Congressman Oberstar on Transportation Appropriations

Congressman Oberstar at Pro Walk-Pro Bike-4.jpg
Originally uploaded by BikePortland.org

Congressman James Oberstar from Minnesota is the chair of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee in the U.S. House of Representatives. Froggie sends us notice of this entry, "Oberstar at the pinnacle: Minnesota congressman expects to put his imprint on the recovery — and on America's livability" from the MinnPost online newspaper.

From the piece:

Everyone wants Oberstar's ear: road contractors, shipping companies, airlines, state officials, environmentalists, unions, manufacturers, traffic engineers, realtors and urban designers all have ideas for how best to spend the public's money.

Asked to summarize what he hopes to accomplish in the new transportation law, Oberstar said, "It comes down to one word: livability."

Seeking more efficiency in moving people, goods

The nation, he said, needs to reconfigure its transportation and land uses in ways that provide more efficiency in moving people and goods, more opportunity to compete for global prosperity, and more chances for people to live healthy, convenient lives that are more compatible with nature.

Minnesota Congressman Jim Oberstar gave the closing address at the 2008 Pro Walk/Pro Bike conference in Seattle. Image from BikePortland.org