Transportation and Infrastructure

I am proud to serve on the House Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure. My subcommittee assignments include the Aviation, Highways and Transit, and Railroads, Pipelines and Hazardous Materials Subcommittees. The Committee oversees the development of all modes of transportation in the United States, including aviation, maritime, roads and bridges, mass transit, and railroads. The Committee is also responsible for critical components and aspects of our national infrastructure such as clean water and waste water systems, pipelines, flood damage reduction, disaster preparedness and response, and activities of the Army Corps of Engineers and the Coast Guard.

As a member of the Transportation Committee, I have a hand in generating and reviewing policy that improves the safe and efficient movement of people and goods, spurs economic development while preserving the natural environment, and mitigates the impact of natural disasters.

Congestion has become a serious concern in the United States as it slows the flow of people and commerce, and diminishes air quality in our communities. Though the 15th District does not resemble the large metropolitan areas most people associate with congestion, our local roads and highways have become increasingly crowded over time. Modernizing our national transportation system to improve its efficiency and promoting greater use of public transportation in areas where it is available will help combat the troubling affects of congestion. I have routinely worked with experts at the Berks County Planning Commission, Lehigh and Northampton Transportation Authority (LANTA), Lehigh Valley Transportation Study and Montgomery County Planning Commission to ensure our regional needs are addressed in legislation that funds transportation projects across the country.

Another concern facing the transportation sector is its reliance on fossil fuels. Without the emergence of alternative and renewable fuel technology, the millions of vehicles on our roads will remain dependant on foreign oil and susceptible to unpredictable global price fluctuations. In light of this, I have worked to advance the utilization of new clean energy technology, including hydrogen and fuel cell equipment, in numerous transportation applications, especially transit. While no single alternative fuel will reverse our reliance, each will undeniably play a role in the comprehensive modernization of our system. Today, transportation activities account for roughly one-third of all carbon emissions in the U.S. I believe our national carbon footprint will dramatically reduce as cutting-edge energy technologies begin to replace more traditional equipment in automobiles, buses and trucks.

The safety and efficiency of our national aviation system has made it the envy of the world. Though the airline industry is slowly recovering from the sharp decline in passengers that followed the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, it is expected the number of Americans flying each day will dramatically rise in coming years. Thankfully, our region is home to the Lehigh Valley International Airport (LVIA), an extremely user-friendly facility that can connect residents of the 15th District to locations across the globe with relative ease. I have worked to ensure LVIA offers the services, capacity and technology to meet the changing demands of local passengers and those using it as a helpful alternative to the congested airports of Newark, New York and Philadelphia.