Statement of

United States Senator James M. Inhofe

Transportation, Infrastructure and Nuclear Safety Subcommittee

February 11, 2002, 1:00 PM

406 Dirksen Senate Office Building

Thank you Mr. Chairman: I am pleased to join you today in welcoming our witnesses. It is always a pleasure hear from Federal Highway Administrator Mary Peters. We are very fortunate to have an Administrator at Federal Highway that understands the tough choices our states have to make. Mary’s background as the director of the Arizona Department of Transportation will be very beneficial to us as we balance the needs of our individual states with need the for a national transportation system because she will be able to tells us what works and what does not work. So I am looking forward to working with you as we begin deliberations on reauthorization.

I have had the pleasure of working with Donna McLean first as a fellow on the Water Resources Subcommittee on the then Public Works and Transportation Committee in the House. We were fortunate that she decided to stay as a permanent staffer on the Aviation Subcommittee. I have always found Donna to be very thorough and accurate in her analysis and I have no doubt that as we work through the varying interpretations of RABA, we will find that she will be most helpful in explaining the position of the Administration.

I am most anxious to hear from Thomas E. Stephens, Director of the Department of Transportation in the Chairman’s home state of Nevada. Again, I believe we can never hear too often from our state officials on how decisions we make in Washington effect how they to their jobs at home.

It is always good to hear from Bill Fay. His group, the Highway User’s Alliance will play an important role in reauthorization.

Finally, I had hoped to be welcoming my friend and fellow Oklahoman Jim Duit to testify on behalf of the American Road and Transportation Builders Association. Unfortunately, Jim’s suffered a devastating fire to his business Saturday evening. In talking with him it appears that the cause of the fire may have been arson. Needless to say, he is unable to join us today. However, I have the oral statement that he had planned on making and I would ask that it be submitted for the record. Also, I have a written statement of Kenneth K. Wert who is President has Haskell Lemon Construction Co. in Oklahoma that I would like to submit for the record.

We are fortunate that Mr. Tom Hill, Chief Executive of Oldcastle Materials, Inc. could join us today to present the industry’s perspective on the proposed FY03 budget. I appreciate your rearranging your schedule on such short notice and look forward to hearing your testimony.

Thank you Mr. Chairman and welcome to our witnesses.