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.
“ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Transportation was published in the Senate section on pages S14177 on Dec. 20, 2005.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS
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COMMENDING THE SERVICE OF JAMES D.E. JONES
Mr. LAUTENBERG. Mr. President, I rise to speak about the departure of Mr. James D.E. Jones from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. A native of Morristown, NJ, Mr. Jones has served with the Port Authority for 20 years, 19 of them in the Washington, DC, office. During this time, he served as liaison with Congress and several administrations on issues involving aviation, surface transportation, economic development, and public finance. I know Mr. Jones primarily for his efforts and expertise on aviation matters.
As a former Port Authority commissioner, I can tell you that the Port Authority is the most complex regional transportation agency in the country. It runs three major airports where almost 100 million passengers traveled in and out of last year. It operates the largest seaport on east coast of the United States and the second largest container port in the country. It runs a bistate mass transit system and maintains under its care and responsibility such landmark assets as the Lincoln Tunnel, the Holland Tunnel, the Bayonne Bridge, the George Washington Bridge, and the World Trade Center complex in lower Manhattan.
During his service at the Port Authority, Mr. Jones assisted policymakers in Washington as our country debated such ideas as deregulation of the airline industry to responding to the 9/11 terror attacks, which involved a substantial modification of how we provide for aviation security in our country.
Previously, Mr. Jones served as a senior staff member in the U.S. Department of Transportation's Office of the Secretary, where he focused on policy development and international agreements. In that capacity, he represented the U.S. Secretary of Transportation in dozens of bilateral international negotiations on aviation, taking him to 20 foreign countries.
Mr. Jones completed his undergraduate work at Howard University and received his MBA degree from Harvard University Business School. His accomplishments are evidence that his skills have certainly served him well throughout his career.
I am thankful for Mr. Jones' service at the Port Authority. His talents were a great asset to policymakers and lawmakers throughout the Federal Government, and his services helped shape policies for our country that make our aviation system the envy of the world.
On behalf of many New Jersey travelers, I thank Mr. Jones, and I wish him continued success.
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