Mr. José Serrano from the South Bronx in New York City is also the ranking minority member on the Commerce, Justice and State Appropriations Subcommittee, and is a regular Amtrak rider. He knows first hand the need for dependable, reliable service in the northeast corridor, and also the need for transit service in major metropolitan areas. And lastly, Mr. James Clyburn. And Mr. Clyburn hails from Columbia, South Carolina, and like Ms. Granger, was also on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. HEARING SCHEDULE Today we are here to receive testimony from Members of Congress and public witnesses. Our hearings continue on February 23 when the subcommittee will conduct a hearing on surface transportation safety, particularly dealing with truck safety. Our hearings are expected to conclude on March 18. For those individuals who have not seen the subcommittee hearing schedule, a complete schedule is available on the desk out front, as well as on the committee's website. Again, this year we have a significant number of requests to testify before the subcommittee. Because of time constraints several members and other public witnesses have agreed to submit their testimony for the record. They will be included in the public record, and anything received by the subcommittee will be accepted without prejudice. They are due by March 26. OPENING REMARKS We have a full schedule. Each witness has been accorded five minutes. A number of people have airplanes to catch, and different things like that. Before I recognize Mr. Sabo for his comments, let me just say, I did not know that Bob Livingston was going to testify today. And Bob will be leaving us. And I would have actually prepared something in depth to tell you how much I appreciate your friendship and the outstanding job that you have done here. I think it is a real loss that you are going to be leaving us. I keep reading your name in the paper of going to different groups downtown. But I just want you to know that I appreciate your friendship, and I appreciate your service. But you know from the bottom of my heart, Bob, I think you are a good guy, and I just want you to know that I appreciate everything. Mr. Sabo. Mr. SABO. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. It seems strange to be at a committee hearing again, but here we are, and look forward to the schedule and working with you again. I see our colleagues here, our good friend, Bob Livingston; we wish you well; our first baseman, Mr. Jefferson; aspiring governor. And we are looking forward to hearing from both of you. Let's get on with it. to Mr. WOLF. Mr. Serrano, we just introduced you, but if you want Mr. SERRANO. Well, thank you for the introduction[Laughter.] WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 1999. LOUISIANA TRANSIT PROJECTS WITNESSES HON. BOB LIVINGSTON, A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF LOUISIANA HON. WILLIAM J. JEFFERSON, A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF LOUISIANA ROBERT H. TUCKER, JR., CHAIRMAN, REGIONAL TRANSIT AUTHORITY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS PATRICK R. JUDGE, PRESIDENT, LOUISIANA PUBLIC TRANSIT ASSOCIATION Mr. WOLF. The first witness will be the Honorable Bob Livingston; the Honorable William J. Jefferson; and Mr. Robert Tucker, Chairman of the Regional Transit Authority Board of Commissioners; and Patrick R. Judge, President of the Louisiana Public Transit Association. Mr. LIVINGSTON. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I am delighted to be here with you, and thank you for those very nice words. And thank you, my good friend and ranking member, Marty Sabo. And to the other members of the subcommittee, welcome, good friends, all. This may well be my last opportunity to testify before a subcommittee as a Member of Congress and member of the Appropriations Committee, so I appreciate this unique opportunity, and look forward to my next opportunity when I will wear a somewhat different hat, which should be an exciting opportunity indeed. I just have a few written remarks which I would like to indulge in. I do appreciate the opportunity to be here. And by the way, subways are nice, but streetcars are better. [Laughter.] But we are all pleased to be here. I want to thank the excellent subcommittee staff and the staff assistants to the subcommittee members on both sides of the aisle for their hard work, dedication, and kindness that they provided me over the last 4 years as chairman, and even before that as minority member of the Appropriations Committee. I would like to give special thanks to John Blazey, Stephanie Gupta, Linda Muir, Rich Efford, Cheryl Smith; all of whom have just been wonderful to us over the years, and have helped us invaluably. Also, thanks to my dear friend and colleague, Bill Jefferson, who is now embarking on another venture of his own. I have been there and done that [Laughter.] And I wish him more success than I had. But it has been a great pleasure to work with him over the years, and I wish him well wherever life takes him. He has been a leader in gaining support for the annual request made to this subcommittee by the Regional Transit Authority, and it has just been a real treat to work with him on these very important issues. These issues have been headed up by the two gentlemen that accompany us here at the table; my good friends Bob Tucker and Pat Judge, who have made the programs that this subcommittee has funded a success over these many years. They have led the way in bringing about new ways to achieve cost savings and innovative financing for both the Canal Street Streetcar in New Orleans, and bus modernization projects for that great city. Pat Judge deserves very special praise for all the excellent manner he has displayed over the years in dealing with this subcommittee and the congressional offices. He has always been a straight-shooting, honest broker who has dealt fairly with everyone in bipartisan fashion. And Bob Tucker has done a great job as the leader of the RTA. He is a terrific representative in the city of New Orleans, and was a great public servant, and continues to be a great private servant in so many ways. Finally, thanks to all of my colleagues on the subcommittee for these projects over the years. As I have said earlier, these streetcar and bus programs that you funded in New Orleans have been managed well, and they are doing great things for the people of the city. And I am very proud of what we have accomplished together over the years in fostering these projects. With the Canal Street Streetcar Project we will be solving longtime traffic congestion problems right in the heart of the City of New Orleans by providing access to all citizens to a downtown area that needs continued revitalization, and with the Desire Streetcar Project you will be providing service to low-income historic neighborhoods that no longer have regular transit service to the business areas of the city. And this line would directly connect those neighborhoods and the business section of New Orleans with two major defense facilities that currently provide employment opportunities for thousands of low- and middle-income residents. So, Mr. Chairman, you and the members of this subcommittee are doing enormous and great good for the cities of this country, and we appreciate your efforts. And I just want to say that it has been a personal privilege and honor to serve with you, and with all the members over these last 21 and a half years. And I thank you for your friendship, and look forward to continuing that friendship in new and wondrous ways. Thank you. Mr. WOLF. Well, thank you, Bob. As I said before the members came in, I did not know that Bob was testifying today, or I would have probably had a more eloquent statement to make. But again, in closing, before I recognize Mr. Jefferson; one, I think New Orleans will miss you clearly. I think the House will miss you, members on both sides. I personally will; I consider you a good friend. I think history will treat you very, very well. And lastly, it will be my prediction and hope that someday you would return and serve in a Republican administration, whether in the area-you have great expertise in the area of international affairs, your time in foreign operations, and different things like that. So I just would hope, and I would almost expect and predict that there will be an opportunity for you to come back and serve in that capacity, in an appointive capacity. So, God bless you. Mr. LIVINGSTON. Thank you Mr. WOLF. And I wish you very well. Mr. JEFFERSON. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. And Mr. Sabo, I appreciate you reconfirming my position at first base when you spoke this morning. I have lots of competition. It is good to hear that you still have me as first on the depth chart. Thank you, And to the other members of the committee, it is a pleasure to be here, and to bring again this year, the very fine leadership of our Regional Transit Authority back home. As you have said, Mr. Chairman, had I known that Bob would be here, I would have written a better speech as well. Because he has done tremendous things for us in New Orleans. I happen to not only be one who is a member of a delegation with him, the one who chairs a city with him in a representational sense, and that he and I have had to work over the years on many important things, and we work very well on these things. And he of course has led the effort to make so many things possible in the City of New Orleans, and we are going to miss him. I have told him this in every forum. He is probably tired of hearing it by now. But it is the absolute truth, and he has been a wonderful friend. And I will miss his leadership and his support of our city. And I hope that we will continue to work together, Bob, in your other endeavors, as they may be. And I wish you great success in all of them. Chairman Wolf and members of the Subcommittee, thank you for allowing me the opportunity to appear before you today to express my support for the appropriations requested by the New Orleans Regional Transit Authority. I respectfully request that your subcommittee recommend continued funding for both the Canal Street and Desire Street Streetcar restoration projects. At the same time we are requesting continued funding for the RTA's innovative Bus Lease Maintenance Program, and urge the subcommittee to fund the transit operations programs to the highest level possible under TEA-21. Our-THM-and Robert Tucker will provide a detailed explanation of the RTA request in his testi mony. These projects and programs are important to our city because my constituents in the second district of Louisiana and the metropolitan area of New Orleans are 20 percent transit-dependent. And the 180,000 daily transit commuters served by the transit system are among the largest in the country. The Canal Street and Desire Street projects are vital for a number of reasons. Both projects will increase the efficiency and reduced travel time by moving existing bus lines from congested transit corridors. As a result, the environmental impact statement for the Canal Street Project predicts a 20 percent increase in ridership over the 18,000 daily commuters utilizing bus service along this major corridor that serves 70 percent of RTA bus transit lines, as well as 7 suburban transit lines. In addition, when completed and in operation, the new streetcar lines will improve the air quality by eliminating hydrocarbon exhaust from the atmosphere. While my brief testimony focuses on the importance of these appropriations requests for my district, these RTA projects and programs set important examples and precedents for other transit operations across the country. First, the RTA has to make two strategic decisions that will reduce the overall cost and scope of the Canal Street and Desire Street projects. For example, use rail gauge common to the historic St. Charles streetcar line will allow the RTA utilize existing Carrollton Streetcar facility for the heavy-duty maintenance required by the Canal, Desire, and Riverfront streetcar lines. Also, the decision to manufacture and assemble the streetcars in New Orleans, where RTA craftsmen recently built seven streetcars for the Riverfront line, is expected to save approximately $400,000 to $600,000 in cost per vehicle, and provide jobs in our community. Finally, as a member of the Ways and Means Committee, I am particularly proud of the innovative lease management initiative, which the RTA has developed for 75 new and 100 near new transit buses. The Landmark Lease Maintenance program between the RTA and Penske Truck Leasing takes advantage of recent tax code changes that allow maintenance cost to be considered as eligible capital expenses. This program I believe is a model for the Nation. As a result, the RTA has substantially lowered its maintenance, operating costs, and enhanced its ability to provide dependable service to the nearly 180,000 per day transit commuters in the New Orleans area. In conclusion, I commend the RTA's creative efforts to provide reliable and affordable public transit, and I thank this committee for its previous consideration of our request, and ask it to fully fund this year's RTA's transit request as well. Thank you very much. I will submit the rest of my testimony as written. [The prepared statement of the Hon. Jefferson follows:] |