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“INTRODUCTION OF H. RES. 313, SUPPORTING THE GOALS AND IDEALS OF NATIONAL PUBLIC WORKS WEEK” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Transportation was published in the Extensions of Remarks section on pages E840 on April 1, 2009.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
INTRODUCTION OF H. RES. 313, SUPPORTING THE GOALS AND IDEALS OF
NATIONAL PUBLIC WORKS WEEK
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HON. JAMES L. OBERSTAR
of minnesota
in the house of representatives
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Mr. OBERSTAR. Madam Speaker, I introduce H. Res. 313, supporting the goals and ideals of National Public Works Week, and for other purposes. National Public Works Week is celebrated for a full week each May to celebrate our public works professionals and the important work that they do to keep our country running smoothly.
May 17 through May 23, 2009 will recognize the many duties that public works professionals--those who design, build, operate, maintain and protect transportation systems, water supply infrastructure, sewage and refuse disposal systems, public buildings, and other structures and facilities--perform to enhance communities and our nation.
Public works keep our society functioning: providing buildings that house vital government offices, and giving our country rail, highways, airports, and public transit to move goods and passengers.
Similarly, public works help maintain public health: providing systems for waste and sewage disposal, while supplying us with crucial water for our homes, businesses, and agriculture. Pipelines safely transport natural gas and hazardous liquids through 2,300,000 miles of pipelines throughout the country.
Many people take for granted our public works, recognizing their importance only when problems are encountered. When water supply is not efficient, when infrastructure crumbles, and when accidents in moving transportation occur, we are then forced to reflect on what needs to be invested in the larger public works sector of our economy.
The ``2006 Status of the Nation's Highways, Bridges, and Transit: Conditions and Performance'' report by the Department of Transportation confirms that investment in the Nation's highway, bridge, and transit infrastructure has not kept up with the growing demands of the system.
The 111th Congress has worked to aggressively address our critical transportation and infrastructure needs. In February, Congress enacted the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (P.L. 111-5)
(``Recovery Act''), which provides $64.1 billion of infrastructure investment to enhance the safety, security, and efficiency of our highway, transit, rail, aviation, environmental, inland waterways, public buildings, and maritime transportation infrastructure. The $64.1 billion of Federal transportation and infrastructure investment will create or sustain more than 1.8 million jobs and $323 billion of economic activity.
In addition, in March, the House passed H.R. 1262, the ``Water Quality Investment Act of 2009''. H.R. 1262 significantly increases funding for capitalization grants to States for state water pollution control revolving funds, grants for alternative water source projects to meet critical water supply needs, grants to municipalities and States to control combined sewer overflows and sanitary sewer overflows, and grants for projects to remediate contaminated sediment in the Great Lakes areas of concern. The bill also provides a uniform, national standard for monitoring, reporting, and public notification of municipal combined sewer overflows and sanitary sewer overflows.
I strongly support investment in our Nation's infrastructure, as well as the men and women who keep our public works, quite simply, working.
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