OPENING STATEMENT
Senator Jim Inhofe
Hearing on TEA-21 Implementation
Thursday April 15,1999

Mr. Chairman, I would like to thank you for holding today's hearing. I welcome the opportunity to work with you as the new chairman of this important Subcommittee. There have been many overlaps between my Clean Air Subcommittee and the Transportation Subcommittee in the past through the CMAQ program and other air quality issues. The overlap is going to continue to grow and I am sure the two of us can work together to solve some of these problems.

The first problem is the recent court decision affecting the transportation projects in Atlanta which overturned the EPA's ``grandfather'' rule. I want to thank the Chairman for joining with me in our letter to Carol Browner requesting that the Administration appeal this decision. As you know the deadline for the appeal is tomorrow.

It is imperative that the Clinton Administration appeal this decision. If they do not, then highway projects across the country could be in jeopardy, basically nullifying the TEA-21 Bill from last year. Last year's Transportation Bill was written with the current EPA rule in mind and I am confident that Congress would have addressed this issue if they had known the court would have come to this decision.

If the Clinton Administration fails to appeal this ruling then they must send Congress proposed legislation to address this problem. They can not ignore the problem and they can not adequately address the issue through administrative action.

The States and cities deserve and need a concrete national plan. If the court case is not overturned then legislation is both warranted and needed. Mr. Chairman, as the Clean Air Subcommittee Chair I welcome working with you on this issue and I hope the Administration will join us.