 2007. During the 110th and 111th 
Congresses, the House and Senate were unable to reach agreement 
on a final, long-term reauthorization. In April 2011, the House 
passed H.R. 658, the FAA Reauthorization and Reform Act of 
2011. In February 2011, the Senate passed its own comprehensive 
FAA reauthorization act. To allow the two chambers time to 
negotiate a multi-year FAA reauthorization act, Congress passed 
a 4\1/2\-month extension of the FAA's authority to administer 
aviation programs and to receive tax proceeds. The prior 
extension expired on September 17, 2011. H.R. 2887 extended 
that authority through January 31, 2012. The bill extends the 
authorization of appropriations for both surface and air 
transportation programs. H.R. 2887 extends the aviation 
programs, excise taxes on aviation fuels and air transportation 
of persons and property, and the expenditure authority of the 
Airport and Airway Trust Fund. This legislation also extends, 
various airport development projects, including: (1) the pilot 
program for passenger facility fees at non-hub airports, (2) 
small airport grants for airports located in the Marshall 
Islands, Micronesia, and Palau, (3) state and local airport 
land use compatibility projects, (4) the authority of the 
Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority to apply for an 
airport development grant and impose a passenger facility fee, 
(5) the temporary increase to 95 percent in the government 
share of certain Airport Improvement Program (AIP) project 
costs, and (6) Midway Island airport development. It also 
extends AIP projects and project grant authority.
    Title: The European Union Emissions Trading Scheme 
Prohibition Act of 2011
    Bill Number: H.R. 2594 (passed House on October 24, 2011)
    Summary: This bipartisan bill prohibits U.S. air carriers 
and other aircraft operators from participating in the European 
Union (EU) Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS). It also directs the 
FAA, the DOT and other U.S. Government officials to use their 
authority to negotiate and take other actions to ensure that 
U.S. operators are held harmless from any unilaterally 
established EU ETS.
    On January 1, 2012, all international flights operating to 
and from the EU will be included in the EU Emissions Trading 
System (ETS), including flights between the U.S. and the EU. 
U.S. airlines will be required to pay this European tax for all 
segments of the flight, for example from Los Angeles to its EU 
destination including portions of the flight over the U.S., 
Canada, and International waters. The Air Transport Association 
estimated that this European Tax would cost U.S. airlines and 
passengers more than $3.1 billion between 2012 and 2020, which 
could be used for more than 39,200 U.S. airline jobs. The 
European Tax would be paid directly to EU Member States without 
obligation to use them to mitigate aviation emissions impacts. 
The Obama Administration testified before the House Committee 
on Transportation and Infrastructure that the European Tax is 
inconsistent with international aviation law. The EU ETS 
violates U.S. sovereignty by applying a tax to U.S. air carrier 
operations in the U.S. National Airspace System. In addition to 
the United States, other nations have voiced opposition the 
EU's scheme, including Argentina, Brazil, Chile, China, 
Colombia, Cuba, Egypt, India, Japan, the Republic of Korea, 
Malaysia, Mexico, Nigeria, Paraguay, Qatar, the Russian 
Federation, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, the United 
Arab Emirates, and the member States of the Latin American 
Civil Aviation Commission (LACAC). Even EU Member States, 
including Italy, the Netherlands, France, Belgium, and Spain 
are calling for postponement of the EU ETS due to confusion 
over its implementation and opposition and potential 
retaliation from other nations.
    The proper forum to address international civil aviation 
emissions based on constructive negotiation and mutual 
agreement is the International Civil Aviation Organization 
(ICAO). Therefore, Chairmen Mica and Petri, along with Ranking 
Members Rahall and Costello, and other Members introduced H.R. 
2594 to prohibit U.S. aviation operators from participating in 
the EU ETS.

        Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation

    To date, the Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime 
Transportation, chaired by Representative Frank A. LoBiondo 
with Representative Rick Larsen serving as ranking member, held 
14 hearings (67 witnesses and approximately 34 hours of 
testimony) covering a diverse portfolio of issues within the 
jurisdiction of the Subcommittee.

                                HEARINGS

    Title: Improving Oil Spill Prevention and Response, 
Restoring Jobs, and Ensuring Our Energy Security: 
Recommendations from the National Commission on the BP 
Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling
    Date: February 11, 2011
    Purpose: A joint hearing between the Subcommittee on Coast 
Guard and Maritime Transportation and Subcommittee on Water 
Resources and Environment to receive testimony regarding 
improvements that can be made to oil spill prevention and 
response plans.
    Summary: In the wake of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, 
the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill 
and Offshore Drilling was created to find the root cause of the 
accident and issue recommendations on how to prevent such 
disasters and improve response in the future. The Commission's 
report, issued on January 11, 2011, contains 14 specific 
recommendations that fall under the jurisdiction of the 
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
    The Subcommittees heard testimony from Dr. Donald F. Boesch 
and Mr. Terry D. Garcia, members of the National Commission on 
the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling, as 
well as Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen (Ret.), who was the 
National Incident Commander for the BP Deepwater Horizon oil 
spill response. The witnesses' testimonies revolved around the 
recommendations from the report, which ranged from creating an 
independent agency within the Department of Interior to enforce 
regulations on offshore drilling, to raising the liability cap 
on oil production facilities, to increasing communication 
between Federal agencies and local governments during a Spill 
of National Significance.
    Title: A Review of the Administration's FY 12 Budget 
Requests for the U.S. Coast Guard, Federal Maritime Commission, 
and Federal Maritime Administration: Finding Ways to Do More 
with Less
    Date: March 1, 2011
    Purpose: Subcommittee sought input from relevant agencies 
regarding the Administration's budget requests for FY 12 for 
the Coast Guard, Federal Maritime Commission, and Maritime 
Administration.
    Summary: The Subcommittee heard testimony from Admiral 
Robert J. Papp, Jr., Commandant of the Coast Guard; Master 
Chief Michael P. Leavitt, Master Chief Petty Officer of the 
Coast Guard; the Honorable Richard A. Lidinsky, Jr., Chairman 
of the Federal Maritime Commission; and the Honorable David T. 
Matsuda, Administrator of the Maritime Administration.
    The President released his annual budget requests for FY 12 
in early March. The witnesses testified to the effects the 
budget requests would have on their agencies if enacted. 
Notable cuts to the Coast Guard's budget request include a 7.4% 
decrease in funding for the Acquisition, Construction and 
Improvements account from this fiscal year's continuing 
resolution, as well as a 20% decrease in the Research, 
Development, Test and Evaluation account. In addition, the 
Administration requested one High Endurance Cutter be 
decommissioned as well as the USCGC POLAR SEA, one of the Coast 
Guard's two Class I icebreakers. The Subcommittee and the 
witnesses examined the direct and long-term effects on the 
Coast Guard's overall mission effectiveness as a result of 
these cuts.
    Title: Assuring the Freedom of Americans on the High Seas: 
The United States' Response to Piracy
    Date: March 15, 2011
    Purpose: Subcommittee sought recommendations on how to 
improve the Federal government's efforts to safeguard American 
lives and property on the high seas against acts of piracy, 
with specific attention being given towards the high volume of 
piratical attacks occurring off the Horn of Africa.
    Summary: The Subcommittee heard testimony from Coast Guard 
Admiral Kevin Cook, Director of Prevention Policy for Marine 
Safety, Security, and Stewardship; William Wechsler, Deputy 
Assistant Secretary of Defense for Counternarcotics and Global 
Threats; Kurt Amend, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of 
State for Political and Military Affairs; and Stephen L. 
Caldwell, Director of GAO's Maritime and Coast Guard Issues 
Team.
    The sailing vessel QUEST with four American citizens 
onboard was transiting the Gulf of Aden in early February 2011 
and was attacked and the crew taken hostage. During the 
negotiations, all four American hostages were killed by the 
pirates. This incident, along with an estimated 87 other pirate 
attacks against vessels on the high seas this calendar year, 
led the Subcommittee to examine all aspects of pirate 
operations, from the land-based ``pirate academy'' that now 
exists on the coast of Somalia to pirate operations using 
larger ``mother ships'' that vastly expand the area in which 
they can attack vessels of opportunity. The State Department 
also testified in regard to the ransom process and ways in 
which the U.S. government can track ransom payments to find 
those profiting from acts of piracy on the high seas.
    Title: Improving and Streamlining the Coast Guard's 
Acquisition Program
    Date: April 13, 2011
    Purpose: Subcommittee sought an update on the status of the 
Coast Guard's acquisition programs, as well as a review of the 
policies and procedures the Service uses to determine mission 
needs requirements and select the assets based on those 
requirements.
    Summary: The Subcommittee heard testimony from Coast Guard 
Vice Admiral John Currier, Deputy Commandant for Mission 
Support, and from Mr. John P. Hutton, Director of Acquisition 
and Sourcing Management for the GAO. The hearing focused on the 
Coast Guard's acquisition program since transitioning from the 
Deepwater program, started in 2002, which was essentially 
scrapped and replaced in 2007 with an in-house acquisitions 
directorate. The current acquisition program includes 
significant process improvements over the Lead System 
Integrator processes used under Deepwater. However, nearly all 
of the Coast Guard's major acquisitions still face significant 
cost overruns and schedule delays. Specifically, the 
Subcommittee questioned the Coast Guard on its unreasonable 
expectation of future funding. Additionally, the Subcommittee 
expressed its concern over the mismanagement of development and 
delivery of its National Security Cutters, which was a part of 
the original Deepwater program. The Subcommittee looked into 
the acquisition process that led to these delays and cost 
overruns.
    The Subcommittee also examined a report issued by the GAO 
on the Coast Guard's acquisition process. In the report, the 
GAO made several recommendations to reduce bureaucratic 
inefficiencies within the Coast Guard's acquisition directorate 
to reduce cost overruns and delays. The Subcommittee questioned 
the Coast Guard and the GAO on ways to implement these 
recommendations.
    Title: Creating U.S. Maritime Industry Jobs by Reducing 
Regulatory Burdens
    Date: May 24, 2011
    Purpose: Subcommittee review of the Coast Guard maritime 
rulemaking process. The hearing focused on specific rules and 
regulations that are unnecessarily burdensome to the maritime 
industry.
    Summary: The Subcommittee heard testimony from Coast Guard 
Rear Admiral Kevin Cook, Director of Prevention Policy, and 
from Mr. Calvin Lederer, Deputy Judge Advocate General of the 
Coast Guard. Members of the Subcommittee were particularly 
interested in a proposed rule by the Coast Guard that would 
expand the Notice and Arrival and Departure and Automatic 
Identification System requirements to many smaller commercial 
vessels operating in U.S. navigable waters. Members were 
concerned the regulation would seriously hinder the ability of 
smaller commercial vessels to conduct normal operations in the 
coastwise trade. Additionally, members were concerned oil rigs 
operating offshore in need of short notice servicing would not 
be able to do so under the proposed regulation.
    The Subcommittee also looked at ways in which the Coast 
Guard can reduce its backlog of rulemaking projects as required 
by enacted laws. Despite the expansion of the rulemaking staff 
in the Coast Guard in 2009, there remains a significant backlog 
of proposed rules that have been required by previous 
legislation. This backlog creates uncertainty in the maritime 
industry and has a negative effect on domestic trade. The 
Subcommittee questioned the witnesses on ways to reduce this 
uncertainty that is dampening the creation of U.S. maritime 
jobs.
    Title: Creating Jobs and Increasing U.S. Exports by 
Enhancing the Marine Transportation System
    Date: June 14, 2011
    Purpose: Subcommittee sought input from U.S. maritime 
industry stakeholders and the head of the Maritime 
Administration on ways to increase U.S. exports and U.S. 
commerce by increasing coastwise and international trade 
through the U.S. marine transportation system.
    Summary: The Subcommittee heard testimony from the 
Honorable David Matsuda, Administrator of the Maritime 
Administration; Mr. Joseph J. Cox, President and CEO of the 
Chamber of Shipping of America; Mr. Michael Roberts, Chief 
Counsel of the Crowley Maritime Corporation testifying on 
behalf of the American Maritime Partnership; Mr. Augustin 
Tellez, Executive Vice President of the Seafarers International 
Union; and Mr. John Mohr, Executive Director of the Port of 
Everett, WA.
    The witnesses suggested various ways to enhance and expand 
the U.S. marine transportation system and create U.S. maritime 
jobs without burdening the American taxpayer. The Jones Act was 
specifically targeted by both members and witnesses alike as 
being a key component in preserving American maritime jobs and 
the U.S. shipbuilding industry. Other issues examined included 
Cargo Preference Laws that require certain percentage of 
government impelled cargo to be carried on U.S. owned, U.S. 
flagged, U.S. crewed, and U.S. built vessels.
    Title: GPS Reliability: A Review of Aviation Industry 
Performance, Safety Issues, and Avoiding Potential New and 
Costly Government Burdens
    Date: June 23, 2011
    Purpose: Joint hearing between the Subcommittee on Coast 
Guard and Maritime Transportation and the Subcommittee on 
Aviation. Received testimony from eight different witnesses on 
the potential impact LightSquared's new network could have on 
GPS technology used by maritime and aviation industries.
    Summary: The Subcommittees heard testimony from the 
Honorable Roy Kienitz, Undersecretary for Policy at U.S. 
Department of Transportation; the Honorable Teri Takai, Acting 
Assistant Secretary for Networks and Information Integration at 
U.S. Department of Defense; Rear Admiral Robert E. Day, Jr., 
Assistant Commandant for Command, Control, Communications, 
Computers & Information; Ms. Margaret Jenny, President of RTCA; 
Mr. Phil Straub, Vice President of Aviation Engineering at 
Garmin International; Mr. Craig Fuller, President of the 
Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association; Mr. Thomas L. 
Hendricks, Senior Vice President of Safety, Security, and 
Operations at the Air Transport Association; and Mr. Jeffrey J. 
Carlisle, Executive Vice President of Regulatory Affairs and 
Public Policy at LightSquared.
    The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is considering 
an application by LightSquared to build nationwide broadband 
internet infrastructure. LightSquared has applied to have high-
power internet broadcast stations across the country on the 
spectrum neighboring the low-powered GPS signal. A broad 
coalition of industry stakeholders who use GPS have expressed 
concern the high-powered broadband signal will overpower and 
disable critical GPS navigation and timing functions. Initial 
testing by the Department of Defense (DoD) and DOT have 
validated some of these interference concerns. Witnesses at the 
hearing verified that there is insufficient data to demonstrate 
that LightSquared's planned nationwide broadband signal would 
not interfere with GPS signals, and the details would have to 
be thoroughly and independently tested before being safely 
implemented.
    Title: Reducing Regulatory Burdens, Ensuring the Flow of 
Commerce, and Protecting Jobs: A Common Sense Approach to 
Ballast Water Regulation
    Date: July 13, 2011
    Purpose: Joint hearing between the Subcommittee on Coast 
Guard and Maritime Transportation and Subcommittee on Water 
Resources and Environment to hear testimony from important 
industry groups and government agencies on current rules 
governing the discharge of ballast water. The Subcommittees 
sought input from witnesses on how to best move forward with 
efforts to reform current ballast water discharge rules.
    Summary: The Subcommittees heard testimony from two 
separate panels. The first panel of witnesses included Vice 
Admiral Brian Salerno, U.S. Coast Guard Deputy Commandant for 
Operations; Mr. James Hanlon, Director of the Office of 
Wastewater Management at the Environmental Protection Agency; 
Dr. Deborah Swackhamer, Chair of the EPA's Science Advisory 
Board; and Dr. James Carlton, Chair of the Committee on Numeric 
Limits for Living Organisms in Ballast Water at the National 
Research Council. The second panel consisted of Mr. Thomas 
Allegretti, President of the American Waterways Operators, and 
Mr. Michael Jewell, President of the Marine Engineers' 
Beneficial Association.
    In order to maintain stability during transit, most ocean 
going vessels fill internal tanks with ballast water during the 
loading of cargo and then release it during unloading. Ballast 
water has long been recognized as one of several pathways by 
which invasive species are transported globally and introduced 
into coastal waters where they did not live before. Aquatic 
nuisance species have been introduced into U.S. waters via 
ballast water discharges. Discharges of ballast water are 
currently governed differently by the Coast Guard and the 
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), as well as by numerous 
state laws and regulations. As a result, vessels engaged in 
international and interstate commerce are required to meet 
several different standards for the treatment of ballast water, 
some of which are not technologically achievable or verifiable. 
Witnesses from private industry emphasized the importance of 
developing clear and consistent ballast water standards in 
order for the U.S. to continue being a leader in the 
international maritime trade. The EPA Science Advisory Board 
testified that the ballast water discharge standard established 
by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) is the only 
standard that is currently technologically achievable and 
verifiable. Finally, the EPA and the Coast Guard pledged to 
continue working with Congress to develop a more cost effective 
and sensible approach to regulating ballast water discharge.
    Title: How to Improve Operations and Implement Efficiencies 
for the United States Coast Guard
    Date: July 26, 2011
    Purpose: Subcommittee met to hear testimony on ways to 
improve Coast Guard operations and implement efficiencies in 
Coast Guard programs. Hearing was held in preparation for 
drafting legislation reauthorizing funding for Coast Guard 
operations and administration.
    Summary: The Subcommittee heard testimony from Congressman 
Sam Farr (D-CA); Vice Admiral John Currier, U.S. Coast Guard 
Deputy Commandant for Mission Support; Vice Admiral Brian 
Salerno, U.S. Coast Guard Deputy Commandant for Operations; and 
Dr. Holly Bamford, Deputy Assistant Administrator at the 
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
    The authorization of appropriations for the Coast Guard was 
set to expire on September 30, 2011. In preparation for 
reauthorization legislation, the Subcommittee held this hearing 
to review ways to improve Coast Guard operations and 
administration. The Subcommittee examined capability gaps and 
delays in Coast Guard acquisitions projects, challenges in 
administration of Coast Guard programs, and parity issues 
between benefits and authorities available to members of the 
Coast Guard and the other armed services. The panel also 
focused on the Marine Debris Research, Prevention, and 
Reduction Act (Public Law 109-449), which requires the Coast 
Guard to conduct outreach programs to boaters to increase 
awareness of problems associated with marine debris.
    Title: Review and Status of the Multi-Billion Dollar 
Department of Homeland Security Relocation Project in 
Washington, DC and its Impacts on the U.S. Coast Guard
    Date: September 23, 2011
    Purpose: Subcommittee convened to review the status of the 
Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) headquarters 
consolidation project, the proposal to move the Coast Guard's 
headquarters to the new location, and the impacts the move 
would have on the Service's budget and operations.
    Summary: The Subcommittee heard testimony from the 
Honorable Donald Bathurst, Chief Administrative Officer at the 
Department of Homeland Security; Vice Admiral John Currier, 
U.S. Coast Guard Deputy Commandant for Mission Support; and the 
Honorable Robert A. Peck, Public Buildings Service Commissioner 
at the General Services Administration.
    Current facilities housing DHS and its component agencies 
are spread among more than 61 buildings in 40 locations in the 
Washington, DC area. DHS has prepared a National Capital Region 
Housing Master Plan to identify the housing needs of the 
Department, and found that a consolidation on a single campus 
would be beneficial to the Department. The General Services 
Administration (GSA) has determined the West Campus of the St. 
Elizabeth's Hospital to be the only federally controlled site 
available in the District of Columbia capable of meeting the 
needs of DHS. The consolidation is planned to take place over 
the course of the next ten years. The first phase of the 
project would move the Coast Guard headquarters to the site, 
but no funds have been provided thus far to undertake any 
additional departmental consolidation.
    Chairman LoBiondo and members of the Subcommittee expressed 
concerns about several aspects of the proposed Coast Guard 
move, including adequacy of access to the facility, isolation 
of the Coast Guard if no other entities move to the campus, and 
any additional costs that would be borne by the Coast Guard to 
move to the new facility and to support its operations. Most 
importantly, the Subcommittee was concerned with the impact 
potential costs from the move will have on the ability of the 
Service to conduct their critical missions.
    Title: What Will It Cost?: Protecting the Taxpayer from an 
Unachievable Coast Guard Acquisition Program
    Date: October 4, 2011
    Purpose: Subcommittee met to examine Coast Guard 
Acquisitions programs. This hearing was a follow up to the 
April 13, 2011, Subcommittee hearing on the same. This hearing 
reviewed issues raised in the July 2011 Government 
Accountability Office (GAO) report entitled ``Action Needed as 
Approved Deepwater Program Remains Unachievable''.
    Summary: The Subcommittee heard testimony from two separate 
panels. Mr. John Hutton of the Government Accountability Office 
testified on the first panel, and Admiral Robert J. Papp, 
Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard testified on the second.
    The Coast Guard began a process of replacing its aging 
vessels and aircraft in the late 1990s. The program's focus was 
those assets that carry out missions farther than 50 miles from 
shore and the modernization of the information technology 
systems that the Service relies upon to coordinate its 
operations. The program was known as the Integrated Deepwater 
Program (Deepwater). To manage the acquisition program, the 
Coast Guard engaged a Lockheed Martin/Northrop Grumman team, 
called the Integrated Coast Guard System (ICGS). Deepwater 
encountered significant quality and cost issues. It was the 
subject to several hearings and an investigation by the 
Committee, and is the subject of continuing review by the GAO. 
The Coast Guard has terminated the Deepwater contract with ICGS 
and is now performing the acquisition functions in-house. The 
assets scheduled for recapitalization remain the same.
    Members of the Subcommittee had several questions regarding 
GAO's recommendations for keeping the Coast Guard acquisitions 
program on schedule. They also sought answers from the 
Commandant on steps taken by the Service to minimize cost 
overruns and prevent further delays.
    Title: Assuring the Safety of Domestic Energy Production: 
Lessons Learned from the DEEPWATER HORIZON Oil Spill
    Date: November 2, 2011
    Purpose: Subcommittee convened to examine the lessons 
learned in the wake of the BP DEEPWATER HORIZON oil spill, 
review the latest investigations into the causes of the spill 
and the Coast Guard response to it, hear the recommendations of 
those involved in these investigations, and find out what 
actions the Service has taken or will take in response to those 
recommendations.
    Summary: The Subcommittee heard testimony from Rear Admiral 
Paul Zukunft, U.S. Coast Guard Assistant Commandant for Marine 
Safety, Security and Stewardship; U.S. Coast Guard Vice Admiral 
(retired) Roger Rufe, Chairman of the Incident Specific 
Preparedness Review for the DEEPWATER HORIZON Oil Spill; and 
Mr. Stephen Caldwell, Director of GAO's Homeland Security and 
Justice Team. Mr. Caldwell was accompanied by Mr. Frank Rusco, 
Director of GAO's Natural Resources and the Environment Team.
    Subcommittee heard the recommendations of the Government 
Accountability Office (GAO) and U.S. Coast Guard individuals 
who were involved in the investigations, and examined what 
actions the Service will need to take in response to those 
recommendations. Members questioned witnesses about findings 
from the three most recent reports on the spill, namely the 
Joint Investigative Team (JIT) Report, the Incident Specific 
Preparedness Review (ISPR), and the Federal On Scene 
Coordinator Report (FOSC).
    Title: Protecting U.S. Sovereignty: Coast Guard Operations 
in the Arctic
    Date: December 1, 2011
    Purpose: Subcommittee met to review the status of the Coast 
Guard's icebreaker fleet and explore options for meeting the 
Coast Guard's statutory obligations in the Arctic and assisting 
those in the maritime transportation and energy sectors take 
advantage of the significant economic opportunities in the 
region.
    Summary: The Subcommittee heard testimony from two separate 
panels. Admiral Robert J. Papp, Commandant of the United States 
Coast Guard, and the Honorable Mead Treadwell, Lieutenant 
Governor of Alaska, testified on the first panel. The second 
panel consisted of Dr. Kelly Falkner, Deputy Director of the 
National Science Foundation's Office of Polar Programs; Mr. 
Stephen Caldwell, Director of GAO's Homeland Security and 
Justice Issues Team; Mr. David Whitcomb, Vice President for 
Production Support at Vigor Industrial and testifying on behalf 
of the Shipbuilders Council of America; and Rear Admiral 
Jeffrey Garrett (USCG ret.).
    The Coast Guard maintains two Polar Class heavy 
icebreakers, however neither is currently operational. The 
POLAR SEA is being decommissioned and the POLAR STAR is 
undergoing significant repairs to extend its service life. 
Questions remain about how long the POLAR STAR will last after 
its repairs are complete, as well as whether the Service and 
the Administration are prepared to make critical decisions 
regarding our Nation's goals and objectives in the Arctic and 
provide Congress with a fiscally responsible plan to meet those 
goals and objectives. Members of the Subcommittee and witnesses 
all emphasized the importance of maintaining a U.S. icebreaker 
fleet for national security, scientific and economic purposes.

                              LEGISLATION

    Title: Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Act of 2011
    Bill Number: H.R. 2838 (Passed House on November 15, 2011)
    Summary: H.R. 2838, the Coast Guard and Maritime 
Transportation Act of 2011, authorizes $8.4 billion in funding 
for the Coast Guard in FY 12, $8.6 billion in FY 13, and $8.7 
billion in fiscal year 2014. The bill authorizes the end-of-
year strength for military personnel at 47,000 for each of the 
FY 12 through 14. The bill also authorizes $22 million for the 
Federal Maritime Commission in each of the FY 12 through 15. 
Finally, the bill makes changes to current law affecting marine 
safety, marine transportation system, and the authorities of 
the Coast Guard. The changes to current law include requiring 
the Coast Guard Academy to institute the same sexual harassment 
policy that exists at the other military service academies, 
repealing a law requiring that the Commandant of the Coast 
Guard establish an Ombudsman for each Coast Guard District, 
prohibiting the Commandant from going to production on a sixth 
national security cutter before acquiring a sufficient number 
of Long Range Interceptor II and Cutter Boat Over the Horizon 
IV small boats for each of the first three national security 
cutters, setting specific deadlines for decommissioning the 
Coast Guard's two inoperable polar icebreakers, providing a 
formal authorization to the existing interagency Committee on 
the Marine Transportation System, and changing the frequency of 
dockside examinations for commercial fishing vessels from two 
to five years.
    On September 2, 2011, Subcommittee on Coast Guard and 
Maritime Transportation Chairman Frank A. LoBiondo introduced 
for himself, and Transportation and Infrastructure Committee 
Chairman John L. Mica, H.R. 2838, the Coast Guard and Maritime 
Transportation Act of 2011. On September 8, 2011, the Committee 
on Transportation and Infrastructure met in open session to 
consider H.R. 2838, and ordered the bill, as amended, reported 
favorably to the House of Representatives by voice vote with a 
quorum present. The bill was considered by the House beginning 
on November 4, 2011 and was passed by the chamber on November 
15, 2011 by voice vote.
    Title: Piracy Suppression Act of 2011
    Bill Number: H.R. 2839 (Reported to the House on November 
10, 2011)
    Summary: Piracy off the Horn of Africa, and in other high 
risk waters throughout the world, puts thousands of lives in 
danger, undermines freedom of navigation, and impacts the world 
economy. H.R. 2839, the Piracy Suppression Act of 2011, 
provides new authorities to suppress the threat of piracy on 
the high seas.
    H.R. 2839 instructs the Secretary of Transportation to 
update an existing training program to include instruction on 
acceptable use of force against pirates and techniques to use 
in the event of being taken hostage, requires the use of 
private armed security on vessels carrying government impelled 
cargo through high risk waters, and orders the Government 
Accountability Office to report to the Committee efforts to 
track ransom payments and the movement of money through Somali 
piracy networks.
    On September 2, 2011, Subcommittee on Coast Guard and 
Maritime Transportation Chairman Frank A. LoBiondo introduced 
for himself, and Transportation and Infrastructure Committee 
Chairman John L. Mica, H.R. 2839, the Piracy Suppression Act of 
2011. On September 8, 2011, the Committee on Transportation and 
Infrastructure met in open session, and ordered the bill 
reported favorably to the House of Representatives by voice 
vote with a quorum present. Amended portions of H.R. 2839 were 
included as an amendment to H.R. 2838, the Coast Guard and 
Maritime Transportation Act of 2011, and were considered by the 
House beginning on November 4, 2011. H.R. 2838 passed on 
November 15, 2011 by voice vote.
    Title: Commercial Vessel Discharges Reform Act of 2011
    Bill Number: H.R. 2840 (Passed House on November 3, 2011)
    Summary: Discharges of ballast water are currently governed 
differently by the Coast Guard and the Environmental Protection 
Agency (EPA), as well as by numerous state laws and 
regulations. As a result, vessels engaged in international and 
interstate commerce are required to meet several different 
standards for the treatment of ballast water, some of which are 
not technologically achievable or verifiable. The Commercial 
Vessel Discharges Reform Act of 2011 establishes a single, 
uniform national standard for the treatment of ballast water 
discharged from vessels into navigable waters. The bill also 
provides for uniform federal regulation of other discharges 
incidental to the normal operation of a vessel.
    H.R. 2840 amends Title II of the Clean Water Act by adding 
a new section specifying the circumstances under which a 
discharge of ballast water from a commercial vessel into 
navigable waters is permitted and identifies applicable 
vessels. The bill establishes an initial performance standard 
that is consistent with the IMO standard and requires vessel 
operators to conduct ballast water treatment using technologies 
certified to meet the performance standard. Furthermore, the 
legislation requires the Administrator of the EPA to review the 
performance standard no later than January 1, 2016, and every 
ten years thereafter to determine whether revising the 
performance standard is appropriate.
    On September 2, 2011, Subcommittee on Coast Guard and 
Maritime Transportation Chairman Frank A. LoBiondo introduced 
for himself, Transportation and Infrastructure Committee 
Chairman John L. Mica, and Subcommittee on Water Resources and 
Environment Chairman Bob Gibbs, H.R. 2840, the Commercial 
Vessel Discharge Reform Act. On October 13, 2011, the Committee 
on Transportation and Infrastructure met in open session to 
consider H.R. 2840, and ordered the bill, as amended, reported 
favorably to the House of Representatives by voice vote with a 
quorum present. H.R. 2840 incorporated into H.R. 2838, The 
Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Act of 2011, in a House 
Rules Committee print for Floor consideration on October 28, 
2011. The House began consideration of H.R. 2838 on November 4, 
2011. H.R. 2838 was passed by the House on November 15, 2011 by 
voice vote.
    Title: America's Cup Act of 2011
    Bill Number: H.R. 3321 (Enacted on November 29, 2011)
    Summary: H.R. 3321 provides a limited waiver of domestic 
cabotage laws for competing and support vessels participating 
in America's Cup related races. Excluded from the waiver are 
vessels transporting more than 25 individuals (in addition to 
the crew) and vessels transporting individual's point-to-point 
for hire. It also provides waivers of cabotage laws for several 
other specific vessels and clarifies that vessels carried on a 
movable dry dock in Alaska are not considered merchandise under 
Chapter 551 of title 46.
    On November 2, 2011, Representative Wally Herger introduced 
H.R. 3321, The America's Cup Act of 2011. On November 4, 2011, 
the House agreed to the motion to suspend the rules and pass 
H.R. 3321 by a vote of 387-2, 1 present. H.R. 3321 was signed 
into law on November 29, 2011 (Public Law 112-61).

 Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency 
                               Management

    During the 1st Session of the 112th Congress, the 
Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and 
Emergency Management, chaired by Representative Jeff Denham, 
with Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton serving as Ranking Member, 
held fourteen Subcommittee hearings (60 witnesses and 
approximately 28 hours). The Subcommittee also held one markup 
session and one roundtable discussion.

                                HEARINGS

    Title: Sitting on Our Assets: Cutting Spending and Private 
Redevelopment of Underperforming Buildings
    Date: February 10, 2011
    Purpose: Received testimony on the costs to the taxpayer of 
underperforming or vacant assets, models for their 
redevelopment or reuse, and how spending can be reduced through 
private redevelopment of underperforming assets. The hearing 
was conducted pursuant to the Committee's plan for oversight of 
real property management and Clause 2(n) of House Rule XI on 
waste, fraud, abuse or mismanagement of government programs.
    Summary: The Subcommittee received testimony from the 
General Services Administration (GSA) Public Buildings Services 
Commissioner, the director of the Physical Infrastructure Team 
of the GAO, and the Chairman of the 2005 Department of Defense 
Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Commission.
    This field hearing was held at the Annex of the Old Post 
Office Building on Pennsylvania Avenue, NW in downtown 
Washington, DC. The Old Post Office Building is just one 
example of a poorly managed federal property. The Annex, which 
was built with $1.8 million in government funding in addition 
to millions in private funds, has been unoccupied for ten 
years. According to reports, the maintenance of the vacant 
Annex costs taxpayers $6.5 million each year.
    GSA testified in agreement that the Old Post Office 
Building Annex was a commercial failure and that it would 
transform the asset for better use and to put up a Request for 
Proposals for private redevelopment. GSA told the Subcommittee 
that it was taking the necessary steps to aggressively renovate 
and reuse other underperforming federal properties across the 
country. The Chairman of the 2005 BRAC Commission explained the 
process for the past realignment of military installations and 
how it could be applied to civilian property in order to 
maximize value from underperforming assets.
    Title: Managing Costs and Mitigating Delays in the Building 
of Social Security's New National Computer Center
    Date: February 11, 2011
    Purpose: A joint oversight hearing between the Subcommittee 
on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency 
Management and the Committee on Ways and Means, Subcommittee on 
Social Security to receive testimony on the site selection and 
construction of the Social Security Administration's (SSA) new 
national computer processing and data storage facility to 
replace the National Computer Center (NCC), currently located 
in Woodlawn, MD. The hearing was conducted pursuant to the 
Committee's plan of supervision for the construction and 
renovation of federal property under the American Recovery and 
Reinvestment Act of 2009.
    Summary: The Subcommittees received testimony from the 
Inspector General of the Social Security Administration, the 
deputy commissioner of the GSA Public Buildings Service, and 
the deputy commissioner of Systems for the SSA.
    The Subcommittees previously held a joint hearing on the 
new NCC on December 15, 2009. The new facility is funded from 
the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which provided $500 
million for the project. The replacement of the NCC is the 
single largest building project funded under the American 
Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
    The Subcommittees were concerned with delays in site 
selection and its effect on the project's budget. GSA testified 
that it had selected a site at Urbana in Frederick County, MD, 
in early February 2011 and was beginning the process for 
design/build construction solicitation. GSA noted that the 
project remained on budget but pushed back the construction 
completion date from October 2013 to September 2014. SSA 
detailed aspects of the Information Technology (IT) workload 
for the new NCC, which will take responsibility for certifying 
payments of over $60 billion a month to 50 million American 
seniors.
    Title: Cutting Spending and Consolidating Federal Office 
Space: GSA's Capital Investment and Leasing Program
    Date: March 10, 2011
    Purpose: Receive testimony on GSA's Capital Investment and 
Leasing Program (CILP) including alteration, design, 
modernization, construction, leasing and building purchase 
activities. The hearing was conducted pursuant to the 
Committee's plan for oversight of real property management and 
the Federal Buildings Fund (FBF).
    Summary: The Subcommittee received testimony from the 
commissioner of GSA's Public Building Service (PBS). The CILP 
provides the necessary resources to maintain current real 
property assets and acquire new or replacement assets, through 
ownership or leasing. The President's FY 12 Budget requests a 
total of $9.5 billion in new obligational authority for the FBF 
to fund various projects. At the hearing, the PBS Commissioner 
testified about its requests for $840 million for new 
construction projects including five new land ports of entry, 
FBI consolidation in San Juan, PR, and the St. Elizabeth's DHS 
consolidation in Washington, DC. GSA also requested more than 
$395 million in funding for repairs and alterations.
    Title: Improving the Nation's Response to Catastrophic 
Disasters: How to Minimize Costs and Streamline Our Emergency 
Management Programs
    Date: March 30, 2011
    Purpose: Received testimony on how to better respond to 
disasters in the wake of the catastrophic earthquakes that 
devastated Japan in early March 2011. The hearing was conducted 
pursuant to the Committee's Oversight Plan for streamlining 
emergency management programs.
    Summary: The Subcommittee received testimony from 
representatives of the Federal Emergency Management Agency 
(FEMA), the U.S. Forest Service, the Nuclear Regulatory 
Commission (NRC), the American Red Cross, and state and local 
emergency managers.
    This hearing was held in response to the catastrophic 
earthquakes that devastated Japan in early March 2011. It 
specifically focused on using better coordination between 
local, state, and federal authorities. With saving lives being 
the top priority in disaster recoveries, minimizing costs and 
cutting the bureaucratic red tape are also of utmost 
importance.
    FEMA testified on improvements made to disaster 
preparedness through its ``Whole Community'' approach. This 
program recognizes that FEMA is not the Nation's sole emergency 
management team and to achieve maximum effectiveness in 
preparedness and recovery, FEMA must work with the entire 
emergency management community. FEMA also touched upon its 
national public service campaign, Ready. The program partners 
with the Advertising Council to educate and empower Americans 
to prepare for and respond to all emergencies, including 
natural disasters and potential terrorist attacks. The goal of 
the campaign is to get the public involved and to increase the 
level of basic preparedness across the Nation.
    Title: Can a Civilian BRAC Commission Consolidate Federal 
Office Space and Save Taxpayers Billions?
    Date: April 6, 2011
    Purpose: Received testimony on whether a civilian BRAC 
process can effectively consolidate federal office space, 
maximize value to the taxpayer, and save taxpayers billions. 
The hearing was conducted pursuant to the Committee's plan for 
oversight of real property management and Clause 2(n) of House 
Rule XI on waste, fraud, abuse or mismanagement of government 
programs.
    Summary: The Subcommittee received testimony from the 
Office of Management and Budget, the GSA, the GAO, and the 
Chairman of the 2005 DoD BRAC Commission.
    In FY 09, the Federal government spent $1.7 billion in 
annual operating costs for underutilized buildings and $134 
million annually for excess buildings. A civilian BRAC process, 
which would establish a fair process of evaluating federal 
space needs, has the potential to save the taxpayers billions 
of dollars by addressing the currently underutilized federal 
real property and over-reliance on costly leasing. GAO conducts 
biennial reviews on high-risk areas within the Federal 
government to bring focus to specific areas needing added 
attention and oversight. Areas are identified as ``high'' risk 
due to their greater vulnerabilities to fraud, waste, abuse, 
and mismanagement or areas that need broad-based transformation 
to address major economic, efficiency, or effectiveness 
challenges. Unfortunately, despite executive orders and 
memoranda issued during two administrations and acts of 
Congress intended to improve the management of federal real 
property, these problems persist. GAO acknowledged that while 
the government works to improve its real property planning the 
government still has not made significant reductions in excess 
property. GAO added that a process similar to DoD's BRAC 
Commission could help move this program forward.
    Title: Richard H. Poff Federal Building Renovation: Is it 
Costing the Taxpayer Too Much?
    Date: April 14, 2011
    Purpose: Receive testimony on the renovation and 
modernization of the Richard H. Poff Federal Building, located 
in Roanoke, Virginia. The hearing was conducted pursuant to the 
Committee's plan of supervision for the construction and 
renovation of federal property under the American Recovery and 
Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).
    Summary: The Subcommittee received testimony from 
Congressman Bob Goodlatte, the Mid-Atlantic Regional 
Administrator of the GSA, the Inspector General of GSA, and the 
Clerk of the U.S. District Court of Western Virginia.
    The costs of the Poff Federal Building renovation are 
projected to exceed the project's estimated $51 million price 
tag by $10-15 million or more. According to the GSA, the 
purpose of the project is to update building systems and 
improve its emergency efficiency by incorporating ``greening'' 
elements. Included in the American Recovery and Reinvestment 
Act was $5.5 billion for the Federal Building Fund of the GSA. 
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act designated $4.5 
billion of those funds for converting GSA buildings into High 
Performance Green Buildings, as defined by the Energy 
Independence and Security Act (EISA) of 2007. The Richard H. 
Poff Federal Building (Poff Federal Building) is included in 
GSA's Spend Plan as an American Recovery and Reinvestment Act 
project. The property is located in Roanoke, Virginia and was 
constructed in 1975. It has approximately 316,000 gross square 
feet of space and is occupied by the Department of Veterans 
Affairs (VA) (49%), the U.S. Courts and U.S. Marshals (36%), 
and other agencies (15%). Congressman Goodlatte has expressed 
concerns and has followed up with GSA and the GSA IG on a 
number of these issues, such as to the cost-benefit analysis 
related to some of the greening elements, whether the 
renovation costs are reasonable, whether renovation was the 
most cost-effective solution for meeting the tenants' space 
needs, and the impact of the construction on the tenant 
agencies. In addition, Senators Webb and Warner, both of 
Virginia, have also expressed concerns, particularly regarding 
the impact of the renovation on current tenants.
    Title: How to Stop Sitting on Our Assets: A Review of the 
Civilian Property Realignment Act
    Date: May 12, 2011
    Purpose: Received testimony on specific legislative 
proposals to employ a BRAC-like process to civilian properties 
to produce significant savings to the taxpayer. The hearing was 
conducted pursuant to the Committee's plan for oversight of 
real property management and waste, fraud, abuse or 
mismanagement of government programs.
    Summary: The Subcommittee received testimony from the 
Office of Management and Budget, the Department of State, the 
Chairman of the 2005 Department of Defense BRAC Commission and 
the private sector.
    H.R. 1734, the Civilian Property Realignment Act, was 
introduced by Subcommittee Chairman Jeff Denham on May 4, 2011. 
The legislation would establish a framework through which a 
board or commission would independently review Federal 
properties and make recommendations for consolidations, co-
locations, redevelopment, selling or other actions to minimize 
costs and produce savings for the taxpayer. The Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) estimates that the proposal could 
save taxpayers more than $15 billion.
    The Administration submitted a similar proposal for a 
civilian BRAC in early 2011. The OMB Controller testified that 
the differences between the Denham and Administration proposals 
are bridgeable and that he looked forward to continuing to work 
together to establish a civilian BRAC process. H.R. 1734, would 
create a nine member commission appointed by the President and 
confirmed by the Senate with input from House and Senate 
leadership. The Administration's proposal requires Federal 
agencies to send information and initial recommendations to the 
Board. H.R. 1734 would require initial recommendations 
submitted to the Commission be compiled through GSA, in 
consultation with the chairperson of the Federal Real Property 
Council, and analyzed against standardized criteria that are 
consistent with the standards detailed in the legislation and 
published in the Federal Register. The Administration's 
proposal includes additional provisions for an annual review of 
the postal field offices and an annual assessment of the assets 
owned or managed by the State Department's Bureau of Overseas 
Building Operations. The Administration's proposal terminates 
the Board in 12 years. H.R. 1734 terminates the Commission in 6 
years. H.R. 1734 also mandates an independent leasing authority 
and requires that agencies seeking to lease space for the 
purposes of a public building work through GSA to acquire such 
space. The witnesses stressed the importance of private sector 
participation and expertise to the success of the initiative. 
The managing partner of JBG Companies, which invests, develops, 
and manages commercial real estate in the Washington area, 
testified if the private sector sees progress with a civilian 
BRAC process and the opportunity to work with the Federal 
government, many would ``come out of the woodwork'' with 
proposals to better utilize Federal properties and save 
taxpayers money.
    Title: The Securities and Exchange Commission's $500 
Million Fleecing of America
    Date: June 16, 2011
    Purpose: Received testimony on the Securities and Exchange 
Commission's (SEC) management of its independent authority to 
lease space and the May 16, 2011, SEC Inspector General (IG) 
report related to SEC's lease procurement of 900,000 square 
feet of space under a 10-year lease worth over $500 million. 
The hearing was conducted pursuant to the Committee's plan for 
oversight of agencies with independent leasing authority and 
Clause 2(n) of House Rule XI on waste, fraud, abuse or 
mismanagement of government programs.
    Summary: The Subcommittee received testimony from the SEC, 
the SEC Inspector General, and the GSA.
    On July 28, 2010, the SEC entered into a sole source lease 
for 900,000 square feet of space with an option to lease 
500,000 additional square feet at Constitution Center located 
at 7th and D Streets, SW, in Washington, DC. The SEC's 
rationale for the need for new space related to passage of 
Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act 
(Dodd-Frank), which expanded SEC's responsibilities. The $556 
million lease was ``negotiated'' in three business days and 
signed on July 28, 2010, and not long after it was signed 
questions were raised regarding whether the SEC needed the 
space. The building is owned by David Nassif Associates 
(Landlord) and is the former location of the Department of 
Transportation headquarters. The building was completely 
renovated by the Landlord to be a modern, efficient class-A 
office building, reportedly exceeding Level IV security 
standards and is expected to be rated LEED Gold, a top green 
building certification. Following reports of the lease 
agreement, the SEC IG initiated an investigation into the 
lease. On May 16, 2011, the SEC IG concluded its investigation 
and, at the request of the Subcommittee, the SEC released the 
report to the Subcommittee.
    Title: The Securities and Exchange Commission's $500 
Million Fleecing of America: Part Two
    Date: July 6, 2011
    Purpose: The Subcommittee held a second hearing to receive 
testimony on the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's 
(SEC) mismanagement of its independent authority to lease space 
and the May 16, 2011 SEC IG report related to SEC's lease 
procurement of 900,000 square feet of space under a 10-year 
lease of Constitution Center in Washington, DC worth over $500 
million. The hearing was conducted pursuant to the Committee's 
plan for oversight of agencies with independent leasing 
authority and Clause 2(n) of House Rule XI on waste, fraud, 
abuse or mismanagement of government programs.
    Summary: Received testimony from the Chairman of the SEC 
and Inspector General of the SEC.
    The SEC Chairman testified that she took full 
responsibility for the misguided lease of Constitution Center. 
Because of the Subcommittee's investigation, the SEC Chairman 
agreed to give up the agency's independent leasing authority 
and consult with GSA on future leasing opportunities.
    The SEC IG testified that he had referred the investigation 
to the Department of Justice. He also noted that several SEC 
employees may face disciplinary action for backdating documents 
that justified the lease.
    Title: FEMA Reauthorization and Cutting the Red Tape in 
Recovery
    Date: July 14, 2011
    Purpose: The Subcommittee held a hearing to examine the 
issues of communities recovering from a disaster in the context 
of a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) 
reauthorization. The hearing was conducted pursuant to the 
Committee's Oversight Plan for streamlining emergency 
management programs.
    Summary: Received testimony from the Administrator of the 
Federal Emergency Management Agency and state and local 
emergency managers.
    The Administrator of FEMA testified that pre-disaster 
preparedness and mitigation are critical to recovery and 
resilience-building. Additionally, timely decisions can 
significantly reduce recovery time and cost. The FEMA 
Administrator believed that it is important that all members of 
the team understand their role in disaster response and 
recovery and to begin to prepare for disasters before they 
occur. The Administrator highlighted FEMA's recovery 
capabilities and programs that can be provided when states 
request federal assistance for presidentially declared 
disasters of all sizes, including catastrophic events and 
terrorist attacks. The process begins with quickly processing 
state requests for disaster assistance. Then, after life-saving 
and life-sustaining operations have ceased, the recovery 
process requires the restoration of basic services within 60 
days.
    A representative of a federally recognized Indian tribe in 
Arizona testified about their support for H.R. 1953, 
legislation that would authorize Indian tribes to directly 
request the President for a major disaster or emergency 
declaration instead of being treated as a local entity.
    Title: The Economic Development Administration: How to 
Improve Effectiveness through Reforms and Consolidations
    Date: July 27, 2011
    Purpose: The Subcommittee held a hearing to receive 
testimony on the Economic Development Administration (EDA) and 
how its programs can be improved.
    Result: Received testimony from the EDA, the Government 
Accountability Office (GAO), local economic development 
officials, and the private sector.
    EDA testified about its work to promote economic 
development around the Nation in the current tough economic 
climate. The EDA reported that their best investments foster 
public and private partnerships as well as supporting ``bottom-
up'' business strategies from local and community leaders. The 
EDA also testified that the agency was working on coordinating 
its various efforts and trying to prevent the duplication of 
other federal activities in certain areas.
    GAO testified about its report regarding 80 economic 
development programs whose purpose seems to overlap with 
directives of federal agencies. EDA reported that the 
Department of Commerce, the Department of Housing and Urban 
Development, the U.S. Small Business Administration and the 
Department of Agriculture appear to have taken actions to 
implement some collaborative practices but have offered little 
evidence so far that they have taken steps to develop 
compatible policies or procedures with other federal agencies 
or to search for opportunities to leverage physical and 
administrative resources with their federal partners. GAO also 
found that the agencies appear to collect only limited 
information on program outcomes--information that is necessary 
to determine whether this potential for overlap and 
fragmentation is resulting in ineffective or inefficient 
programs.
    Title: Streamlining Emergency Management: Improving 
Preparedness, Response, and Cutting Costs
    Date: October 13, 2011
    Purpose: The Subcommittee held a hearing to examine how the 
emergency management system and programs can be streamlined to 
reduce costs and improve preparedness and response.
    Result: Received testimony from the Federal Emergency 
Management Agency (FEMA), the Department of Homeland Security 
(DHS) Office of the Inspector General, state and local 
emergency managers and the private sector.
    FEMA testified that the more efficient its operations are, 
the more people it can support and that the agency is 
constantly looking for ways to cut costs and streamline its 
processes. Through careful management of the Disaster Relief 
Fund (DRF) funds; implementation of ``FEMAStat,'' a management 
tool used to identify potential process improvements; and 
increased oversight of contract administration, FEMA has 
identified and capitalized upon numerous opportunities to use 
its resources more efficiently. Over the past two years, FEMA 
has put additional mechanisms in place to reduce costs and 
identify funds that could be de-obligated and returned to the 
DRF. By increasing the level of oversight of the status of 
mission assignments, contracts, and grants, FEMA has been able 
to return over $4.7 billion (as of September 27, 2011) to the 
DRF since the beginning of FY 2010. In addition to improvements 
to FEMA's operational efficiency, it also testified to having 
increased the effectiveness of the Individual Assistance (IA) 
program. FEMA's IA program provides assistance to individuals 
and families after a disaster, including emergency assistance, 
the Individuals and Households Program (IHP), Crisis Counseling 
Program, Disaster Legal Services, Disaster Unemployment 
Assistance and the Disaster Case Management Program.
    The IG testified to areas in which improvement was needed 
to speed recovery and reduce costs. The IG highlighted that 
there were hundreds of field offices still open dating back to 
the Northridge Earthquake. The IG asserted that speeding up 
recovery would result in more timely closure of these offices 
thus reducing administrative costs. The IG agreed that steps 
like implementing cost estimating would help streamline the 
process.
    State emergency managers testified to the importance of 
ensuring that state emergency management programs remain 
resilient and that there is better coordination of resources 
between federal, state, and local entities.
    Title: A Review and Analysis of the Proposed $400 Million 
Los, Angeles, California Federal Courthouse Project
    Date: November 4, 2011
    Purpose: The Subcommittee held a hearing that focused on 
the current justification of a third courthouse in Los Angeles, 
California including the size, scope, compliance with courtroom 
sharing guidelines, and cost implications of the entire 
courthouse complex in Los Angeles.
    Result: Received testimony from the U.S. courts, the 
General Services Administration (GSA) and the Government 
Accountability Office (GAO). The hearing was conducted pursuant 
to Clause 2(n) of House Rule XI on waste, fraud, abuse or 
mismanagement of government programs.
    The hearing was held in response to the GSA's insistence on 
moving forward with construction of a new $400 million federal 
courthouse in Los Angeles, California while ignoring profound 
criticism that the project is unnecessary due to the actual 
space needs for federal judges and the lack of courtroom 
sharing in the current Spring Street and Roybal courthouses. In 
the view of the Subcommittee, the project would ultimately be a 
wasteful expenditure of taxpayer money.
    A Los Angeles federal district court judge and GSA 
testified to the need of the new courthouse. The federal judge 
reported that there were security concerns in the Spring Street 
courthouse and that it was no longer meeting GSA's building 
requirements for federal courthouses. First proposed in its 
2001 Capital Investment and Leasing Program, GSA acknowledged 
that the decade old project should have progressed more 
efficiently.
    GAO testified to the results of its recent reports, which 
found that the addition of a third courthouse to the L.A. 
courthouse complex would exceed the needs of their judicial 
system. The GAO report has found this type of waste in 
courthouses across the country. GAO found that the proposed 
courthouse was designed to provide courtrooms to accommodate 
the judiciary's estimate of 61 district and magistrate judges 
in the L.A. Court by 2011--which, as of October 2011, exceeds 
the actual number of such judges by 14. This disparity calls 
into question the space assumptions on which the original 
proposals were based. In addition, the L.A. court was planning 
for less courtroom sharing than is possible. In 2011, the 
judiciary also approved sharing for bankruptcy judges. 
Additional courtroom sharing could reduce the number of 
additional courtrooms needed for the L.A. courthouse, thereby 
increasing the potential options for housing the L.A. court.

                          ENACTED LEGISLATION

    Title: To designate the United States Courthouse under 
construction at 98 West First Street, Yuma, Arizona, as the 
``John M. Roll United States Courthouse''
    Public Law Number: P.L. 112-2 (February 17, 2011)
    Bill Number: S.188
    Summary: The law designated the United States Courthouse 
under construction at 98 West First Street, Yuma, Arizona, as 
the John M. Roll United States Courthouse.
    Judge John M. Roll was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in 
1947. After moving to Arizona, he studied at the University of 
Arizona, where he received both his undergraduate and law 
degrees. His distinguished legal career spanned nearly forty 
years and included prosecutorial positions at the city, county, 
and federal levels. Roll began his career by serving as an 
assistant city attorney in Tucson, Arizona and later as deputy 
county attorney in Pima County, Arizona. He was later appointed 
a state judge and served on the Arizona Court of Appeals, where 
he became vice-chief judge. In 1991, Roll was nominated to the 
federal bench by President George H.W. Bush. In 2006, he was 
elevated to chief judge of the U.S. District Court of Arizona.
    On January 8, 2011, Judge Roll was assassinated in a 
shooting massacre at an Arizona supermarket that left six 
people dead and thirteen wounded, including Congresswoman 
Gabrielle Giffords of Tucson.
    Title: To designate the Federal building and United States 
Courthouse located at 217 West King Street, Martinsburg, West 
Virginia, as the W. Craig Broadwater Federal Building and 
United States Courthouse
    Public Law Number: P.L. 112-11 (April 25, 2011)
    S. Number: S. 307
    Summary: The law designates the Federal Building and the 
United States Courthouse located at 217 West King Street, 
Martinsburg, West Virginia, as the ``W. Craig Broadwater 
Federal Building and United States Courthouse.''
    Judge Broadwater was born on August 8, 1950 in Elk City, 
Oklahoma. He attended West Virginia University, where he earned 
his undergraduate and law degrees. He spent several years in 
private practice until he was appointed as a state circuit 
judge. In 1996, President Clinton nominated him to the federal 
bench in the Northern District of West Virginia and he was 
confirmed by the Senate.
    In addition to his time as a U.S. District Court judge, 
Broadwater was a decorated military officer. After being 
commissioned in the U.S. Army in 1972, he began his career with 
a tour in Korea as an Army Military Intelligence Officer. 
Broadwater continued his service with the West Virginia 
National Guard, where he eventually rose to the rank of 
Brigadier General. His awards included the Defense Superior 
Service Medal and the Bronze Star.
    Judge Broadwater died on December 18, 2006 after a long 
battle with cancer. He is survived by his wife and three 
children.
    Title: Authorizing the use of the Capitol Grounds for the 
Greater Washington Soap Box Derby
    Resolution Number: H. Con. Res. 16 (Passed the House on May 
11, 2011)
    Summary: H. Con. Res. 16 authorizes the use of the Capitol 
Grounds for the Greater Washington Soap Box Derby.
    Title: Authorizing the use of the Capitol Grounds for the 
National Peace Officers' Memorial Service.
    Resolution Number: H. Con. Res. 46 (Passed the House on May 
11, 2011)
    Summary: H. Con. Res. 264 permits the Grand Lodge of the 
Fraternal Order of Police and its auxiliary to sponsor a free 
public event, the 30th annual National Peace Officers' Memorial 
Service, on the Capitol grounds on May 15, 2011, to honor the 
law enforcement officers who died in the line of duty during 
2010.
    Title: To designate the United States Courthouse located at 
80 Lafayette Street in Jefferson City, Missouri, as the 
``Christopher S. Bond United States Courthouse.''
    Public Law Number: P.L. 112-31 (September 23, 2011)
    Bill Number: S.846
    Summary: The law designated the United States Courthouse 
located at 80 Lafayette Street in Jefferson City, Missouri, as 
the ``Christopher S. Bond United States Courthouse.''
    Senator Bond was born in St. Louis, Missouri on March 6, 
1939. He pursued his undergraduate degree at Princeton 
University and his law degree at the University of Virginia. 
After law school, he clerked for the Chief Judge of the United 
States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in Atlanta, 
Georgia.
    After some time in private practice in Washington, DC, he 
moved back to Missouri, where he was elected as Missouri State 
Auditor in 1970. In 1972, he was elected Governor of Missouri 
at the age of 33, making him the youngest governor in state 
history and first Republican governor to serve in almost three 
decades. Although he lost his reelection bid in 1976, he 
reclaimed the governorship in 1980 and served a second term. In 
1986, he was elected to the U.S. Senate, where he served for 24 
years until his retirement in 2011. During his long tenure, he 
served on several committees and was Chairman of the Committee 
on Small Business and Entrepreneurship from 1995 to 2001.
    Title: Authorizing the use of the Capitol Grounds for the 
District of Columbia Special Olympics Law Enforcement Torch Run
    Resolution Number: H. Con. Res. 67 (Passed the House on 
September 7, 2011)
    Summary: H. Con. Res. 264 authorized the use of the Capitol 
Grounds for the 26th Annual District of Columbia Special 
Olympics Law Enforcement Torch Run that will be held on 
September 30, 2011.
    Title: Designating room HVC 215 of the Capitol Visitor 
Center as the ''Gabriel Zimmerman Meeting Room''
    Bill Number: H. Res. 364 (Passed the House on November 30, 
2011)
    Summary: H. Res. 364 was introduced by Rep. Wasserman-
Schultz on July 21, 2011.
    This resolution would designate room HVC 215 of the Capitol 
Visitor Center as the ''Gabriel Zimmerman Meeting Room.'' 
Gabriel Zimmerman served as Director for Community Outreach for 
Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona. At approximately 
10:10 a.m. on January 8, 2011, a gunman attempted the 
assassination of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, opening fire 
at her ``Congress on your Corner'' event in front of a Safeway 
supermarket in Tucson, Arizona, killing Zimmerman and 6 others 
while critically wounding 13, including Congresswoman Giffords.
    Gabriel Zimmerman was a 1998 graduate of University High 
School in Tucson, Arizona, a 2002 graduate of the University of 
California at Santa Cruz, and a 2006 graduate of Arizona State 
University, where he received a Masters degree in social work. 
Prior to joining Congresswoman Giffords' staff, Zimmerman 
worked as a social worker assisting troubled youth. Gabriel 
Zimmerman began his Congressional career in January 2007 as 
Constituent Services Supervisor for then newly elected 
Congresswoman Giffords, a role in which he supervised a robust 
constituent services operation and worked directly with the 
people of Arizona's Eighth Congressional District. He was later 
promoted to Director of Community Outreach, where he organized 
hundreds of events to allow constituents to meet with the 
Congresswoman.
    Gabriel Zimmerman was the first Congressional staffer in 
history to be murdered in the performance of his official 
duties.

                           Other Legislation

    Title: To re-designate the Federal building and United 
States Courthouse located at 200 East Wall Street in Midland, 
Texas, as the ``George H. W. Bush and George W. Bush United 
States Courthouse and George Mahon Federal Building.''
    Bill Number: H.R. 362 (Passed the House on May 2, 2011)
    Summary: H.R. 362 re-designates the Federal building and 
United States Courthouse located at 200 East Wall Street in 
Midland, Texas, as the George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush 
United States Courthouse and George Mahon Federal Building.
    The former presidents George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush 
have honorably served this Nation for many decades. President 
George H.W. Bush dedicated his life to public service. His 
public service began when he was just 18 and enlisted in the 
armed forces. He became the youngest pilot in the Navy when he 
earned his wings and flew 58 combat missions, receiving the 
Distinguished Flying Cross for bravery in action after getting 
shot down by anti-aircraft fire.
    Later, he was elected to Congress as a representative from 
the state of Texas and served in this chamber for two terms. 
Subsequently, he served in various other public service 
positions critical to the Nation, including as Ambassador to 
the United Nations, as Chief of the U.S Liaison Office in 
China, and as Director of the Central Intelligence Agency. He 
was later elected Vice President in 1982 and stood by President 
Ronald Reagan's side for eight years, contributing to the 
policies that brought the Cold War to an end. In 1988, he was 
elected the 41st President of the United States. During his 
term in office, he skillfully navigated the diplomacy with new 
nations created following the breakup of the Soviet Union and 
helped to overthrow and bring to justice the corrupt Manuel 
Noriega regime in Panama. In February 2011, President George 
H.W. Bush was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by 
President Barack Obama. This award is the highest civilian 
honor given for ``an especially meritorious contribution to the 
security or national interests of the United States, world 
peace, cultural, or other significant public or private 
endeavors.''
    In 2000, his son, George W. Bush, followed in his footsteps 
when he was elected the 43rd President of the United States, 
after serving six years as the Governor of Texas. President 
George W. Bush led our Nation in response to the worst 
terrorist attack on our soil. He helped to unite the Nation 
after the 9-11 terrorist attacks and, under his leadership, led 
the reforms of our intelligence and security capabilities to 
better counter this unconventional threat. During his two 
terms, he effectuated the overthrow of a dictator in Iraq and 
removed the Taliban from power in Afghanistan, upsetting a key 
staging ground for Al-Qaida and bringing democracy to an 
oppressed country.
    Title: To direct the Administrator of General Services to 
transfer administrative jurisdiction, custody, and control of 
the building located at 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, in the 
District of Columbia, to the National Gallery of Art, and for 
other purposes.
    Bill Number: H.R. 690 (Ordered reported on February 16, 
2011)
    Summary: H.R. 690, the Federal Trade Commission and 
National Gallery of Art Facility Consolidation, Savings, and 
Efficiency Act of 2011, requires the Administrator of GSA, not 
later than December 31, 2014, to transfer administrative 
jurisdiction, custody, and control of the building located at 
600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, in Washington, DC, to the National 
Gallery of Art (NGA) and to name such building as the North 
Building of the National Gallery of Art. The legislation 
requires the National Gallery of Art to pay the costs of 
remodeling, renovating, or reconstructing such building. The 
Administrator of GSA also must relocate the offices of the 
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to other modernized buildings in 
Washington, DC, that are owned by the Federal government.
    H.R. 690 saves the taxpayers an estimated $300 million in 
avoided renovation and lease costs of the FTC and NGA. 
Additional benefits include $200 million in non-taxpayer 
renovations of the Apex Building by the NGA. The Apex building 
will be utilized more efficiently by the NGA, as currently only 
a little more than half of the facility's 306,000 square feet 
is usable for FTC operations.
    Title: Committee Resolution--To reduce facility costs by 
consolidating National Gallery of Art and Federal Trade 
Commission operations in the District of Columbia
    Date: February 16, 2011 (Approved by Full Committee)
    Summary: Expressed the Committee's view that the GSA shall 
transfer administrative jurisdiction and custody and control of 
the building located at 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, 
Washington, DC to the National Gallery of Art and relocate the 
Federal Trade Commission, currently located at 600 Pennsylvania 
Avenue, NW, Washington, DC
    Title: The Civilian Property Realignment Act
    Bill Number: H.R. 1734 (Ordered reported favorably to the 
Full Committee on May 25, 2011)
    Summary: H.R. 1734 was introduced by Subcommittee Chairman 
Jeff Denham on May 4, 2011. The legislation would establish a 
framework through which a board or commission would 
independently review Federal properties and make 
recommendations for consolidations, co-locations, 
redevelopment, selling or other actions to minimize costs and 
produce savings for the taxpayer. OMB estimates that the 
proposal could save taxpayers more than $15 billion.
    Title: To designate the United States courthouse under 
construction at 101 South United States Route 1 in Fort Pierce, 
Florida, as the ``Alto Lee Adams, Sr., United States 
Courthouse.''
    Bill Number: H.R. 1791 (Passed the House on November 14, 
2011)
    Summary: This bill designates the United States courthouse 
under construction at 101 South United States Route 1 in Fort 
Pierce, Florida, as the ``Alto Lee Adams, Sr., United States 
Courthouse.''
    Chief Justice Adams was born in 1899 and was raised on a 
farm in Walton County, Florida. After graduating from the 
University of Florida College of Law in 1921, he practiced law 
in Fort Pierce, Florida from 1924 to 1938. He was then 
appointed as Circuit Court Judge for St. Lucie County. After 
Floridians adopted an amendment to add a seventh justice on the 
state Supreme Court in 1940, Governor Fred Cone appointed Chief 
Justice Adams to the newly created seat. Chief Justice Adams 
served on the Court from 1940 until 1951 and was Chief Justice 
from 1949 until 1951. He sat on the bench again from 1967 until 
1968.
    Outside of his judicial career, Chief Justice Adams was 
active in his community. In 1937, he served as President of the 
Florida State Elks Association. From 1937-1938, he served as 
the Vice Chairman of the State Welfare Board. Chief Justice 
Adams also devoted time to local business interests in St. 
Lucie County, including citrus groves and Bass Motors. He began 
a cattle ranch in 1937, which is still run by the Adams family. 
The ranch now encompasses over 65,000 acres in three counties.
    Title: The National Women's History Museum and Federal 
Facilities Consolidation and Efficiency Act of 2011
    Bill Number: H.R. 2844 (Ordered reported favorably to the 
House on October 13, 2011)
    Summary: H.R. 2844 was introduced by Committee Chairman 
John Mica on September 9, 2011.
    The legislation directs the Administrator of General 
Services (GSA) to convey, by quitclaim deed, to the National 
Women's History Museum, Inc. (the Museum) specified property 
(commonly known as the ``Cotton Annex'' site) in the District 
of Columbia, on terms which the Administrator deems 
appropriate. It requires the purchase price for the property to 
be: (1) its market value based on its highest and best use, as 
determined by an independent appraisal performed under the 
assumption that the property does not contain any hazardous 
substances, waste, or pollutants requiring a response under 
applicable environmental laws; and (2) paid into the Federal 
Buildings Fund. It requires the property to be dedicated for 
use as a site for a national women's history museum for a 99-
year period and prohibits using federal funds to purchase the 
property or design and construct any facility on such property.
    The bill also directs the Administrator, not later than 
December 31, 2012, to transfer administrative jurisdiction, 
custody, and control of the building located at 600 
Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, in Washington, DC, to the National 
Gallery of Art and to name such building as the North Building 
of the National Gallery of Art. It requires the National 
Gallery of Art to pay the costs of remodeling, renovating, or 
reconstructing such building and prohibits the use of 
appropriated funds for the initial costs of such activities. It 
directs the Administrator to relocate the Federal Trade 
Commission (FTC) employees and operations housed in such 
building to specified space in the leased building known as the 
Constitution Center located at 400 7th Street, SE, in 
Washington, DC.
    Title: The Brian A. Terry Memorial Act
    Bill Number: H.R. 2668 (Ordered reported favorably to the 
House on October 13, 2011)
    Summary: H.R. 2668 was introduced by Rep. Issa on July 27, 
2011.
    This legislation would honor the sacrifice of Border Patrol 
Agent Brian A. Terry by designating the station of the United 
States Border Patrol located at 2136 South Naco Highway in 
Bisbee, Arizona, as the ``Brian A. Terry Border Patrol Station.
    A native of Flat Rock, Michigan, Agent Brian A. Terry 
proudly served his country with the United States Marine Corps 
and continued his service as a police officer with the cities 
of Ecorse and Lincoln Park, Michigan, prior to joining the 
United States Border Patrol. Agent Terry was a member of the 
699th Session of the Border Patrol Academy assigned to the Naco 
Border Patrol Station within the Tucson Sector.
    On December 14, 2010, Border Patrol Agent Brian A. Terry 
was conducting a Border Patrol Tactical unit (BORTAC) operation 
in the area of ``Peck Wells.'' At 11:15 p.m., near Rio Rico, 
Arizona, and about 15 miles north of Nogales, Arizona, Agent 
Terry and his team spotted a group of individuals approaching 
their position. Officials later found the suspects to be 
preying on illegal immigrants with the intent to rob them. 
Shortly thereafter, an encounter ensued and gunfire was 
exchanged that left Agent Terry mortally wounded by a bullet 
fired from an AK-47. Agent Terry succumbed to his injuries on 
December 15, 2010.

                  Subcommittee on Highways and Transit

    To date, the Subcommittee on Highways and Transit, chaired 
by Representative John J. Duncan, Jr., with Representative 
Peter A. DeFazio serving as Ranking Member, held four 
Subcommittee hearings and six Full Committee hearing (57 
witnesses and approximately 12 hours), covering numerous issues 
within the jurisdiction of the Subcommittee.

                                HEARINGS

    Title: Accelerating the Project Delivery Process: 
Eliminating Bureaucratic Red Tape and Making Every Dollar Count
    Date: February 15, 2011
    Purpose: Received testimony related to improving the 
existing laws and regulations governing project delivery in 
order to accelerate the delivery process for surface 
transportation projects. The hearing was part of the 
Subcommittee's efforts to reauthorize Federal surface 
transportation programs under SAFETEA-LU, which expired on 
September 30, 2009, but was extended through September 30, 
2011.
    Summary: Limited financial resources for transportation 
infrastructure can be more effectively utilized by speeding up 
the process for project approval. According to the ``Highway 
Planning and Project Development Process'' timeline put 
together by the Federal Highway Administration, the Federal 
project delivery process can take up to 15 years from planning 
through construction. An analysis conducted by the National 
Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Committee found that 
a $500 million project that took 14 years to complete would see 
its cost double due to the impact of delays and inflation.
    The Subcommittee heard testimony from Victor Mendez, 
Administrator of the FHWA, Debra L. Miller, Secretary of the 
Kansas DOT on behalf of the American Association of State 
Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), Will Kempton, 
Chief Executive Officer of the Orange County Transportation 
Authority, Tom Margro, Chief Executive Officer of the 
Transportation Corridor Agencies, and Michael Replogle, Global 
Policy Director and Founder of the Institute for Transportation 
and Development Policy.
    The Subcommittee heard testimony specifically relating to 
streamlining and cutting red tape that so often hinders the 
cost-effectiveness of surface transportation projects. The 
Subcommittee discussed with the witnesses the improvements that 
could be made to existing rules and regulations governing 
project delivery in order to expedite the delivery process for 
all projects and reduce the cost of transportation projects. As 
the reauthorization of the Federal surface transportation 
programs moves forward, the Subcommittee will look at potential 
reforms to the project delivery process.
    Title: Improving and Reforming the Nation's Surface 
Transportation Programs
    Date: March 29, 2011 and March 30, 2011
    Purpose: Received stakeholder testimony related to the 
reauthorization of the Federal surface transportation programs. 
These hearings were part of the Subcommittee's effort to 
reauthorize Federal surface transportation programs under 
SAFETEA-LU, which expired on September 30, 2009, but was 
extended through September 30, 2011.
    Summary: The Subcommittee received testimony regarding 
views and proposals on reauthorization of the Federal surface 
transportation programs from the surface transportation 
community, including highways, transit, highway safety and 
motor carrier safety interests. The witnesses offered ideas and 
suggestions for improving and reforming the Nation's surface 
transportation programs.
    The Highway Account of the HTF had a balance of $22.55 
billion at the end of FY 2000. The balance dropped to $13 
billion by the expiration of TEA 21--the previous six-year 
surface transportation authorization--at the end of FY 03. In 
September 2008, the balance in the Highway Account decreased to 
a level requiring Congress to transfer $8 billion into the HTF 
from the General Fund. Subsequent General Fund transfers to the 
HTF in 2009 and 2010 totaled $26.5 billion. Current projections 
show the cash balance in the Highway Account of the HTF will be 
depleted sometime in 2013 and the Mass Transit Account will be 
depleted sometime in 2014.
    With the HTF expected to be depleted in 2013, the witnesses 
provided ideas for innovative financing tools and private 
investment in financing surface transportation projects, 
methods the Subcommittee will explore to help the Federal 
government and states find ways to do more with less and better 
leverage existing revenue sources. The Subcommittee also 
gathered ideas on potential reforms to the project delivery 
process and explored what improvements could be made to 
existing rules and regulations governing project delivery in 
order to expedite the delivery process for all projects and 
reduce the cost of transportation projects.
    DOT currently administers over 100 highway, transit, and 
highway safety programs, many of which serve duplicative 
purposes or are no longer needed. The Subcommittee discussed 
with the witnesses approaches that would consolidate or 
eliminate duplicative or unnecessary programs. The Subcommittee 
will study performance management approaches that increase the 
accountability and transparency of Federal surface 
transportation funds moving forward to ensure their 
effectiveness.
    Title: Policy Proposals from Members of Congress to Reform 
the Nation's Surface transportation Programs
    Date: April 5, 2011
    Purpose: Received testimony from Members of Congress on 
their policy proposals for the reauthorization of the Federal 
surface transportation programs. This hearing was part of the 
Subcommittee's effort to reauthorize Federal surface 
transportation programs under SAFETEA-LU, which expired on 
September 30, 2009, but was extended through September 30, 
2011.
    Summary: The Subcommittee received testimony from Members 
of Congress representing Ohio, California, Kentucky, New York, 
Texas, Oregon, North Carolina, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and 
Pennsylvania who presented ideas and policy proposals for 
improving and reforming the Nation's surface transportation 
programs.
    Compounding the state, local, and private sector funding 
and financing shortfalls severely hinders the ability to 
adequately finance surface transportation programs. Members 
addressed the critical issue of Federal surface transportation 
funding and financing shortfalls the Nation faces. With the HTF 
expected to be depleted in 2013, Members provided the 
Subcommittee with innovative financing tool proposals and ideas 
for private investment in financing surface transportation 
projects; methods the Subcommittee will explore to help the 
Federal government and states find ways to do more with less 
and better leverage existing revenue sources. The Subcommittee 
also looked at potential reforms to the project delivery 
process by exploring what improvements could be made to 
existing rules and regulations governing project delivery in 
order to expedite the delivery process for all projects and 
reduce the cost of transportation projects.
    Members provided the Subcommittee with specific policy 
proposals that would streamline the project delivery process, 
develop a programmatic reform agenda, propose innovative 
financing solutions, and create a system of performance 
standards that increase transparency and accountability of 
Federal surface transportation funds. With the HTF expected to 
be depleted in 2013, Members provided the Subcommittee with 
innovative financing tools and private investment in financing 
surface transportation projects they supported and methods the 
Subcommittee will explore to help the Federal government and 
states find ways to do more with less and better leverage 
existing revenue sources.
    Title: National Infrastructure Bank: More Bureaucracy and 
More Red Tape
    Date: October 12, 2011
    Purpose: Received testimony related to the Administration's 
national infrastructure bank proposal that is part of the 
American Jobs Act of 2011 (H.R. 12). The hearing was part of 
the Subcommittee's effort to reauthorize Federal surface 
transportation programs under SAFETEA-LU, which expired on 
September 30, 2009, but is extended through March 31, 2012.
    Summary: The Subcommittee heard from the Secretary of the 
Oklahoma Department of Transportation, a Senior Research Fellow 
from the Heritage Foundation, a Civil Engineer and 
Transportation Economist from the Independent Institute, a 
former member of the National Surface Transportation 
Infrastructure Financing Commission, and the Director of Public 
Policy from the Progressive Policy Institute. The witnesses 
offered ideas and suggestions on improvements, as well as 
alternatives, to the national infrastructure bank proposal 
offered by the Obama Administration, including suggestions to 
better utilize both the Transportation Infrastructure Finance 
and Innovation Act (TIFIA) program and state infrastructure 
banks (SIBs).
    On September 8, 2011, President Obama transmitted to 
Congress the American Jobs Act of 2011. President Obama's 
proposal would create the American Infrastructure Financing 
Authority (AIFA), capitalized with $10 billion, to leverage 
private and public capital and to invest in a broad range of 
infrastructure projects of national and regional significance. 
The AIFA would be run by a board of directors consisting of 
seven voting members selected by the President and confirmed by 
the Senate. The majority leader of the Senate, the minority 
leader of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of 
Representatives and the minority leader of the House of 
Representatives would each recommend one person to the 
President to be nominated to the board. The President would 
select the other three board nominees on his own. Only four of 
the board members could be from the same political party.
    The AIFA would provide loans or loan guarantees to 
transportation infrastructure projects on highways, bridges, 
transit, airports, ports, inland waterways and rail systems 
(including high-speed rail); water infrastructure projects at 
wastewater treatment facilities, storm water management 
systems, solid waste disposal facilities, drinking water 
treatment facilities, dams and levees; and energy 
infrastructure projects for pollution reduced energy 
generation, transmission and distribution, storage, and energy 
efficiency enhancements for buildings (public and commercial). 
In the selection of projects, the board of directors of AIFA 
would give consideration to the economic, financial, technical, 
environmental, public benefits and cost of each infrastructure 
project under consideration and would prioritize those projects 
based on their contribution to regional or national economic 
growth, value to taxpayers, demonstration of a clear and 
significant public benefit, job creation, and environmental 
concerns.
    The President's proposal is similar to the existing TIFIA 
program, which supplements traditional surface transportation 
funding and financing methods by providing Federal credit 
assistance to surface transportation projects of regional and 
national significance. The President's proposal is also similar 
to state infrastructure banks. SIBs are revolving fund 
mechanisms that allow states to finance highway, transit, and 
rail projects through loans and credit enhancements by 
utilizing their Federal surface transportation funds.
    According to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), 
TIFIA has provided $8.4 billion in credit assistance to 24 
projects totaling over $31 billion in total investment. In FY 
11, 34 projects submitted letters of interest seeking $14 
billion in TIFIA loans and in FY 10, 39 projects submitted 
letters of interest seeking $12 billion in TIFIA loans. In both 
years the program had the capacity to issue approximately $1 
billion in loans.
    According to FHWA, since the creation of the program in 
1995, a total of $661 million in Federal funds have been used 
to capitalize SIBs. SIBs have made $6.25 billion in loan 
agreements over the 16 years since they were authorized--a 
1:9.45 ratio. Each dollar of Federal funds used to capitalize 
SIBS, combined with state funds and bonds issued against these 
funds, has resulted in 9.45 times the credit assistance 
compared to the original Federal capitalization.

                              LEGISLATION

    Title: The Surface Transportation Extension Act of 2011
    Public Law Number: P.L. 112-5 (March 4, 2011)
    Bill Number: H.R. 662
    Summary: The Surface Transportation Extension Act of 2011 
(STEA) extends, through September 30, 2011, the authority for 
Federal surface transportation programs originally authorized 
under the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient, 
Transportation Equity Act--a Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) that 
otherwise would have expired on or ceased to apply after March 
4, 2011.
    STEA also authorized funding for the Federal highway, 
transit, and highway safety programs for FY 11. Rather than 
authorizing additional funding for highway projects earmarked 
in SAFETEA-LU, STEA provides that funding to the States and 
allows them to fund projects that they choose. STEA authorizes 
the Federal Transit Administration to distribute funding 
provided for transit earmarks in SAFETEA-LU through a 
competitive process.
    STEA also extends the authority to expend funds from the 
Highway Trust Fund and the Sport Fish Restoration and Boating 
Trust Fund to October 1, 2011.
    Title: Surface and Air Transportation Programs Extension 
Act of 2011
    Public Law Number: P.L. 112-30 (September 16, 2011)
    Bill Number: H.R. 2887
    Summary: The Surface and Air Transportation Programs 
Extension Act of 2011 extends, through March 31, 2012, the 
authority for Federal surface transportation programs 
originally authorized under the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, 
Efficient, Transportation Equity Act--a Legacy for Users 
(SAFETEA-LU) that otherwise would have expired on or ceased to 
apply after September 30, 2011. The bill also authorized 
funding for the Federal highway, transit, and highway safety 
programs for the first half of FY 12.
    The Surface and Air Transportation Programs Extension Act 
of 2011 also extends the authority to expend funds from the 
Highway Trust Fund and the Sport Fish Restoration and Boating 
Trust Fund to April 1, 2012.

     Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials

    To date, the Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and 
Hazardous Materials, chaired by Representative Bill Shuster, 
with Representative Corrine Brown serving as Ranking Member, 
held five hearings on issues related to rail and hazardous 
materials, one roundtable discussion on pipeline safety issues, 
and one pipeline-related hearing. Additionally, the full 
Transportation and Infrastructure Committee held five rail-
related hearings and one roundtable discussion during this 
period. The Subcommittee heard from 74 witnesses, including the 
30 witnesses from the five full Committee hearings under its 
jurisdiction.

                                HEARINGS

    Title: Roundtable--Developing True High Speed Rail to the 
Northeast Corridor: Stop Sitting on Our Federal Assets
    Date: January 27, 2011
    Purpose: Continued the discussion on developing high-speed 
rail in the NEC, including a broad range of stakeholders, 
financial investors, and local government participants.
    Summary: Directly after the field hearing, Members of the 
Committee convened for a follow-up roundtable. The 12 
roundtable participants included representatives from Amtrak, 
the FRA, Northeastern State representatives, infrastructure 
investment companies, local planning organizations, national 
advocacy groups, rail labor, and an advocacy organization for 
Amtrak riders.
    Title: Sitting on our Assets: Rehabilitating and Improving 
our Nation's Rail Infrastructure
    Date: February 17, 2011
    Purpose: Received testimony on the Railroad Rehabilitation 
& Improvement Financing (RRIF) program, highlighting its 
importance in helping railroads, States and other public 
authorities to finance the development of railroad 
infrastructure, which in turn creates new jobs and drives 
economic benefits.
    Summary: Testimony highlighted RRIF loan applicants' 
experiences with the RRIF program, and recommended ways to 
improve the DOT's management of the program. The Subcommittee 
heard testimony from the Deputy Secretary of DOT, short line 
and commuter railroad representatives, and two rail industry 
financial advisors. Discussions centered on how to make the 
RRIF program more effective and widely utilized, and to speed 
up the loan process at DOT.
    Railroad infrastructure is crucial to our Nation's economic 
growth and international competitiveness. The RRIF program 
provides low-interest federal loans and loan guarantees to 
finance further development of railroad infrastructure. RRIF 
loans are available to railroads, rail freight shippers, state 
and local governments, and government-sponsored authorities, 
and are used to make critical infrastructure improvements, 
refinance debt, or develop new facilities. Despite these clear 
advantages of the RIFF loan program, loan evaluations are often 
a long process that impedes infrastructure improvements to our 
Nation's railways. The bureaucratic red tape coupled with the 
environmental protection issues, changes in scope, limited 
personnel on the part of short line railroads, and the 
intrinsic complexity of some proposals make the RIFF 
application process slow and burdensome. The Subcommittee 
proposed the feasibility of removing some of these impediments, 
particularly within the DOT, to make the RRIF loan program more 
effective and popular.
    On March 28, 2011, the Subcommittee held a bipartisan, 
staff-level workshop with staff from DOT, rail industry 
representatives, national advocacy organizations, and rail 
industry financial advisors to more fully discuss proposed 
changes and improvements to the RRIF program, for possible 
inclusion in the upcoming surface transportation 
reauthorization bill.
    Title: Roundtable--Pipeline Safety
    Date: March 7, 2011
    Purpose: Discussed pipeline safety issues with elected 
officials, Federal and State pipeline safety regulators, 
industry stakeholders, and safety advocates in King of Prussia, 
Pennsylvania, in response to two pipeline incidents in 
Pennsylvania in early 2011 and to gather information as part of 
the Subcommittee's efforts to reauthorize the Federal pipeline 
safety programs which expired on September 30, 2010.
    Summary: Participating in the discussion were Members of 
the Pennsylvania congressional delegation, Alan Mayberry, 
Deputy Associate Administrator for Pipeline Safety for the DOT, 
Ed Pawlowski, Mayor of Allentown, PA, Craig White, CEO of 
Philadelphia Gas Works, John Walsh, CEO of UGI Utilities, Inc., 
Robert Powelson, Chairman of the Pennsylvania Utility 
Commission, Rick Kessler, Vice President of the Pipeline Safety 
Trust, and a representative of the Mayor of Philadelphia. 
Participants discussed the natural gas pipeline explosion that 
occurred in Philadelphia on January 18, 2011, and the natural 
gas pipeline explosion that occurred in Allentown on February 
9, 2011. Participants also discussed the division of 
responsibilities between Federal and State regulators and 
pipeline owners and operators. In addition, the participants 
discussed changes that should be made in Federal and State laws 
to improve pipeline safety.
    Title: Finding Ways to Encourage and Increase Private 
Sector Participation in Passenger Rail Service
    Date: March 11, 2011
    Purpose: Received testimony on intercity passenger rail in 
the U.S. and how to make it more effective and less expensive, 
specifically through private competition and to examine the FRA 
and Amtrak's implementation of the Passenger Rail Investment 
and Improvement Act of 2008 (PRIIA).
    Summary: Witnesses suggested reforms to Federal intercity 
passenger rail programs for possible inclusion in the upcoming 
surface transportation reauthorization bill. The Subcommittee 
heard testimony from the Administrator of the FRA, a vice 
president of Amtrak, a State department of transportation, an 
expert in international models of competitive rail operations, 
a representative of independent rail operators, and the AFL-
CIO.
    Created in 1970 under the Rail Passenger Service Act, 
Amtrak has been the sole provider of regularly scheduled 
intercity passenger rail since 1981. Amtrak operates at a loss, 
averaging a per-ticket taxpayer subsidy of $54.48 per ticket. 
By comparison, commuter railroads are able to contract out 
service elements to private companies that specialize in 
providing those services. Amtrak competes with the private rail 
companies to provide commuter rail services. Currently, 11 of 
the 23 commuter rail systems in the U.S. are operated by 
private sector operators, eight are operated in-house by the 
local transit authority, and four are operated under contract 
by Amtrak.
    PRIIA, the most recent passenger rail authorization, allows 
for greater State control of intercity passenger rail 
initiatives and participation by private sector service 
providers. This same law also included provisions to improve 
Amtrak service, cost-effectiveness, and accountability. If 
implemented correctly, PRIIA would improve Amtrak's performance 
and service along with its bottom line.
    Title: Federal Regulatory Overreach in the Railroad 
Industry: Implementing the Rail Safety Improvement Act
    Date: March 17, 2011
    Purpose: Received testimony on implementation of the Rail 
Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (RSIA), focusing on the FRA's 
rule implementing requirements for freight and passenger 
railroads to install positive train control systems by December 
31, 2015.
    Summary: The Subcommittee heard testimony from 
Representative Elton Gallegly (CA-24), the daughter of a victim 
of the 2008 Metrolink crash, the FRA Associate Administrator 
for Safety, one representative each from the Class I freight 
railroads, the shortline railroads, and commuter railroads, and 
a rail labor union representative. Discussions centered on the 
DOT's final rule implementing the positive train control 
mandate included in the Rail Safety Improvement Act, and on how 
that rule goes beyond Congressional intent and violates 
President Obama's Executive Order on January 2011, which 
directs that regulations shall be cost-effective and based on 
the best possible science, and shall not be overly burdensome 
on affected industries and the U.S. economy.
    The Rail Safety Improvement Act (RSIA) comprises Division A 
of the broad rail authorization bill signed in 2008. Division B 
is comprised of the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement 
Act, or PRIIA, which was the topic of the March 11, 2011, 
oversight hearing. RSIA includes major provisions meant to 
improve safety of freight and passenger rail operations for the 
benefit of rail passengers, employees, and communities. The 
RSIA includes a mandate for the installation of positive train 
control (PTC) technology on freight main lines carrying toxic-
by-inhalation cargo and on all passenger rail lines. PTC 
technology is designed to automatically stop or slow a train 
before accidents caused by human error. The inclusion of the 
PTC mandate in RSIA was in part spurred by a major commuter 
rail accident in September 2008 in Chatsworth, California, in 
which 25 people were killed and 135 injured.
    In January 2010, FRA published its final rule to implement 
the PTC mandate, causing great concern in the rail industry 
that the FRA rule exceeded the scope of the agency's regulatory 
powers. The 20-year costs to Class I and commuter railroads of 
implementing PTC are estimated by FRA to be $13.21 billion, 
with a cost-to-benefit ratio of 22:1. Short line railroads 
would also be adversely affected although they are not 
explicitly required to install PTC. Instead, since they operate 
on tracks that would have been made PTC-compatible, short lines 
would also have to upgrade their own equipment.
    Title: Railroad and Hazardous Materials Transportation 
Programs: Reforms and Improvements to Reduce Regulatory Burdens
    Date: April 7, 2011
    Purpose: Received testimony from stakeholders in the rail 
and hazardous materials safety areas regarding legislative 
priorities for changes or reforms to current law authorizations 
and administrative regulatory policies at the FRA and the 
Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) 
and to focus on the areas of intercity passenger rail, high-
speed rail, rail safety, and rail financing along with 
hazardous materials transportation safety.
    Summary: The Subcommittee heard testimony from nineteen 
witnesses, including representatives from the National 
Transportation Safety Board, Amtrak, private rail providers, 
rail associations, manufacturing associations, and several 
unions. Because of the variety of stakeholders, there were a 
variety of messages heard by the Subcommittee regarding the 
impact of FRA and PHMSA programs and regulations on the 
stakeholders' businesses. The Subcommittee will analyze all 
testimony received in this hearing as they prepare a Rail Title 
and Hazardous Materials Transportation Safety Title for the 
Surface Transportation reauthorization bill.
    Title: Reducing Regulatory Burdens and Ensuring Safe 
Transportation of Hazardous Materials
    Date: April 12, 2011
    Purpose: Received testimony on the reauthorization of the 
hazardous materials safety programs of the PHMSA, which expired 
in 2008, focusing on how to reduce the regulatory burdens, and 
how to transport hazardous materials safely and efficiently.
    Summary: The invited witnesses included the Administrator 
of PHMSA, representatives of parties interested in 
transportation of hazardous materials, and the Teamsters Union. 
Discussions centered on hazardous materials regulations and 
their impact on a variety of hazardous materials manufacturers, 
offerors, and shippers, and the employees of these businesses.
    PHMSA promulgates and enforces hazardous materials 
regulations for all modes of transportation. There are 1.4 
million daily movements of hazardous materials. These materials 
are essential to the U.S. economy and the general public.
    The Subcommittee discussed streamlining the regulation 
process to prevent duplication, increase uniformity, and 
transparency. Background checks, equitable enforcement, 
international representation, state hazardous materials 
permits, cargo tank wetlines, special permits and approvals, 
package opening and inspection, and preemption issues were 
among the topics discussed.
    Title: Silvertip Pipeline Oil Spill in Yellowstone County, 
Montana
    Date: July 14, 2011
    Purpose: Received testimony related to the July 1, 2011 
release of crude oil from the Silvertip Pipeline in Yellowstone 
County, Montana.
    Summary: The Committee heard testimony from the 
Administrator of the Pipelines and Hazardous Materials Safety 
Administration (PHMSA), the President of the ExxonMobil 
Pipeline Company, and a scientist from the National Wildlife 
Federation. Senator Jon Tester (R-MT) also gave a statement at 
the beginning of the hearing, at the request of Rep. Denny 
Rehberg (MT-At Large).
    After the Silvertip pipeline incident in Yellowstone 
County, Montana in July of 2011, the Subcommittee found the 
witness testimony to be useful in generating discussions on 
PHMSA regulations and ExxonMobil corporate policy. Given that 
the U.S. has the largest network of energy pipelines in the 
world, the safety and enhanced reliability of pipeline 
transportation must be a priority. By examining ways to improve 
safety and coordination between regulators on the federal, 
state, and local level, pipeline spills and accidents can be 
avoided if not altogether eliminated.

                              LEGISLATION

    Title: The Pipeline Safety, Regulatory Certainty, and Job 
Creation Act of 2011
    Bill Number: H.R. 2845 (Reported on December 1, 2011; House 
Report 112-297, Part I)
    Summary: H.R. 2845 amends title 49, United States Code, to 
reauthorize the federal pipeline safety programs administered 
by the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration 
(PHMSA) of the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) for FY 
12 through 2015. H.R. 2845 provides for enhanced safety in 
pipeline transportation and provides for enhanced reliability 
in the transportation of the Nation's energy products by 
pipeline. The bill also ensures regulatory certainty which will 
help create a positive environment for job development.
    The bill increases the maximum amount of civil penalties 
the U.S. can seek from pipeline owner or operators who violate 
pipeline safety rules and regulations. H.R. 2845 requires 
states eliminate most exemptions to their ``Call Before You 
Dig'' programs in order to receive federal grant funding. The 
bill allows the Secretary to issue a rulemaking requiring the 
installation of automatic and remote-controlled shutoff valves 
on newly constructed transmission pipelines but does not 
require operators to retrofit existing pipelines.
    The bill requires the Secretary to study expanding pipeline 
integrity management requirements and leak detection systems 
but gives Congress the final say in whether or not the 
requirements should be expanded or the leak detection systems 
should be required. H.R. 2845 requires USDOT and pipeline 
operators to provide information to first responders on the 
location of pipelines in their jurisdiction. The bill requires 
USDOT to review regulations regarding accident reporting 
requirement for pipeline operators.
    The bill authorizes funding to be appropriated for several 
pipeline safety programs. Specifically, the bill authorizes 
$107 million a year to be appropriated for safety inspections. 
The bill also authorizes grants to states funded from pipeline 
safety fees collected from pipeline operators. Further, it 
authorizes approximately $13 million a year to be appropriated 
out of the General Fund for emergency response grants and 
damage prevention programs.
    Title: To provide for the resolution of the outstanding 
issues in the current railway labor-management dispute
    Bill Number: H.J. Res. 91
    Summary: This resolution would require the parties 
represented by the National Carriers' Conference Committee and 
the National Railway Labor Conference to settle specified 
disputes between railway carriers and their railroad employees 
(represented by specified labor unions) to prevent a freight 
labor strike at 12:01 a.m. on December 6, 2011, by implementing 
the report and recommendations of the Presidential Emergency 
Board No. 243 issued on November 5, 2011.

            Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment

    To date, the Subcommittee on Water Resources and 
Environment, Chaired by Bob Gibbs of Ohio, with Timothy Bishop 
of New York serving as the ranking member, held three joint 
hearings, one roundtable and 10 subcommittee hearings (with 67 
witnesses spanning 26 hours), covering the breadth of issues 
within the purview of the subcommittee.
    The jurisdiction of the Subcommittee includes the civil 
works programs of the Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) and the 
clean water programs of the Environmental Protection Agency 
(EPA). Other agencies under the Subcommittee's jurisdiction 
include the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), the Saint 
Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation, the International 
Boundary Water Commission, and certain programs of the National 
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Natural 
Resources Conservation Service.
    The Subcommittee shares the goals of the Full 
Transportation and Infrastructure Committee: creating jobs, 
saving the tax payer money, and reducing the size of the 
federal government with the added goal of maintaining our 
Nation's safe, clean and usable water resources. The hearings 
and legislation of the Subcommittee demonstrate a commitment to 
oversight over the Clean Water Act programs and the Corps of 
Engineers Civil Works mission. In addition to many oversight 
opportunities, unique challenges facing the Subcommittee 
include aging water resources infrastructure, under-funded 
programs and expansive, overreaching federal policies.

                                HEARINGS

    Title: Improving Oil Spill Prevention and Response, 
Restoring Jobs, and Ensuring our Energy Security: 
Recommendations from the National Commission on the BP 
Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling
    Date: February 11, 2011
    Purpose: A joint hearing between the Subcommittees on Water 
Resources and Environment and Coast Guard and Maritime 
Transportation to hear testimony regarding the BP Deepwater 
Horizon oil spill and the status of offshore drilling 
operations and safety.
    Summary: In the wake of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, 
the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill 
and Offshore Drilling was created to find the root cause of the 
accident and provide recommendations on how to prevent such 
disasters and improve response in the future. The Commission 
issued their report on January 11, 2011, and it contained 14 
specific recommendations that fell under the jurisdiction of 
the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
    The witnesses' testimonies elaborated on the 14 
recommendations made in the report, ranging from creating an 
independent agency within the Department of the Interior to 
enforce regulations on offshore drilling, to raising the 
liability cap on oil production facilities, to increasing 
communication between Federal agencies and local governments 
during a Spill of National Significance. The Subcommittee will 
continue to provide oversight of waters, energy independence, 
and jobs.
    Title: To Consider Reducing the Regulatory Burden Posed by 
the Case National Cotton Council v. EPA (6th Cir. 2009) and to 
Consider Related Draft Legislation
    Date: February 16, 2011
    Purpose: A joint hearing between the Subcommittee on Water 
Resources and Environment and the Agriculture Committee's 
Subcommittee on Nutrition and Horticulture. The purpose was 
twofold: to hear testimony regarding the 6th Circuit Court's 
ruling on the National Cotton Council v. EPA and to consider 
draft legislation that would address the judicial decision.
    Summary: Stakeholders from across the country and a 
representative of the EPA gave testimony that spoke to the 
burden that redundant regulation placed on their localities. 
The hearing resulted in the introduction of H.R. 872, the 
Reducing Regulatory Burdens Act of 2011, which was reported 
favorably by both the Transportation and Infrastructure and 
Agriculture Committees and was passed by the House.
    Title: Review of the FY 12 Budget and Priorities of the 
Environmental Protection Agency: Impacts on Jobs, Liberty, and 
the Economy
    Date: March 2, 2011
    Purpose: Following the release of the President's budget 
request for FY 12, the Subcommittee met to review the budget 
and priorities of the EPA. Nancy Stoner, Acting Assistant 
Administrator, Office of Water, EPA, and Mathy Sanislaus, 
Assistant Administrator, Office of Solid Waste and Emergency 
Response, were witnesses.
    Summary: Members questioned the EPA on agency 
``guidances,'' the use of numerical nutrient standards 
throughout the country, and other expansions of the EPA's 
regulations.
    Title: Review of the FY 12 Budget and Priorities of the 
Army Corps of Engineers, Tennessee Valley Authority, and the 
Natural Resources Conservation Service: Finding Ways To Do More 
With Less
    Date: March 8, 2011
    Purpose: Received testimony from the Honorable Jo Ellen 
Darcy, Assistant Secretary of the Army--Civil Works, Lt. Gen. 
Robert Van Antwerp, Chief Engineer of the Army Corps, John 
Thomas, Chief Financial Officer of the Tennessee Valley 
Authority (TVA), and Thomas Christiansen, a regional 
conservationist with the Department of Agriculture's Natural 
Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), regarding how the 
President's budget impacts their agencies.
    Summary: The Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) provides water 
resources development projects, usually through cost-sharing 
partnerships with nonfederal sponsors. Navigation, flood damage 
reduction, shoreline protection, hydropower, dam safety, water 
supply, recreation, environmental restoration and protection, 
are all activities in the Corps' Civil Mission. The FY 12 
budget reduces most major accounts that fund Corps projects and 
activities. TVA supplies power to nearly eight million people 
over an 80,000 square mile service area. Their responsibilities 
include the multi-purpose management of land and water 
resources throughout the Tennessee Valley and fostering 
economic development. The NRCS facilitates Small Watershed 
Programs, Surveys and Planning, Flood Prevention Operations and 
Watershed Rehabilitation Programs.
    The hearing highlighted the role of the Corps and NRCS in 
the development of water infrastructure. Both entities face 
shrinking budgets but by no means diminished demands on water 
infrastructure. Questions from Members focused on the need for 
the Corps to maximize benefit to cost, streamline their 
processes, and work more closely with other agencies. The long 
term fiscal health of the TVA was also addressed.
    Title: EPA Mining Policies: Assault on Appalachian Jobs 
Parts I and II
    Dates: May 5, 2011 and May 11, 2011
    Purpose: Received testimony from State regulators, the 
mining industry, impacted organizations, economists, and Nancy 
Stoner, Assistant Administrator at the Office of Water, EPA, 
regarding the EPA's policies and actions toward Appalachian 
Mining. The hearing was conducted pursuant to the Committee's 
plan for oversight of the Clean Water Act.
    Summary: Under the Clean Water Act, the EPA and States 
share in the protection of water quality. Congress gave EPA 
limited authority to promulgate water quality standards only 
when a State's proposed new or revised standard does not 
measure up to requirements set by the CWA and the State refuses 
to accept EPA proposed revisions.
    In 2007 the Corps issued a Sec. 404 permit in connection 
with the Arch Coal, Mingo Logan, Inc., Spruce No. 1 Surface 
Mine. Arch Coal conducted a ten year environmental review prior 
to the issuance of the permit and the EPA agreed to all the 
terms and conditions included. In April 2010, EPA published a 
Proposed Determination to prohibit, restrict or deny the 
authorized discharges to certain of the waters associated with 
the project site, without alleging any violation of the permit. 
In September 2010, EPA withdrew the discharge authorization.
    Testimony and questions focused on the Spruce Mine permit 
revocation, the policy and procedure behind the action, its 
national impact on mining and the larger economy. H.R. 2018, 
the Clean Water Cooperative Federalism Act of 2011, was 
introduced as a result of this hearing.
    Title: Running Roughshod Over States and Stakeholders: 
EPA's Nutrients Policies
    Date: June 24, 2011
    Purpose: Received testimony from stakeholders including 
State administrators, water quality regulators, and a municipal 
wastewater reclamation official. The focus of the hearing was 
to provide oversight of the EPA's nutrients policies and quest 
for States to adopt numerical nutrient water quality standards 
under the Clean Water Act.
    Summary: Testimony will focus on the science and burden of 
the EPA nutrient policy. EPA is pressing States to adopt 
numerical standards based on historical ambient nutrient water 
quality data collected from other water bodies that may not 
have sufficiently comparable characteristic. Nutrients are 
essential for natural plant and animal growth. However, 
nutrients can adversely affect aquatic life or human health if 
present in excessive concentrations. Water quality standards 
define the goals for a water body by designating uses, setting 
criteria to protect those uses, and provisions to protect water 
quality. When a state adopts a new or revised water quality 
standard, the EPA must approve, disapprove, or conditionally 
approve the standard depending on requirements of the CWA. Each 
state has standards that prevent water from containing 
excessive nutrients. Setting numeric water quality standards 
presents unique challenges that are difficult to solve. Numeric 
standards are not universally appropriate for substances like 
nutrients that are both widely variable, naturally occurring, 
ubiquitous, and a natural and necessary component of healthy 
ecosystems.
    Title: H.R. 104: The Realizing America's Maritime Promise 
Act
    Date: July 8, 2011
    Purpose: To consider and hear testimony regarding H.R. 104 
the Realizing American's Maritime Promise Act. The Harbor 
Maintenance Trust Fund (HMTF) provides funds for the United 
States Army Corps of Engineers to carry out the dredging of 
navigation channels to their authorized depths and widths. It 
was established by the Water Resources Development Act of 1986 
to fund the harbor operation and maintenance activities of the 
Corps. The HMTF is based upon a user fee collected from 
shippers (not including exporters) that utilize the Nation's 
coastal ports. In FY 10 the HMTF grew by $1.3 billion, but only 
$828.6 million was spent in total operations, burgeoning the 
HMTF balance to nearly $5.6 billion by the end of FY 10. At the 
end of FY 11 the HMTF is estimated to have a balance of $6.1 
billion. Since the HMTF is not ``off-budget'' or separate from 
the general fund, all surplus funds have, in effect, already 
been spent by the federal government. Despite the theoretical 
HMTF balance, the Nation's federally maintained navigation 
channels are dangerously under maintained. Only one third of 
the Nation's navigation channels are at their authorized depths 
and widths, portions of the important Atlantic Intracoastal 
Waterway have been closed to commercial navigation due to lack 
of maintenance dredging , and eight out of the Nation's ten 
largest ports are not at their authorized depths and widths.
    Summary: The Subcommittee heard testimony from the author 
of the legislation, Hon. Charles Boustany (R-LA), and 
representatives from industries and communities that would be 
impacted by H.R. 104. The legislation would require the total 
budget resources for expenditures from the HMTF for harbor 
maintenance programs to equal the level of receipts plus 
interest credited to such Fund for that fiscal year. The 
primary result would be greater funds for the operation and 
maintenance of federally maintained channels what would support 
robust coastwise trade.
    Title: Reducing Regulatory Burdens, Ensuring the Flow of 
Commerce, and Protecting Jobs: A Common Sense Approach to 
Ballast Water Regulation
    Date: July 13, 2011
    Purpose: Joint hearing between the Subcommittee on Coast 
Guard and Maritime Transportation and Subcommittee on Water 
Resources and Environment to hear testimony from important 
industry groups and government agencies on current rules 
governing the discharge of ballast water. The Subcommittees 
sought input from witnesses on how to best move forward with 
efforts to reform current ballast water discharge rules.
    Summary: The Subcommittees heard testimony from two 
separate panels. The first panel of witnesses included Vice 
Admiral Brian Salerno, U.S. Coast Guard Deputy Commandant for 
Operations; Mr. James Hanlon, Director of the Office of 
Wastewater Management at the Environmental Protection Agency; 
Dr. Deborah Swackhamer, Chair of the EPA's Science Advisory 
Board; and Dr. James Carlton, Chair of the Committee on Numeric 
Limits for Living Organisms in Ballast Water at the National 
Research Council. The second panel consisted of Mr. Thomas 
Allegretti, President of the American Waterways Operators, and 
Mr. Michael Jewell, President of the Marine Engineers' 
Beneficial Association.
    In order to maintain stability during transit, most ocean 
going vessels fill internal tanks with ballast water during the 
loading of cargo and then release it during unloading. Ballast 
water has long been recognized as one of several pathways by 
which invasive species are transported globally and introduced 
into coastal waters where they did not live before. Many 
aquatic nuisance species have been introduced into U.S. waters 
via ballast water discharges. Ballast water is currently 
governed differently by the Coast Guard and the Environmental 
Protection Agency (EPA), as well as by numerous state laws and 
regulations. As a result, vessels engaged in international and 
interstate commerce are required to meet several different 
standards for the treatment of ballast water, some of which are 
not technologically achievable or verifiable. Witnesses from 
private industry emphasized the importance of developing clear 
and consistent ballast water standards in order for the United 
States to continue being a leader in the international maritime 
trade. Additionally, the EPA and the Coast Guard pledged to 
continue working with Congress to develop a more cost effective 
and sensible approach to regulating ballast water discharge. 
From the testimony presented at this hearing, legislative 
language regarding ballast water discharges was crafted and 
passed as an element of the FY 11 Coast Guard Authorization 
bill in November of 2011 setting a national standard for 
standard for ballast water. This legislation ensures the free 
movement of waterborne trade throughout the country.
    Title: Roundtable--Missouri River Flood
    Date: August 19, 2011
    Purpose: To meet with community leaders, Corps officials 
and impacted individuals of the major 2011 Missouri River flood 
event in Pierre, SD.
    Summary: Participating in the discussion were Committee 
Members; Mr. Witt Anderson-Director of Programs for the 
Northwestern Division of the Corps (SES); Ms. Jody Farhat-Chief 
of Missouri River Basin Water Management; Colonel Robert Ruch-
Commander of the Omaha District of the Corps; Mr. Eric Stasch-
Operations Manager for the Lake Oahe Project at Pierre, SD; 
Mayor Laurie Gill-Pierre, SD; Jeff Dooley-Community Manager; 
Dakota Dunes, SD; Kevin Vaughn-SD resident and flood victim 
from Wynstone, SD (in Union County); Steven Rounds-Owner Oahe 
Marina and Resort, Pierre, SD. The group discussed the impacts 
of the flood and future preventative measures.
    Title: The Economic Importance and Financial Challenges of 
Recapitalizing the Nation's Inland Waterways Transportation 
System
    Date: September 21, 2011
    Purpose: Received testimony from the U.S. Army Corps of 
Engineers, a representative from the barge industry, a 
representative from the Inland Waterways Users Board, a 
representative from the agriculture sector, a representative 
from the inland navigation economics profession, and another 
nongovernmental organization to hear testimony.
    Summary: Today the Inland Waterways Transportation System 
provides an alternative to truck and rail and is the most cost-
effective and energy efficient means for transporting 
commercial goods, especially major bulk commodities like grain, 
coal, and petroleum products. The Inland Waterways 
Transportation System is also a key component of State and 
local economies and job creation efforts and is essential in 
maintain economic competitiveness and national security. The 
United States Army Corps of Engineers operates and maintains 
approximately $235 billion worth of water resources 
infrastructure assets, including a network of 11,000 miles of 
the ``fuel-taxed'' Inland Waterways Transportation System. The 
Corps operates and maintains 221 lock chambers at 185 sites on 
27 inland rivers and intracoastal waterways segments. The fuel-
taxed Inland Waterways Transportation System carries over 546 
million tons of freight annually. Despite the importance of the 
system, it is in serious disrepair: 57% of our inland system is 
more than 50 years old, and 37% of the system is more than 70 
years old. The hearing provided Congressional oversight of the 
system and the role of the Inland Waterways Users Board.
    Title: The Economic Importance of Seaports: Is the United 
States Prepared for 21st Century Trade Realities?
    Date: October 26, 2011
    Purpose: Received testimony from the Corps, Port 
Authorities from across the country, and industry 
representatives regarding the status of port infrastructure, 
challenges plaguing the industry and the fiscal and policy 
opportunities that could promote robust coastwise trade.
    Summary: The waterborne trade that is facilitated at the 
Nation's ports is vital to the American economy. Millions of 
jobs throughout the country are dependent upon the commercial 
shipping industry. Waterborne trade accounts for the largest 
percentage of imports across all modes, and is the preferred 
method of transport of vital goods such as oil. It remains the 
cheapest, safest and most environmentally-friendly form of bulk 
cargo transport. Any impediment to safe, reliable shipping has 
ripple effects felt by workers, taxpayers and consumers. This 
hearing examined congressional policies that could support 
robust coastwise trade.
    Title: Hydraulic Fracturing of Shale Beds: Ensuring 
Regulatory Approaches that Will Help Protect Jobs and Domestic 
Energy Production
    Date: November 16, 2011
    Purpose: Received testimony from EPA, federal and state 
regulators, and industry representatives on regulatory 
approaches to the hydraulic fracturing of shale beds. This 
hearing provided oversight to forthcoming EPA issued national 
effluent limitation guidelines specifically created for the 
hydraulic fracturing of shale gas.
    Summary: The development and production of oil and gas in 
the U.S., including shale gas, are regulated under a complex 
set of federal, state, and local laws that address every aspect 
of exploration and operation. The EPA administers most of the 
federal laws, including the Clean Water Act, which is under the 
jurisdiction of this Subcommittee. Most federal laws have 
provisions for granting ``primacy'' to the states (i.e., state 
agencies implement the programs with federal oversight). State 
and local agencies not only implement and enforce federal laws, 
but also have their own sets of laws to administer. The States 
have broad powers to regulate, permit, and enforce all shale 
gas development activities--the drilling and fracture of the 
well, production operations, management and disposal of wastes, 
and abandonment and plugging of the well. State regulation of 
the environmental practices related to shale gas development 
addresses the regional and state-specific character of the 
activities. State laws often add additional levels of 
environmental protection and requirements to the already strict 
federal requirements. In 2011 EPA announced plans to develop 
additional guidelines specifically for the production of oil 
and gas from shale formations. This hearing provided 
congressional oversight of the federal regulation of this 
growing industry.
    Title: The Missouri River Flood: An Assessment of River 
Management in 2011 and Operational Plans for the Future
    Date: November 30, 2011
    Purpose: The Subcommittee heard testimony from Members of 
Congress representing Congressional districts within the 
Missouri River Valley, local officials and residents impacted 
by the catastrophic Missouri River flood of 2011.
    Summary: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers manages a 
comprehensive system for the purposes of flood control, 
navigation improvement, irrigation, municipal and industrial 
water supply, hydroelectric generation facilities, and other 
important purposes for the ten states in the Missouri River 
Basin. 2011 was an extraordinary year for flooding in the 
basin, as it is estimated that by the end of the year the basin 
will have received approximately 61 million acre feet of water, 
easily exceeding the previous record of 49 million acre feet, 
set in 1997. The Army Corps of Engineers is in the process of 
writing their 2012 operating plan for the basin, and the flood 
of 2011 will serve as a source of many lessons learned as they 
work to determine a plan to operate the system in the coming 
year. The Subcommittee reviewed the response to the 2011 flood, 
as well as the management of the system throughout the year, in 
order to better understand how best to operate the system in 
the future.
    Title: Integrated Planning and Permitting: An Opportunity 
for EPA to Provide Communities with Flexibility to Make Smart 
Investments in Water Quality
    Date: December 14, 2011
    Purpose: Received testimony from city mayors, the 
commissioner of a city's department of environmental 
protection, a municipal wastewater utility director, a state 
water quality program director, an environmental activist 
advocate, and the EPA on the agency's proposed integrated 
planning and permitting regulatory prioritization effort under 
the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly referred to 
as the ``Clean Water Act'').
    Summary: It is widely accepted that clean drinking water 
and public wastewater services are necessary priorities to 
sustain public health, support our economy, and protect the 
environment. Significant amounts of public resources have been 
devoted to water infrastructure in American communities over 
the last 40 years to meet these priorities. An impressive 
inventory of physical assets has been developed over this 
period. Since 1972, with the enactment of the Clean Water Act, 
Federal, State, and local investment in our national wastewater 
infrastructure has been over $250 billion. This investment has 
provided significant environmental, public health, and economic 
benefits to the Nation.
    However, our Nation's ability to provide clean water is 
being challenged, as our existing national wastewater 
infrastructure is aging, deteriorating, and in need of repair, 
replacement, and upgrading. Old and deteriorated infrastructure 
often leak, have blockages, and fail to adequately treat 
pollutants in wastewater, thereby creating water pollution 
problems. EPA has initiated a national rulemaking to establish 
a potentially far-reaching program to regulate stormwater 
discharges from newly developed and redeveloped sites and add 
to or make other regulatory requirements more stringent under 
its stormwater program. As a result of many communities 
becoming financially constrained, representatives of local 
government are increasingly voicing concerns over EPA's 
policies and unfunded mandates, including the cumulative 
impacts of multiple regulatory requirements being imposed on 
them, and over how EPA is dealing with communities to address 
the regulatory mandates that EPA is imposing on them. 
Importantly, municipalities are seeking a more collaborative 
approach where EPA and State water regulators work more like 
``partners'' than ``prosecutors'' with communities to yield 
better solutions that achieve the goal of eliminating sewer 
overflows and addressing other water quality issues through the 
use of best engineering and innovative approaches at the lowest 
cost, resulting in the greatest environmental benefits.

                              LEGISLATION

    Title: Reducing Regulatory Burdens Act of 2011
    Bill Number: H.R. 872 (Passed the House on March 31, 2011)
    Summary: The Subcommittee considered legislation to amend 
the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act and the 
Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly referred to as 
the Clean Water Act) to clarify the Congressional intent 
regarding the regulation of pesticides in or near navigable 
waters and for other purposes. On March 2, 2011, Rep. Bob Gibbs 
introduced the Reducing Regulatory Burdens Act of 2011, 
designated H.R. 872. The bill was narrowly crafted to eliminate 
the duplicative regulations over the lawful and proper 
application of pesticides. It was referred to the Committee on 
Transportation and Infrastructure's Subcommittee on Water 
Resources and Environment and to the Committee on Agriculture's 
Subcommittee on Nutrition and Horticulture.
    The bill had 137 cosponsors and was ordered reported by the 
Full Committee on March 16, 2011, with a manager's amendment 
making technical corrections. On March 31, 2011, the House 
agreed to suspend the rules and pass the bill as amended by a 
vote of 292-130. The bill was referred to the Senate Committee 
on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
    Title: Clean Water Cooperative Federalism Act of 2011
    Bill Number: H.R. 2018
    Summary: The Clean Water Cooperative Federalism Act of 2011 
amends the Clean Water Act to preserve the authority of each 
State to make determinations relating to the State's water 
quality standards, and to restrict EPA's ability to second-
guess or delay a State's permitting and water quality 
certification decisions under the Clean Water Act in several 
important respects including State water quality standards, 
dredge and fill permits, and requiring a deadline for Agency 
comment.
    The bill was introduced on May 26, 2011, receiving 
widespread and bipartisan support. After being referred to the 
Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment, the bill will 
be considered by the Full Committee on June 22, 2011.
    On July 13, 2011, the bill passed the House in a bipartisan 
vote of 239 to 184.

                             OVERSIGHT PLAN

    The Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure approved 
the oversight guiding document, the 112th Oversight Plan, in 
open session on January 26, 2011. In the report, the Committee 
determined it will focus its oversight responsibility on 
improving the overall performance and operation of the agencies 
and entities within the Committee's jurisdiction by eliminating 
fraud, wasteful spending, abuse and mismanagement where 
possible. Specifically, the Committee will focus its oversight 
authority on determining: (1) how the departments and agencies 
under its jurisdiction can spend fewer taxpayer dollars while 
continuing to carry out their statutory mandates; (2) how to 
decrease the size of departments and agencies that implement 
the Committee's authorized programs; and (3) how best to 
utilize government resources to create jobs and economic 
opportunities for all Americans.
    The Full Committee will focus on oversight of the American 
Recovery and Reinvestment Act and effectiveness of DOT 
discretionary grant programs. The Subcommittee on Aviation will 
focus on funding of the FAA, safety programs, security 
programs, NextGen, NTSB, and the financial condition of the 
airlines and passenger services. The Subcommittee on Coast 
Guard and Maritime Transportation will focus on the Coast Guard 
acquisitions, mission balance, maritime domain awareness, oil 
spill prevention and response, short sea shipping, piracy, 
ballast water and incidental discharges, vessel capacity, and 
the budgets of the agencies within its jurisdiction. 
Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and 
Emergency Management will focus on Federal courthouses, GSA 
broker contracts, real property management, FBF, leasing 
authorities, CILP, Federal Protective Service, DHS 
headquarters, and other issues within its jurisdiction. The 
Subcommittee on Highways and Transit will focus its oversight 
responsibility on streamling project delivery, program 
consolidation and elimination, redefining the Federal role in 
surface transportation, performance and accountability, 
innovative financing, transportation funding, transit 
oversight, and safety program accountability. The Subcommittee 
on Railroads, Pipelines and Hazardous Materials will focus its 
oversight on the implementation of previous rail legislation, 
Amtrak, rail safety programs, pipeline safety, hazardous 
materials safety, and the Surface Transportation Board. 
Finally, the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment 
will focus its oversight on the Clean Water Act and water 
infrastructure programs, the Army Corps of Engineer civil works 
program, the EPA and its program management of the Superfund 
and Brownfield program, and the TVA.
    The full Oversight Plan can be viewed on the Committee's 
website here: http://transportation.house.gov/Media/File/112th/
112th_Oversight_Plan.pdf

 Summary of Actions Taken and Recommendations Made Regarding Oversight 
                                  Plan


                             Full Committee

    Title: Stimulus Status: Two Years and Counting
    Date: May 4, 2011
    Purpose: To continue oversight of the American Recovery and 
Reinvestment Act, pursuant to Committee-approved Oversight 
Plan, by examining the audit work performed by the GAO, the DOT 
IG, and the EPA IG on implementation the American Recovery and 
Reinvestment Act. GAO and the two IGs performed extensive audit 
work on the implementation of funded programs from the DOT, 
including the FHWA, the FTA, the FAA, the FRA, and the EPA. The 
audits uncovered significant lapses in oversight by the 
implementing agencies, mismanagement of grants and funds, and 
lack of transparency.
    Report Title: TSA Ignores More Cost-Effective Screening 
Model.
    Date: June 3, 2011.
    Purpose: Investigate the basis and rationale for the 
January 28, 2011 decision by John Pistole, Administrator, 
Transportation Security Administration (TSA), to halt the 
expansion of the Screening Partnership Program (SPP), the 
comparative efficiencies of SPP and non-SPP screening, and the 
various screening models used in the international community.
    Summary: Since the creation of the SPP, a total of sixteen 
airports have chosen to opt-out of the federal screening model 
and use private contractors for passenger and baggage 
screening. On January 28, 2011, TSA Administrator John Pistole 
announced that he would not expand the SPP and denied pending 
SPP applications from five airports. The report investigates 
the basis and rationale for Administrator Pistole's decision, 
the comparative efficiencies of SPP and non-SPP screening, and 
the various screening models used in the international 
community. See full summary in summary section above.
    Report Title: A Decade Later: A Call for TSA Reform.
    Date: November 16, 2011.
    Purpose: Investigate TSA's operations ten years after its 
creation and provide recommendations to improve TSA operational 
efficiency.
    Summary: TSA has a vital and important mission and is 
critical to the security of the traveling public. This report 
is an examination and critical analysis of the development, 
evolution, and current status and performance of TSA ten years 
after its creation. See full summary in summary section above.

                                Aviation

    The GAO conducted several reviews related to aviation 
safety. The GAO issued the following reports to Chairman Petri, 
Chairman Mica, and other Members of the Subcommittee:
          A report on the unauthorized international 
        travel of children in June 2011;
          A report on airline passenger protections in 
        September 2011;
          An aviation safety report on enhanced 
        oversight and improved availability of risk-based data 
        in October 2011;
          A report on collaboration of air traffic 
        control modernization efforts in the U.S. and the E.U. 
        in November 2011; and
          A report on pilot training and FAA oversight 
        in November 2011.
    The GAO also conducted a number of reviews related to 
aviation security. The GAO issued the following reports to 
Chairman Mica and other Members:
          A report on Transportation Security 
        Administration's (TSA) enhanced explosive detection 
        requirements for checked baggage in July 2011;
          A report on the TSA's foreign airport 
        assessment program in both classified and public 
        versions in October 2011;
          A report on transportation security 
        information sharing in November 2011;
          A classified report on TSA's Advanced Imaging 
        Technology is expected in early 2012; and
          A report on the TSA's screening partnership 
        program has been initiated and a follow-up report on 
        the TSA's behavior detection program or SPOT is in the 
        queue.
    The DOT IG conducted a review of the new collective 
bargaining agreement (CBA) that the FAA entered into with the 
National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA). The 
review was published on June 16, 2011, and addresses the impact 
the new CBA will have on the FAA and industry at the request of 
the Subcommittee. The DOT IG conducted an audit of Air Traffic 
Control (ATC) systems and networks located at two FAA 
facilities within the continental United States at the request 
of Chairman Mica. The report summarizes the results of our 
information technology vulnerability assessment of the FAA 
operational ATC systems, and was issued April 15, 2011. The DOT 
IG is also conducting the following reviews and audits:
          FAA's Air Traffic Safety Action Program 
        (ATSAP);
          FAA's air traffic facility realignment and 
        consolidation activities;
          ARRA grants for airport projects;
          Aviation safety inspector and operations 
        research analyst staffing;
          FAA's aviation safety information analysis 
        and sharing system; and
          The underlying causes of problems with 
        implementing NextGen.
    The Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector 
General (DHS OIG) has undertaken an audit of the management of 
oversight of transportation security at Honolulu International 
Airport. The report is expected to be complete in 2012. The DHS 
OIG will also be conducting a follow-up audit of the TSA's 
National Deployment Force (NDF) in FY 12.

                Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation

    Six of the 14 hearings held by the Subcommittee during the 
first six months of the 112th Congress were directly derived 
from sections of the approved Oversight Plan for the 
Subcommittee. Section one and section ten of the Subcommittee's 
Oversight Plan detailed the overseeing of the Coast Guard, 
Federal Maritime Commission, and Maritime Administration's 
budget. In March, the Subcommittee held a hearing to examine 
the Administration's FY 2012 budget requests for these agencies 
and explored ways to implement cost savings by leveraging 
efficiencies and cutting waste, fraud and abuse.
    Section two of the Oversight Plan detailed the 
Subcommittee's overseeing of the Coast Guard's acquisition 
program. The Subcommittee held a hearing in April regarding the 
current status of the Coast Guard's acquisition programs, as 
well as a review of the policies and procedures the Service 
uses to determine mission needs requirements. In October, the 
Subcommittee held a follow-up hearing on the acquisition 
program and reviewed issues raised in the Government 
Accountability Office's report entitled ``Action Needed as 
Approved Deepwater Program Remains Unachievable.''
    Section five of the Oversight Plan detailed the 
Subcommittee's overseeing of oil spill prevention and response, 
with specific attention being given towards the response to the 
Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the summer of 2010. The 
Subcommittee, in conjunction with the Subcommittee on Water 
Resources and Environment, held a joint hearing in February 
regarding improvements that can be made to oil spill prevention 
and response, while ensuring access to domestic energy 
resources and protecting vital energy sector jobs. The 
Subcommittee held a second hearing on this topic in November, 
where members reviewed the findings and recommendations within 
a number of recently published reports on the DEEPWATER HORIZON 
oil spill.
    Section seven of the Oversight Plan detailed the 
Subcommittee's overseeing of piracy and the United States' 
efforts to ensure the safety of Americans on the high seas. In 
March, the Subcommittee held a hearing regarding ways to 
improve the Federal Government's efforts to safeguard American 
lives and property on the high seas against acts of piracy. 
Specific attention was given to acts of piracy that occur off 
the Horn of Africa.
    Section eight of the Oversight Plan laid out the 
Subcommittee's plans to work with the Subcommittee on Water 
Resources and the Environment to conduct oversight on the EPA's 
current efforts to regulate the discharge of ballast water and 
other ``discharges incidental to the normal operation of 
vessels'' such as bilge water, deck wash and air conditioning 
condensate. In July, the Subcommittee held a hearing entitled 
``Reducing Regulatory Burdens, Ensuring the Flow of Commerce, 
and Protecting Jobs: A Common Sense Approach to Ballast Water 
Regulation.'' The Subcommittee pledged to continue working with 
various industry actors and relevant agencies to develop a 
single nationwide standard that ensures efficient movement of 
maritime commerce, defends seafaring and port jobs, and 
protects the environment.

    Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management

    The activities of the Subcommittee demonstrated its 
commitment to the Oversight Plan approved by the Committee on 
Transportation and Infrastructure. In regards to the 
jurisdiction of the Subcommittee, the plan included a focus on 
implementing better management of federal real estate, 
streamlining emergency management programs, and supervising the 
construction and renovation of federal property under the 
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
    The Subcommittee is deeply invested in the oversight of 
federal real property. In fact, during the 111th Congress, the 
Republican staff released a report, ``Sitting on Our Assets: 
The Federal Government's Misuse of Taxpayer-Owned Assets,'' 
which detailed billions of dollars of wasteful spending on 
underutilized federal properties. The Subcommittee is committed 
to identifying these underutilized federal buildings and assets 
in order to shed waste and save taxpayer money. The 
Subcommittee has developed major pieces of legislation in 
support of this mission. H.R. 690, the Federal Trade Commission 
and National Gallery of Art Consolidation, Savings, and 
Efficiency Act, saves the taxpayers an estimated $300 million 
in avoided renovation and lease costs of the FTC and the NGA. 
The Subcommittee also marked up H.R. 1734, the Civilian 
Property Realignment Act, which was introduced by Chairman Jeff 
Denham. The legislation sets up a BRAC-like commission for the 
realignment of civilian federal property that has the potential 
to save taxpayers an estimated $15 billion.
    The Subcommittee has also held the following hearings to 
carry out the Committee-approved Oversight Plan:
    Title: Sitting on Our Assets: Cutting Spending and Private 
Redevelopment of Underperforming Buildings
    Date: February 10, 2011
    Purpose: Received testimony on the costs to the taxpayer of 
underperforming or vacant assets, models for their 
redevelopment or reuse, and how spending can be reduced through 
private redevelopment of underperforming assets. The hearing 
was conducted pursuant to the Committee's plan for oversight of 
real property management and Clause 2(n) of House Rule XI on 
waste, fraud, abuse or mismanagement of government programs.
    Title: Managing Costs and Mitigating Delays in the Building 
of Social Security's New National Computer Center
    Date: February 11, 2011
    Purpose: The Subcommittee held a joint oversight hearing 
with the Committee on Ways and Means, Subcommittee on Social 
Security to receive testimony on the site selection and 
construction of the SSA's new national computer processing and 
data storage facility to replace the NCC, currently located in 
Woodlawn, Maryland. The hearing was conducted pursuant to the 
Committee's plan of supervision for the construction and 
renovation of federal property under the American Recovery and 
Reinvestment Act of 2009.
    Title: Cutting Spending and Consolidating Federal Office 
Space: GSA's Capital Investment and Leasing Program
    Date: March 10, 2011
    Purpose: The Subcommittee held a hearing to receive 
testimony on GSA's Capital Investment and Leasing Program 
(CILP) including alteration, design, modernization, 
construction, leasing and building purchase activities. The 
hearing was conducted pursuant to the Committee's plan for 
oversight of real property management and the Federal Buildings 
Fund (FBF).
    Title: Can a Civilian BRAC Commission Consolidate Federal 
Office Space and Save Taxpayers Billions?
    Date: April 6, 2011
    Purpose: The Subcommittee held a hearing to receive 
testimony on whether a civilian BRAC process can effectively 
consolidate federal office space, maximize value to the 
taxpayer, and save taxpayers billions. The hearing was 
conducted pursuant to the Committee's plan for oversight of 
real property management and Clause 2(n) of House Rule XI on 
waste, fraud, abuse or mismanagement of government programs.
    Title: Richard H. Poff Federal Building Renovation: Is it 
Costing the Taxpayer Too Much?
    Date: April 14, 2011
    Purpose: The Subcommittee held a hearing to receive 
testimony on the renovation and modernization of the Richard H. 
Poff Federal Building, located in Roanoke, Virginia. The 
hearing was conducted pursuant to the Committee's plan of 
supervision for the construction and renovation of federal 
property under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 
2009.
    Title: How to Stop Sitting on Our Assets: A Review of the 
Civilian Property Realignment Act
    Date: May 12, 2011
    Purpose: The Subcommittee held a hearing to receive 
testimony on specific legislative proposals to employ a BRAC-
like process to civilian properties to produce significant 
savings to the taxpayer. The hearing was conducted pursuant to 
the Committee's plan for oversight of real property management 
and Clause 2(n) of House Rule XI on waste, fraud, abuse or 
mismanagement of government programs.
    Summary: Chairman Denham introduced H.R. 1734, the Civilian 
Property Realignment Act, on May 4, 2011, as a result of the 
Subcommittee's oversight activities.

                          Highways and Transit

    As the Subcommittee on Highways and Transit held hearings 
to help craft important transportation authorization 
legislation, the hearings served a dual purpose of providing 
oversight opportunities, according to the Committee's Oversight 
Plan, including oversight on streamlining project delivery, 
program consolidation and elimination, redefining the Federal 
role in surface transportation, performance and accountability, 
innovative financing, and highway safety.
    Title: Improving and Reforming Our Nation's Surface 
Transportation Programs: Beckley, West Virginia Field Hearing
    Date: February 14, 2011
    Purpose: Received testimony on the local transportation 
challenges facing the State of West Virginia, and the local 
area surrounding Beckley. The hearing was conducted pursuant to 
the Committee's plan for oversight of surface transportation 
program management and Clause 2(d)(1) of House Rule X on 
elimination of duplicative programs.
    Title: Accelerating the Project Delivery Process: 
Eliminating Bureaucratic Red Tape and Making Every Dollar 
Count.
    Date: February 15, 2011.
    Purpose: Received testimony related to improving the 
existing laws and regulations governing project delivery in 
order to accelerate the delivery process for surface 
transportation projects. The hearing was conducted pursuant to 
the Subcommittee's plan for oversight of surface transportation 
program management and Clause 2(d)(1) of House Rule X on 
elimination of duplicative programs.
    Title: Improving and Reforming Our Nation's Surface 
Transportation Programs: Columbus, Ohio Field Hearing.
    Date: February 19, 2011.
    Purpose: Received testimony on the local transportation 
challenges facing Ohio, and the local area surrounding 
Columbus. The hearing was conducted pursuant to the Committee's 
plan for oversight of surface transportation program management 
and Clause 2(d)(1) of House Rule X on elimination of 
duplicative programs.
    Title: Improving and Reforming Our Nation's Surface 
Transportation Programs to Support Job Creation and the Economy
    Date: February 23, 2011
    Committee: Transportation and Infrastructure; Joint Hearing 
with the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works
    Purpose: Received testimony in a joint hearing in Los 
Angeles, California, with the U.S. Senate on the local 
transportation challenges facing Southern California. The 
hearing was conducted pursuant to the Committee's plan for 
oversight of surface transportation program management and 
Clause 2(d)(1) of House Rule X on elimination of duplicative 
programs.
    Title: Improving and Reforming Our Nation's Surface 
Transportation Programs: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Field Hearing
    Date: February 24, 2011
    Purpose: Receive testimony on the local transportation 
challenges facing Oklahoma, and the local area surrounding 
Oklahoma City. The hearing was conducted pursuant to the 
Committee's plan for oversight of surface transportation 
program management and Clause 2(d)(1) of House Rule X on 
elimination of duplicative programs.
    Title: Improving and Reforming Our Nation's Surface 
Transportation Programs: Maitland, Florida Field Hearing
    Date: March 14, 2011
    Purpose: Received testimony on the local transportation 
challenges facing Florida, and the greater Orlando area. The 
hearing was conducted pursuant to the Committee's plan for 
oversight of surface transportation program management and 
Clause 2(d)(1) of House Rule X on elimination of duplicative 
programs.
    Title: Improving and Reforming the Nation's Surface 
Transportation Programs.
    Date: March 29, 2011 and March 30, 2011
    Purpose: Received stakeholder testimony related to the 
reauthorization of the Federal surface transportation programs. 
The hearing was conducted pursuant to the Subcommittee's plan 
for oversight of surface transportation program management and 
Clause 2(d)(1) of House Rule X on elimination of duplicative 
programs.
    Title: Policy Proposals from Members of Congress to Reform 
the Nation's Surface transportation Programs.
    Date: April 5, 2011
    Purpose: Received testimony from Members of Congress on 
their policy proposals for the reauthorization of the Federal 
surface transportation programs. The hearing was conducted 
pursuant to the Subcommittee's plan for oversight of surface 
transportation program management and Clause 2(d)(1) of House 
Rule X on elimination of duplicative programs.
    Title: National Infrastructure Bank: More Bureaucracy and 
More Red Tape
    Date: October 12, 2011
    Purpose: Received testimony related to the Administration's 
national infrastructure bank proposal that is part of the 
American Jobs Act of 2011 (H.R. 12). The hearing was conducted 
pursuant to the Subcommittee's plan for oversight of surface 
transportation program management and Clause 2(d)(1) of House 
Rule X on elimination of duplicative programs.

              Railroads, Pipelines and Hazardous Materials

    Pursuant to the Committee-approved Oversight Plan for the 
112th Congress, the Subcommittee held hearings addressing 
important issues such as railroad infrastructure, Amtrak, and 
rail and hazardous materials safety. With respect to railroad 
infrastructure, the Subcommittee held an oversight hearing on 
improving the RRIF direct and guaranteed loan program and an 
oversight hearing on passenger rail capital programs authorized 
under the PRIIA. The Subcommittee also held or had jurisdiction 
over three hearings on Amtrak, specifically on improving 
passenger rail service on the NEC and authorizing it for 
private competition, and on improving intercity passenger rail 
throughout the country by fully implementing PRIIA requirements 
and allowing private competition for passenger rail service. 
There was also one hearing on railroad safety, providing 
oversight on the implementation of the Rail Safety Improvement 
Act of 2008. The Subcommittee also held an oversight hearing on 
the implementation of the Federal Railroad Administration's 
high-speed and intercity passenger rail program. Lastly, the 
Subcommittee held two hearings discussing the safe 
transportation of hazardous materials and possible ways to 
reduce regulatory burdens on the hazardous materials and 
railroad transportation industries.
    Specifically, in accordance with the Committee's Oversight 
Plan, the Subcommittee held or had jurisdiction over the 
following hearings:
    Title: Developing True High-Speed Rail in the Northeast 
Corridor: Stop Sitting on our Federal Assets: Grand Central 
Station, Northeast Balcony, New York, New York
    Date: January 27, 2011
    Purpose: Received testimony regarding the potential and 
development of high-speed rail in the Northeast Corridor, 
highlighting the importance of economic development, 
opportunities and incentives for private sector investment, and 
the need for competition and public-private partnerships.
    Title: Sitting on our Assets: Rehabilitating and Improving 
our Nation's Rail Infrastructure
    Date: February 17, 2011
    Purpose: Received testimony on the Railroad Rehabilitation 
& Improvement Financing (RRIF) program, highlighting its 
importance in helping railroads, States and other public 
authorities to finance the development of railroad 
infrastructure, which in turn creates new jobs and drives 
economic benefits.
    Title: Finding Ways to Encourage and Increase Private 
Sector Participation in Passenger Rail Service
    Date: March 11, 2011
    Purpose: Received testimony on intercity passenger rail in 
the U.S. and how to make it more effective and less expensive, 
specifically through private competition and to examine the FRA 
and Amtrak's implementation of the Passenger Rail Investment 
and Improvement Act of 2008 (PRIIA).
    Title: Federal Regulatory Overreach in the Railroad 
Industry: Implementing the Rail Safety Improvement Act
    Date: March 17, 2011
    Purpose: Received testimony on implementation of the Rail 
Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (RSIA), focusing on the FRA's 
rule implementing requirements for freight and passenger 
railroads to install positive train control systems by December 
31, 2015.
    Title: Railroad and Hazardous Materials Transportation 
Programs: Reforms and Improvements to Reduce Regulatory Burdens
    Date: April 7, 2011
    Purpose: Received testimony from stakeholders in the rail 
and hazardous materials safety areas regarding legislative 
priorities for changes or reforms to current law authorizations 
and administrative regulatory policies at the FRA and the 
Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) 
and to focus on the areas of intercity passenger rail, high-
speed rail, rail safety, and rail financing along with 
hazardous materials transportation safety.
    Title: Reducing Regulatory Burdens and Ensuring Safe 
Transportation of Hazardous Materials
    Date: April 12, 2011
    Purpose: Received testimony on the reauthorization of the 
hazardous materials safety programs of the PHMSA, which expired 
in 2008, focusing on how to reduce the regulatory burdens, and 
how to transport hazardous materials safely and efficiently.
    Title: Opening the Northeast Corridor to Private 
Competition for Development of High-Speed Rail
    Date: May 26, 2011
    Purpose: Received testimony regarding the development of 
high-speed rail in the NEC through private competition using a 
public-private partnership.
    Title: Silvertip Pipeline Oil Spill in Yellowstone County, 
Montana
    Date: July 14, 2011
    Purpose: Received testimony related to the July 1, 2011 
release of crude oil from the Silvertip Pipeline in Yellowstone 
County, Montana.
    Title: The Federal Railroad Administration's High-Speed and 
Intercity Passenger Program: Mistakes and Lessons Learned
    Date: December 6, 2011
    Purpose: Received testimony on the Federal Railroad 
Administration's High-Speed and Intercity Passenger Rail 
(HSIPR) Program which was launched in 2009, but not funded by 
Congress in FY 11 and 12.
    Title: California's High-Speed Rail Plan: Skyrocketing 
Costs and Project Concerns
    Date: December 15, 2011
    Purpose: Received testimony related to the constant 
increasing cost of building a high-speed rail system in 
California. While the project was originally estimated to be 
$43 billion in 2008, the total cost estimate has more than 
doubled to $98.5 billion and the project completion date has 
been extended 13 years.

                    Water Resources and Environment

    The activities of the Subcommittee demonstrated its 
commitment to the Oversight Plan approved by the Committee on 
Transportation and Infrastructure. In regards to the 
jurisdiction of the Subcommittee, the plan included a focus on 
implementing better oversight of the EPA Clean Water Act 
program, including the development of regulations for ballast 
water discharges, effluent limitations guidelines and issues 
with local compliance. Pursuant to the Oversight Plan, the 
Subcommittee considered ways of streamlining the civil works 
activities of the Corps, specifically the permitting, 
scheduling, and allocation of projects, as well as operation 
and maintenance of both inland and coastal navigation channels. 
Additionally, the Subcommittee held an oversight hearing 
regarding Corps actions during the Missouri River Flood of 
2011. The Subcommittee remains committed to reining in job 
killing regulatory overreach.
    The Subcommittee has also held the following hearings to 
carry out the Committee-approved Oversight Plan:
    Title: Review of the FY 12 Budget and Priorities of the 
Environmental Protection Agency: Impacts on Jobs, Liberty, and 
the Economy
    Date: March 2, 2011
    Purpose: To hear justification of the Agency's proposed FY 
12 budget, including extra-regulatory activities such as the 
promulgation of guidance, the use of numerical nutrient 
standards throughout the country and other expansions of the 
Agency's regulations.
    Title: Review of the FY 12 Budget and Priorities of the 
Army Corps of Engineers, Tennessee Valley Authority, and the 
Natural Resources Conservation Service: Finding Ways To Do More 
With Less
    Date: March 8, 2011
    Purpose: Received testimony from respective agencies 
regarding their proposed budget to the Subcommittee.
    Title: EPA Mining Policies: Assault on Appalachian Jobs 
Parts I and II
    Dates: May 5, 2011 and May 11, 2011
    Purpose: Received testimony from State regulators, the 
mining industry, impacted organizations, economists, and Nancy 
Stoner, Assistant Administrator at the Office of Water at the 
EPA regarding the EPA's policies and actions toward Appalachian 
Mining. The hearing was conducted pursuant to the Committee's 
plan for oversight of Clean Water Act, specifically the 
permitting process and water quality standards. HR 2018, the 
Clean Water Cooperative Federalism Act of 2011, was introduced 
as a result of this hearing.
    Title: Running Roughshod Over States and Stakeholders: 
EPA's Nutrients Policies
    Date: June 24, 2011
    Purpose: Received testimony pursuant to the Committee-
approved Oversight Plan to provide oversight of the EPA's 
nutrients policies and quest for States to adopt numerical 
nutrient water quality standards under the Clean Water Act.
    Title: Hearing on ``The Economic Importance and Financial 
Challenges of Recapitalizing the Nation's Inland Waterways 
Transportation System''
    Date: September 21, 2011
    Purpose: Received testimony from Corps, former chair of the 
Inland Waterways User Board, economists, special interest 
representatives, and impacted industry representatives 
regarding the Inland Waterways system, funding challenges and 
Administration mismanagement of the Inland Waterways Users 
Board
    Title: Hearing on ``Hydraulic Fracturing of Shale Beds: 
Ensuring Regulatory Approaches that Will Help Protect Jobs and 
Domestic Energy Production''
    Date: Wednesday, November 16, 2011
    Purpose: Received testimony from federal and state 
regulators and industry representatives on regulatory 
approaches to the hydraulic fracturing of shale beds. This 
hearing provided oversight to forthcoming EPA issued national 
effluent guidelines specifically created for the hydraulic 
fracturing of shale gas.
    Title: Hearing on ``The Missouri River Flood: An Assessment 
of River Management in 2011 and Operational Plans for the 
Future''
    Date: November 30, 2011
    Purpose: Received testimony from Member of Congress 
representing Missouri River Valley districts, local officials, 
and residents impacted by the catastrophic Missouri River flood 
of 2011. This hearing provided oversight of Corps activities 
related to Missouri River management.
    Title: Hearing on ``Integrated Planning and Permitting: An 
Opportunity for EPA to Provide Communities with Flexibility to 
Make Smart Investments in Water Quality''
    Date: December 14, 2011
    Purpose: Received testimony from city mayors, the 
commissioner of a city's department of environmental 
protection, a municipal wastewater utility director, a state 
water quality program director, an environmental activist 
advocate, and the EPA on the Agency's proposed integrated 
planning and permitting regulatory prioritization effort under 
the Clean Water Act.

Summary of Any Additional Oversight Activities Undertaken by Committee 
                     or Recommendations or Actions


                                HEARINGS

    Title: Biometric IDs for Pilots and Transportation Workers: 
Diary of Failures
    Date: April 14, 2011
    Summary: See summary section above.
    Title: How to Best Improve Bus Safety on Our Nation's 
Highways
    Date: June 13, 2011
    Summary: See summary section above.

                  INVESTIGATIONS AND OTHER ACTIVITIES

    Report Title: TSA Ignores More Cost-Effective Screening 
Model
    Date: June 3, 2011
    Summary: See summary section and attached report above.
    Report Title: A Decade Later: A Call for TSA Reform.
    Date: November 16, 2011
    Summary: See summary section and attached report above.

Summary of Oversight Hearings Pursuant to Clauses 2(n), (o), and (p) of 
          Rule XI of the Rules of the House of Representatives

    In the 112th Congress, Rule XI of the Rules of the House of 
Representatives requires each standing Committee, or a 
Subcommittee thereof, to hold at least one hearing during each 
120-day period following the establishment of the Committee on 
the topic of waste, fraud, abuse, or mismanagement in 
government programs as documented by any report from an 
Inspector General or the Comptroller General. Further, the 
Committee shall hold at least one hearing on disclaimers of 
agency financial statements from auditors and one hearing on 
issues raised by reports issued by the Comptroller General 
indicating that Federal programs under the Committee's 
jurisdiction are at high risk for waste, fraud, and 
mismanagement, known as the ``high-risk list.'' The Committee 
complied with the requirements of Rule XI by conducting the 
following hearings:

                             Full Committee

    Title: Stimulus Status: Two Years and Counting
    Date: May 4, 2011
    Purpose: The Full Committee met on May 4, 2011, pursuant to 
House Rule XI, clause 2(n), to examine the audit work performed 
by the General Accountability Office (GAO), DOT IG, and the 
Environmental Protection Agency Inspector General (EPA IG) on 
implementation of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. 
GAO and the two IGs performed extensive audit work on the 
implementation of funded programs from the DOT, including the 
Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), the Federal Transit 
Administration (FTA), the Federal Aviation Administration 
(FAA), and the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), and the 
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The audits uncovered 
significant lapses in oversight by the implementing agencies, 
mismanagement of grants and funds, and lack of transparency. 
See full summary in summary section above.
    Report Title: TSA Ignores More Cost-Effective Screening 
Model
    Date: June 3, 2011
    Summary: See summary section and attached report above.
    Report Title: A Decade Later: A Call for TSA Reform
    Date: November 16, 2011.
    Summary: See summary section and attached report above.

                Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation

    Title: Improving and Streamlining the Coast Guard's 
Acquisition Program
    Date: April 13, 2011
    Purpose: Received testimony, pursuant to House Rule XI, 
clause 2(n), as a result of a report issued by the GAO on the 
Coast Guard's acquisition process. In the report, the GAO made 
several recommendations to reduce bureaucratic inefficiencies 
within the Coast Guard's acquisition directorate to reduce cost 
overruns and delays. See full summary in summary section above.
    Title: What Will It Cost?: Protecting the Taxpayer from an 
Unachievable Coast Guard Acquisition Program
    Date: October 4, 2011
    Purpose: Subcommittee met to examine Coast Guard 
Acquisitions programs. This hearing was a follow up to the 
April 13, 2011 Subcommittee hearing on the same. This hearing 
reviewed issues raised in the July 2011 Government 
Accountability Office (GAO) report entitled ``Action Needed as 
Approved Deepwater Program Remains Unachievable.'' See full 
summary in summary section above.

    Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management

    Title: Sitting on Our Assets: Cutting Spending and Private 
Redevelopment of Underperforming Buildings
    Date: February 10, 2011
    Purpose: Received testimony on the costs to the taxpayer of 
underperforming or vacant assets, models for their 
redevelopment or reuse, and how spending can be reduced through 
private redevelopment of underperforming assets. The hearing 
was conducted pursuant to the Committee's plan for oversight of 
real property management and Clause 2(n) of House Rule XI on 
waste, fraud, abuse or mismanagement of government programs and 
Clause 2(p) on a management area designated by the GAO as a 
high-risk management issue. See full summary in summary section 
above.
    Title: Can a Civilian BRAC Commission Consolidate Federal 
Office Space and Save Taxpayers Billions?
    Date: April 6, 2011
    Purpose: Received testimony on whether a civilian BRAC 
process can effectively consolidate federal office space, 
maximize value to the taxpayer, and save taxpayers billions. 
The hearing was conducted pursuant to the Committee's plan for 
oversight of real property management and Clause 2(n) of House 
Rule XI and Clause 2(p) on a management area designated by the 
GAO as a high-risk management issue. See full summary in 
summary section above
    Title: The Securities and Exchange Commission's $500 
Million Fleecing of America
    Date: June 16, 2011
    Purpose: Received testimony on the SEC's management of its 
independent authority to lease space and the May 16, 2011 SEC 
IG report related to SEC's lease procurement of 900,000 square 
feet of space under a 10-year lease worth over $500 million. 
The hearing was conducted pursuant to the Committee's plan for 
oversight of agencies with independent leasing authority and 
Clause 2(n) of House Rule XI on waste, fraud, abuse or 
mismanagement of government programs and Clause 2(p) on a 
management area designated by the GAO as a high-risk management 
issue. See full summary in summary section above.

                          Highways and Transit

    Title: Improving and Reforming Our Nation's Surface 
Transportation Programs: Beckley, West Virginia Field Hearing
    Date: February 14, 2011
    Purpose: Received testimony on the local transportation 
challenges facing the State of West Virginia, and the local 
area surrounding Beckley. This hearing addressed issues related 
to ``Funding the Nation's Surface Transportation System,'' a 
topic contained on GAO's 2011 High Risk Series. See full 
summary in summary section above.
    Title: Improving and Reforming Our Nation's Surface 
Transportation Programs: Columbus, Ohio Field Hearing
    Date: February 19, 2011
    Purpose: Received testimony on the local transportation 
challenges facing the State of Ohio, and the local area 
surrounding Columbus. This hearing addressed issues related to 
``Funding the Nation's Surface Transportation System,'' a topic 
contained on GAO's 2011 High Risk Series. See full summary in 
summary section above.
    Title: Improving and Reforming Our Nation's Surface 
Transportation Programs to Support Job Creation and the Economy
    Date: February 23, 2011
    Committee: Transportation and Infrastructure; Joint Hearing 
with the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works.
    Purpose: Receive testimony in a joint hearing in Los 
Angeles, California with the U.S. Senate on the local 
transportation challenges facing Southern California and the 
State of California. This bi-cameral field hearing was part of 
the Committee's effort to gather ideas and policy proposals to 
prepare for the reauthorization of the Federal surface 
transportation programs under SAFETEA-LU, which expired on 
September 30, 2009, but was extended through September 30, 
2011. This hearing addressed issues related to ``Funding the 
Nation's Surface Transportation System,'' a topic contained on 
GAO's 2011 High Risk Series. See full summary in summary 
section above.
    Title: Improving and Reforming Our Nation's Surface 
Transportation Programs: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Field Hearing
    Date: February 24, 2011
    Purpose: Received testimony on the local transportation 
challenges facing the State of Oklahoma, and the local area 
surrounding Oklahoma City. This hearing addressed issues 
related to ``Funding the Nation's Surface Transportation 
System,'' a topic contained on GAO's 2011 High Risk Series. See 
full summary in summary section above.
    Title: Improving and Reforming Our Nation's Surface 
Transportation Programs: Maitland, Florida Field Hearing
    Date: March 14, 2011
    Purpose: Receive testimony on the local transportation 
challenges facing the State of Florida, and the greater Orlando 
area. This hearing addressed issues related to ``Funding the 
Nation's Surface Transportation System,'' a topic contained on 
GAO's 2011 High Risk Series. See full summary in summary 
section above.
    Title: Improving and Reforming the Nation's Surface 
Transportation Programs
    Date: March 29, 2011 and March 30, 2011
    Purpose: Received stakeholder testimony related to the 
reauthorization of the Federal surface transportation programs. 
This hearing addressed issues related to ``Funding the Nation's 
Surface Transportation System,'' a topic contained on GAO's 
2011 High Risk Series. See full summary in summary section 
above.
    Title: Policy Proposals from Members of Congress to Reform 
the Nation's Surface Transportation Programs
    Date: April 5, 2011
    Purpose: Received testimony from Members of Congress on 
their policy proposals for the reauthorization of the Federal 
surface transportation programs. This hearing addressed issues 
related to ``Funding the Nation's Surface Transportation 
System,'' a topic contained on GAO's 2011 High Risk Series. See 
full summary in summary section above.
    Title: National Infrastructure Bank: More Bureaucracy and 
More Red Tape
    Date: October 12, 2011
    Purpose: Received testimony related to the Administration's 
national infrastructure bank proposal that is part of the 
American Jobs Act of 2011 (H.R. 12). This hearing addressed 
issues related to ``Funding the Nation's Surface Transportation 
System,'' a topic contained on GAO's 2011 High Risk Series. See 
full summary in summary section above.

 Oversight or Legislative Activity Conducted as Part of or as a Result 
    of the Inventory and Review of Existing, Pending, and Proposed 
                         Regulations and Orders


                                Aviation

    Title: GPS Reliability: A Review of Aviation Industry 
Performance, Safety Issues, and Avoiding Potential New and 
Costly Government Burdens
    Date: June 23, 2011
    Summary: See summary section above.
    Title: FAA Reauthorization and Reform Act of 2011
    Bill Number: H.R. 658
    Date: April 1, 2011
    Summary: See summary section above.
    Title: Comprehensive Review of FAA's NextGen Program: 
Costs, Benefits, Progress, and Management
    Date: October 5, 2011
    Purpose: An oversight hearing on the Next Generation Air 
Traffic Control System (NextGen) by the Subcommittee on 
Aviation to receive testimony on benefits, costs, and the 
progress of NextGen implementation.
    Title: Roundtable--Terminal Area Safety
    Date: November 17, 2011
    Purpose: The Subcommittee met in an informal setting to 
discuss the rise in terminal area air traffic control safety 
incidents in which aircraft pass too close to one another.

    Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management

    Title: Improving the Nation's Response to Catastrophic 
Disasters: How to Minimize Costs and Streamline our Emergency 
Management Programs
    Date: March 30, 2011
    Summary: See summary section above.

                              Coast Guard

    Title: Creating U.S. Maritime Industry Jobs by Reducing 
Regulatory Burdens
    Date: May 24, 2011
    Summary: See summary section above.
    Title: Creating Jobs and Increasing U.S. Exports by 
Enhancing the Marine Transportation System
    Date: June 14, 2011
    Summary: See summary section above.
    Title: Reducing Regulatory Burdens, Ensuring the Flow of 
Commerce, and Protecting Jobs: A Common Sense Approach to 
Ballast Water Regulation
    Date: July 13, 2011
    Summary: See summary section above.
    Title: Assuring the Safety of Domestic Energy Production: 
Lessons Learned from the DEEPWATER HORIZON Oil Spill
    Date: November 2, 2011
    Summary: See summary section above.

              Railroads, Pipelines and Hazardous Materials

    Title: Federal Regulatory Overreach in the Railroad 
Industry: Implementing the Rail Safety Improvement Act
    Date: March 17, 2011
    Summary: See summary section above.
    Title: Reducing Regulatory Burdens and Ensuring Safe 
Transportation of Hazardous Materials
    Date: April 12, 2011
    Summary: See summary section above.

                  Water Resources and the Environment

    Title: EPA Mining Policies: Assault on Appalachian Jobs 
Parts I and II
    Dates: May 5, 2011 and May 11, 2011
    Summary: See summary section above.
    Title: Clean Water Cooperative Federalism Act of 2011
    Bill Number: H.R. 2018
    Summary: See summary section above.
    
    
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