The publication is reproduced in full below:
INVESTING IN A NEW VISION FOR THE ENVIRONMENT AND SURFACE
TRANSPORTATION IN AMERICA ACT
______
speech of
HON. ROBERT C. ``BOBBY'' SCOTT
of virginia
in the house of representatives
Wednesday, June 30, 2021
Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the INVEST in America Act.
I want to thank Chairman DeFazio for bringing this bill to the floor. I represent the 3rd congressional district of Virginia where the Chesapeake Bay meets the James, Nansemond, and Elizabeth Rivers. This location presents both challenges and opportunities. My district is home to the Port of Virginia, one of the largest and busiest ports on the eastern seaboard. With 95 percent of our nation's trade moving by water, it is essential that the port is able to maintain operations.
Unfortunately, due to sea level rise, both attributable to climate change as well as historic subsidence, these same waterways also pose a serious risk. State and local elected officials in Virginia already appreciate the significant threat sea level rise poses to Hampton Roads. Unfortunately, the cost to proactively and aggressively address this problem head-on is far too great for any city to bear by itself. While Hampton Roads has already spent considerable sums of money to address the rising water and implement resilient infrastructure where feasible, the scope of the entire project to actually address the problem is expected to total in the billions of dollars.
Hampton Roads is also home to significant traffic backups throughout the region, especially at waterway crossings. The widening of the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel is primarily being financed with local and state revenue from sales and gasoline taxes in the Hampton Roads Transportation Fund but it requires federal support. There are limits to how these major transportation projects can move forward without federal assistance. For example, the Downtown and Midtown Tunnels, connecting the cities of Norfolk and Portsmouth, were in such a state of disrepair and need of expansion that the Commonwealth had few options other than to enter into a lopsided private-public partnership leading to egregious tolls for decades to come. The Hampton Roads region is also in vital need of public transit investments. Our airports, roads, and bridges are in need of repair and I would urge the committee to commit crucial federal support for infrastructure in every state.
This infrastructure bill includes much needed investments in a cleaner and greener infrastructure. This bill targets investments that will improve energy efficiency and resilience and grow local economies without passing the burden onto local communities.
I am pleased that this bill will also directly impact my district by dedicating nearly $24 million in critically needed infrastructure funds, so that we can invest in the future of our communities. With these funds the Birthplace of America Trail can expand in Newport News; the City of Chesapeake can begin a pilot program for electric emergency response vehicles; Hampton Roads Transit can move forward with the Bus Rapid Transit project making traveling around Hampton Roads without a car easier; Tidewater Drive, a major arterial road connecting to Naval Station Norfolk, can be repaired; and work on the Craney Island Access Road, which will help keep up with the increased import/export demands at the Port of Virginia, can advance.
Mr. Speaker, this bill makes necessary investments that will create good-paying jobs and resilient infrastructure as we face the rising seas and changing climate.
____________________
SOURCE: Congressional Record Vol. 167, No. 115
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.
House Representatives' salaries are historically higher than the median US income.
Alerts Sign-up