July 13, 2007

National Transportation Safety Board and the Big Dig

On Tuesday, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) released the results of their investigation into the tragic accident in Boston's Central Artery/Tunnel (CA/T) that took the life of Milena Del Valle.

The NTSB concluded that the ceiling collapsed due to the type of epoxy used and the way it weakened over time. I think it is clear that if regular inspections of the tunnel had occurred, the long-term issues surrounding the use of "fast-set" epoxy and the problem of "creep", which resulted in gradual bolt slippage over time, would have been identified and likely addressed before the ceiling panel collapse.

You may recall that in January of 2007 I filed legislation to create a nationwide highway tunnel inspection program. My legislation simply takes the Nationwide Bridge Inspection Program and adds highway tunnels. Under this proposal, the Secretary of Transportation will establish minimum inspection requirements for tunnels, including the maximum amount of time permitted between inspections and the manner in which inspections will be carried out. The NTSB recommended this week that such a program be established and I will work with my colleagues on the Transportation Committee to advance my legislation.

Recent Votes

On Tuesday the House considered H.R. 2669: the College Cost Reduction Act of 2007. This legislation will help to make college more affordable by reducing interest rates on subsidized student loans by half over the next five years. It expands Pell Grant eligibility and increases the maximum Pell Grant scholarship by at least $500 over the next five years. H.R. 2669 represents a significant commitment to making education more affordable and does so without any additional cost to the government by reducing the subsidies that the federal government pays to private student loan lenders. I voted YES. H.R. 2669 passed in the House and the entire vote is recorded below:.

On Thursday the House considered H.R. 2956: the Responsible Redeployment from Iraq Act. Democrats continue the push to end this war and start bringing our men and women in uniform home. H.R. 2956 is another step in that process. It stipulates that troop redeployment begin within 120 days of enactment and be completed by April 1, 2008. The bill also requires the President to present Congress with a comprehensive strategy for Iraq by January 1, 2008 and submit regular progress reports every ninety days after that.

As regular readers of my e-update know, this legislation does not go far enough for me. I am looking for troop withdrawal to begin as soon as safely practical and an end to the war in Iraq. In May I had an opportunity to vote for this course of action, but there were not enough votes in the House to pass it. However, concern over the President's policies in Iraq continues to grow and we are slowly gaining votes. Although this bill does not accomplish everything I would like, I voted for it because it represents the best chance, at least today, of changing course in Iraq. H.R. 2956 passed in the House and the entire vote is recorded below:

On Thursday the House also considered H.R. 1851: Section 8 Voucher Reform Act of 2007. This legislation reauthorizes the Section 8 housing program through FY 2012. The bill makes a number of changes to the voucher and public housing programs to expand rental assistance opportunities, improve program efficiencies, and encourage family self-sufficiency. It adds 20,000 new incremental vouchers in each of the next 5 years so that more eligible families have access to affordable housing and allows vouchers to be used as down payment on a first time home purchase. I voted YES. H.R. 1851 passed in the House and the entire vote is recorded below:

What's Up Next

Next week the House is expected to continue consideration of FY 2008 Appropriations bills.