Transportation

Transportation systems have long been the vital, life-sustaining arteries of commerce and economic activity of great nations.  From the trade routes of the ancient civilizations to the space superhighways of today, accessibility has been and will continue to be a defining element for progress and prosperity, particularly for rural areas like West Texas and the Big Country.  More recently, the interstate highway system in the United States has been a notable catalyst for expansion and economic development.

Today Americans are spending more time on the roads and less time in their homes with their families, which is why we need to create more opportunities to provide safer and less congested roadways that American taxpayers deserve.  Although I will not be sponsoring district requests, I will be working closely with leaders in the 19th Congressional District, as well as members of the Texas delegation, as Congress considers the Surface Transportation Reauthorization Bill this year.  We must work together in a bipartisan basis with our state and local partners to set responsible priorities to enhance Texas roadways and make efficient use of limited transportation dollars.

Currently, Texas is what’s known as a “donor state”, which means that because of today’s formula, Texans contribute more in gasoline taxes to the federal Highway Trust Fund than they receive back in federal funding for highways.  This is because other states with decreased populations of drivers who contribute to the gas tax rely on states like Texas to subsidize their transportation needs.  This is unfair and I will continue to support legislation that addresses this problem.

Americans also deserve a safe air space.  In recent years, low-flying aviators have been facing an increased threat of man-made obstructions that are difficult to see and avoid.  In the past eight years, there have been a number of pilot fatalities caused by collisions with unlit and unmarked guy-wire and freestanding towers at low altitudes.  Affected pilots include Emergency Medical Services, firefighters, agricultural aviators, fish and wildlife service aircraft, mosquito control and many others.  That is why I authored an amendment to the FAA Reauthorization Bill, which the House passed on April 1, 2011, which would direct the FAA Administrator to conduct a feasibility study on the development of an internet-based public resource that would list the exact height, longitude, and latitude of potential low-altitude aviation obstructions.