Hearing of the Highways and Transit Subcommittee of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee - Reform the Nation's Surface Transportation Programs

Statement

Members of the Subcommittee:

America is a beacon of hope, a global powerhouse and the land of opportunity.
We must rebuild our once robust manufacturing sector, repower our factories and
assembly lines, hire the working men and women of this great nation, and restore
America's once prospering middle class.

Make it in America

To "Make it in America", we must:
* Leverage our taxpayer dollars and Buy American supplies and products to jumpstart our economy.
* Have a well-educated and trained workforce.
* Research cutting-edge technologies.
* Offer incentives to construct factories and purchase American-made equipment.
* Build transportation infrastructure and public works.
* Sell "Made in America" goods and services to the entire world.

H.R. 613, Airports, Highways, High-Speed Rail, Trains, and Transit: Make it in America Act

To achieve this mission, I have introduced H.R. 613, Airports, Highways, High-Speed Rail, Trains, and Transit: Make it in America Act.

The bill would create American jobs by strengthening Buy America requirements applicable to airports, highways, high-speed rail, trains and transit, increases domestic content provisions for airports and rolling stock from 60% to 100% over time and eliminates public interests and non-availability waivers.

Please consider co-sponsoring my legislation and include in the next surface transportation reauthorization legislation.

Surface Transportation Reauthorization

Next, I support President Barack Obama's efforts to:
* Enact a six-year, $556 billion surface reauthorization plan to modernize the country's surface transportation infrastructure, create jobs, and invest in our future.
* Jump-start productive investment with a first-year funding boost of $50 billion.
* Provides $8 billion in 2012 and $53 billion over six years to reach the President's goal of providing 80 percent of Americans with convenient access to a passenger rail system, including high-speed service, within 25 years.
* Includes $30 billion over six years for a pioneering National Infrastructure Bank to invest in projects of regional or national significance to the economy.
* Continues to invest in the Next Generation Air Transportation System--a revolutionary modernization of our aviation system.
* Provide $10 billion bring our nation's transit system into a Bus and Rail
State of Good Repair Invest in our Livable Communities and encourage alternative modes of transportation.

Northern California-San Francisco Bay Area Transportation Needs

According to the San Francisco Metropolitan Transportation Commission, "the Bay Region embraces the nine counties that touch San Francisco Bay (Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano and Sonoma) and includes 101 municipalities. More than 7 million people reside within its 7,000 square miles."

"There are eight primary public transit systems as well as numerous other local transit operators, which together carry nearly 500 million passengers per year. The region's varied geography has given rise to a diverse range of public transit modes: antique cable cars and historic streetcars; high-speed ferries; diesel commuter rail and electric-powered rapid transit rail; diesel and natural gas buses; and electric trolley buses. The combined annual operating budget of the transit agencies is over $2 billion, placing this region among the top transit centers in the nation.

"In addition, there are numerous specialized services for elderly and disabled
travelers (referred to as para-transit service), nearly 20,000 miles of local streets
and roads, 1,400 miles of highway, six public ports and three major commercial
airports."

I believe we must invest in:
* Transit Systems
o BART System and New Rail Car Procurement
o Bus and Rail State of Good Repair
o Bus Rapid Transit
o Bus Hydrogen Fuel Cells
* Amtrak: Passenger Rail
o Amtrak Capitol corridor
o Amtrak San Joaquins corridor
o Amtrak Pacific Surf liner corridor
* Airports
o San Francisco International Airport
o Oakland International Airport
o San Jose International Airport
* Maritime, Ports and Waterways
o Port of Oakland
o Port of West Sacramento
o Port of Stockton
o Dredging through the San Francisco Bay and Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to the Port of West Sacramento and Port of Stockton
* High Speed Rail System
o The entire California system: from the Bay Area through the Altamont Pass to the Central Valley and to Southern California
* Livable Communities
o Bicycle Trails
o Pilot Bicycle Share Programs
* Highways Corridors
o Interstate 80 corridor
o Interstate 680 corridor
o Interstate 580 corridor
o State Route 4 corridor
o State Route 84 corridor
* Pipeline Safety and Security

Conclusion

We must increase our local, state and national investment in our transportation
infrastructure. The movement of people and goods, efficiently, effectively and
environmentally, is critical to our economic growth and long-term economic
prosperity.

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