Volume 144, No. 73 covering the 2nd Session of the 105th Congress (1997 - 1998) was published by the Congressional Record.
The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“TRANSPORTATION EQUITY ACT FOR THE 21ST CENTURY” mentioning the Environmental Protection Agency was published in the Senate section on pages S5777-S5779 on June 9, 1998.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
TRANSPORTATION EQUITY ACT FOR THE 21ST CENTURY
Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, this is a great day for America's drivers, rail passengers, and freight haulers. Today, the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA21) has been signed into law. TEA21 will lead to better, safer, and less congested roads and bridges throughout the country. This extremely important transportation legislation is a great investment in our nation's future.
I applaud my colleagues, in both chambers of Congress, and on both sides of the aisle, for passing the Transportation Equity Act by overwhelming majorities.
Transportation is one of the few issues that Congress deals with that clearly and directly impacts every American, every day. That is why it was so imperative that both chambers take swift action on this important infrastructure bill. Whether driving to work, participating in a car pool, taking a commuter train, riding a school bus, hauling goods from one city to the next, or transporting an accident victim to the nearest hospital, Americans depend on safe roads, highways, and bridges to get them to their ultimate destination.
When the extended Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act
(ISTEA) ran out on May 1, Congress recognized the importance of getting this new reauthorization legislation passed. A number of states could have been in serious jeopardy had Congress waited beyond the Memorial Day recess to enact the Transportation Equity Act. Now that the President has acted on this landmark transportation bill, I am proud that Congress has fulfilled one of our most important responsibilities to the American people. Authorizing road and bridge improvements into the next century is a significant accomplishment. This act alone should dispel the notion that this Congress has done nothing.
The Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA21) deals with a wide range of highway, transit, research, recreational, safety and environmental policy initiatives. TEA21 is a balanced and effective infrastructure bill that will enhance our nation's roads and highways. TEA21 extends and improves upon many of the provisions contained in ISTEA, helping move America forward into the next century. It furthers the notion of an efficient and integrated national intermodal transportation system. This unified system links America's 161,000 mile National Highway System with state and local roads, ports, trade corridors, and airports. TEA21 is necessary for our nation's prosperity.
The Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century provides a total of $216 billion for infrastructure development and improvements. That represents a 40% boost in transportation spending over current levels. This bill affects every state, every county and every city, providing significantly more money for the projects around the country that need and deserve federal assistance. TEA21 provides $173 billion for highways, $41.3 billion for mass transit, and $1.7 billion for highway safety programs. That translates into an annual highway spending increase of $8 billion and about $2 billion more annually for mass transit. Every year, $10 billion more will be spent on needed infrastructure.
Mr. President, I am particularly pleased that the Transportation Equity Act, as its title implies, provides more equity than the formula allocations provided by ISTEA. Under TEA21, each state is guaranteed to receive at least 90.5 cents for every dollar that its drivers send to Washington through the gas pump. As a result, forty-nine states will receive more money, with an average increase of about 44% over their current allocation levels. Even Massachusetts, the one state that did not receive a funding increase, will still get back more than it contributes annually to the Highway Trust Fund.
Many of the beneficiaries of the Act's minimum guarantee are the southern, midwestern, and western states commonly referred to as donor states. For years, these states have received far less in highway funding than they contributed in gas tax revenues. While TEA21 doesn't completely eliminate their donor status, North Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, Indiana, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Arizona, Montana, among other donor states, will for the first time see an overall increase of more than 50% and a return of more than 90 cents on the dollar.
My home state of Mississippi, for example, will receive 92 cents. That's a 58% increase over the state's current gas tax return. While this is not a perfect dollar for dollar exchange, it represents significant progress that will help pave a great number of dirt and other substandard roads in Mississippi. In the years to come, I will continue my efforts to improve the formula allocation for all donor states.
Mr. President, TEA21 also re-establishes the covenant with our nation's drivers. It insures that each dollar of revenue contributed to the Highway Trust Fund is spent on transportation priorities and not on other initiatives. While this bill does not take the Highway Trust Fund off-budget, it does guarantee a minimum of $200.5 billion will be spent over the next six years on highways, safety, and mass transit programs. TEA21 also ensures that Congress fulfills its obligation to live within the Balanced Budget Agreement.
TEA21 authorizes bridge repair and improvement projects around the country. It supports the preservation of national historic covered bridges and includes funding that will allow states to retrofit bridges so they will be less prone to earthquake damage. Additionally, the bill provides $900 million to replace the decaying Woodrow Wilson Memorial Bridge, a 35 year old structure that now carries more than twice the 72,000 vehicles it was built to withstand. At the current rate of deterioration, passenger and freight traffic will be forced to stop in seven years. This is a major crossing on America's East-Coast highway that carries over 190,000 cars and trucks daily. That is why TEA21 was correct to step in.
I believe Congress has passed a bill that not only improves and enhances America's transportation system, but one that enriches our nation's economy and our quality of life. New roads and bridges spur economic development, increase mobility, and foster connectivity. For each dollar spent on our nation's infrastructure, society receives an exponential financial and social return on this public investment. In fact, economist Thomas Hogarty recently concluded that motor vehicle transport yields $6 trillion to $10 trillion in tangible benefits annually. That's trillion with a ``t.'' Good roads, good bridges, and good transit systems facilitate the movement of people and supplies from the suburbs to major metropolitan areas and back, from one region of the country to another and from America to across the globe. Aside from heightening intrastate and interstate travel and trade, transportation improvements also support the creation of better and higher paying jobs. In Mississippi, for example, road work over the last ten years has helped prompt a 34% increase in the state's growth rate. I am very excited about the economic prospects for Mississippi under TEA21.
Mr. President, passage of the Transportation Equity Act will help repeat Mississippi's success story in each and every state. Infrastructure expenditures directly and indirectly support the 10 million people employed by our nation's transportation and related industries. In fact, Congressional Quarterly recently reported that TEA21 will lead to the creation of 400,000 new jobs throughout the United States.
TEA21 will strengthen our trade relationships with neighbors to the north and south of our nation's borders. TEA21 provides $700 million for trade and border crossings, and supports the continued development I-69, an 1,800 mile interstate that will stretch between nine states, from the Texas border with Mexico to Michigan's border with Canada. This Pan-American roadway, with vital regional connectors, will promote economic development all along its path. Additionally, I-69 will help virtually every state by fostering interstate and international commerce, helping our nation realize the benefits of the North American Free Trade Agreement.
The Transportation Equity Act is also a bill about safety. It provides over $2 billion for highway safety programs and authorizes
$650 million in motor carrier safety grants. One of the many important reforms in TEA21 is the $500 million seat belt program which provides incentive grants to states that increase their seat belt usage or that exceed the national average. The Act also takes aim at drunk driving. It provides grants to states that have or adopt the more strict 0.08 percent blood-alcohol standard. TEA21 also promotes the development of airbags that do a better job of protecting children and smaller adults.
One of the issues that I felt very strongly about was the creation of a program to encourage states to improve their one-call system. As this Congress focused on our surface infrastructure, I felt it was important to include protections for our underground infrastructure. This took the form of a national call-before-you-dig system used to prevent accidents at underground facilities such as telephone, cable and power lines, water-maines and pipelines. A number of serious accidents have been caused by excavation without notice or by inaccurate markings of underground lines. While 49 states have one-call programs, it is widely recognized that many states' systems need to be strengthened.
Under TEA21, states that significantly improve their current one-call systems will qualify to receive federal grants. TEA21's one-call provision does not impose a federal mandate or establish a one-size-
fits-all approach. It merely establishes national goals and offers states that want to participate the opportunity to apply for assistance. Decisions on a state's one-call system will still be left up to each state. The identification of minimum standards, however, will offer states a guide-post to help them improve their systems should they choose to do so. I believe that this non-prescriptive approach to state one-call systems will significantly enhance public safety, minimize disruptions, and improve environmental protection.
The Transportation Equity Act is also an environmental bill. It establishes private sector mitigation banks in support of wetlands, and streamlines the environmental review process for transportation projects. Senator Bond and Senator Breaux championed these much needed fixes. TEA21 also increases annual funding for the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Program and for Transportation Enhancements to $1.5 billion and $630 million respectively. Additionally, the bill extends the Aquatic Resources Trust Fund, which supports sportfish restoration and boat safety programs, and provides to the fund an additional 1.5 cents per gallon of fuel tax revenues in fiscal year 2002, and another 2 cents after 2003. Another one of the important compromises achieved in this bill involves the harmonization of the Environmental Protection Agency's schedule for regulating regional haze and the 2.5 particulate matter standard.
This bill also authorizes several transportation research programs which will help our nation adapt to and utilize constantly changing technologies that will improve safety, ease congestion, and protect the environment.
Mr. President, I would like to conclude by thanking our colleagues who were instrumental in crafting and passing this landmark bill. First, my heartfelt appreciation goes out to Senator John Chafee for his stewardship of this important, responsible, and historic transportation package. I also want to pay special tribute to Senator Warner, Senator Baucus, Senator McCain, Senator Hollings, Senator D'Amato, Senator Sarbanes, Senator Roth, Senator Moynihan, Senator Bond, and Senator Nickles because their guidance and leadership proved vital to this effort. I also want to recognize Senator Domenici for his efforts to ensure that the desired funding levels fell within the budget caps. Without his help, we may well have ended up with a much smaller bill.
All of the Senate conferees deserve a great deal of credit for bringing this much-needed transportation bill to fruition. Each and every one of them rolled up their sleeves and worked with Congressman Bud Shuster, Chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, and the House conferees to produce the largest infrastructure bill in U.S. history.
Lastly, a number of Senate staff worked long and hard on this bill. They worked many weekends and frequently late into the night. Mr. President, our colleagues know that staff provide invaluable assistance as public policy is formulated. Here they were essential. On behalf of our nation's highway users, I would like to thank each of them. I believe it is important to identify the staff directly involved in TEA21.
From the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works: Daniel Corbett; Albert Dahlberg; Stephanie Daigle; Chris Hessler; Abigail Kinnison; Ann Loomis; Jason Patlis; Jimmie Powell; Kathy Ruffalo; Tom Sliter; Ellen Stein; Sharon Tucker; and Linda Willard.
From the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation: Ann Begeman; Carl Bentzel; Moses Boyd; Lance Bultena; Charlotte Casey; Timothy Cook; Penny Dalton; James Drewry; Clyde Hart; Clark LeBlanc; John Raidt; and Sloan Rappoport.
From the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs: Robert Drozdowski; Rachel Forward; Loretta Garrison; Steven Harris; Peggy Kuhn; Howard Menell; and Joseph Mondello.
From the Senate Committee on the Budget: William Hoagland; Brian Riley; and Austin Smythe.
From the Senate Legislative Counsel: Janine Johnson.
The following staff also participated on behalf of their Senator: Rob Alexander; Steven Apicella; Mark Ashby; Doug Benevento; Renee Bennett; Kirsten Beronia; Chad Bradley; Rick Dearborn; Steve Dye; Mike Egan; James English; Tracy Henke; Keith Hennessey; Timothy Hess; Gerry Gilligan; Chris Jahn; Arnie Kupferman; Adam Lawrence; Stephanie Leger; Ryan Leonard; Lisa Linnell; James McCarthy; Stephen McMillin; Ashley Miller; Beth Miller; Liz O'Donoghue; Justin Oliver; Brigitta Pari; Peter Phipps; Mark Prater; Chris Prins; Darla Romfo; Joyce Rechtscheffen; Brad Robinson; Peter Rogoff; Jason Rupp; Christine Russell; David Russell; Pamela Sellers; Joshua Sheinkmen; Becky Shipp; Gary Smith; Dave Thompson; Polly Trottenberg; Joseph Trujillo; Mitch Warren; Andrew Wheeler; Melissa White; Clay Williams; and Drew Willision.
Again, these individuals worked very hard on the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century and the Senate owes them a debt of gratitude for their dedicated service to this legislation.
Mr. President, now that President Clinton has signed The Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century, our nation has enacted the foundation of our infrastructure for the next millennium. TEA21 will improve interstate and international commerce, stimulate our economy, protect our environment, and foster the use of modern transportation technologies.
With TEA21, American's can now look forward to better, safer and less congested roads and bridges throughout the nation.
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