Press Releases
In New Letter, Chair DeFazio Demands Information from EPA Administrator About Trump Administration Effort to Allow More Untreated Sewage Into Local Rivers and Waterways
July 30, 2019Washington, D.C. - Today, Chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Peter DeFazio (D-OR) officially requested that the Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Andrew Wheeler, provide records and analysis linked to the Trump administration's effort to potentially allow sewage treatment plants to bypass legally required wastewater treatment and instead discharge inadequately treated sewage into waterways, through a process known as "blending." In … Continue Reading
Chair DeFazio Presses EPA on Its Decision to Limit States Rights Within the Clean Water Act
July 30, 2019Washington, D.C. -Today, Chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Peter DeFazio (D-OR) sent a letter to the Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Andrew Wheeler, requesting that information be provided to the Committee on impacts and changes made to Section 401 of the Clean Water Act (CWA), which manages states' roles in implementing water quality standards. Section 401 of the Clean Water Act gives states oversight responsibility for any … Continue Reading
Chair DeFazio Statement from Hearing on School Bus Safety
July 25, 2019Washington, D.C. - The following are opening remarks, as prepared for delivery, from Chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Peter DeFazio (D-OR) during today's hearing titled: "Examining the Federal Role in Improving School Bus Safety." Chair DeFazio: Thank you, Madam Chair, for holding this important hearing. Ensuring the safe transportation of passengers is a critical responsibility of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. I can't think of a more … Continue Reading
House Overwhelmingly Approves Bipartisan Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2019
July 24, 2019Washington, DC - Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed bipartisan legislation to reauthorize, strengthen, and support the United States Coast Guard in its critical missions to save lives, safeguard our shores, protect the marine environment, and help ensure a 21st century maritime transportation system for America. The bill now moves to the Senate. "I am pleased that the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee was again able to come together to find common ground in support of … Continue Reading
Chairs DeFazio, Norton Announce Highways and Transit Subcommittee Hearing on School Bus Safety
July 19, 2019Washington, DC- Today, Chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Peter DeFazio (D-OR), and Chair of the Subcommittee on Highways and Transit Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), announced the Subcommittee will hold a hearing titled, "Examining the Federal Role in Improving School Bus Safety." The purpose of this hearing is to evaluate current school bus safety measures and to determine whether additional Federal safety requirements are warranted. The Subcommittee will hear … Continue Reading
Chairs DeFazio and Lipinski Announce Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials Subcommittee Roundtable on Railroad Shippers
July 19, 2019Washington, DC- Today, Chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Peter DeFazio (D-OR), and Chair of the Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials Daniel Lipinski (D-IL) announced the Subcommittee will hold a roundtable on railroad shippers. The purpose of this roundtable is to learn from railroad shippers about the challenges they face in moving commodities by rail. More information about the roundtable, including a live webcast, can be found here … Continue Reading
Chairs DeFazio, Larsen Statements from Hearing on “State of Aviation Safety”
July 17, 2019Washington, D.C. - The following are opening remarks, as prepared for delivery, from Chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Peter DeFazio (D-OR), and Chair of the Subcommittee on Aviation Rick Larsen (D-WA) during today's hearing titled: "State of Aviation Safety." Chair DeFazio: Thank you, Chair Larsen, for calling today's hearing on aviation safety. Ensuring the safety of our nation's transportation systems is the most important job of this Committee, and today … Continue Reading
Chairs DeFazio, Napolitano React to EPA’s WOTUS Repeal Rule Reaching the White House
July 16, 2019Washington, D.C. - Today, Chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Peter DeFazio (D-OR) and Chair of the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment Grace F. Napolitano (D-CA) reacted to news that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has sent its final rule to repeal the Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule to the White House for review. "It is absolutely outrageous that the Trump administration is pushing ahead with a gift to special interests by … Continue Reading
New Committee Analysis of Capital Investment Grant Program Shows Project Approval Time More Than Doubled Under Trump Administration, Costing Transit Agencies Hundreds of Millions of Dollars
July 16, 2019Because of slow-moving approval process since 2017, analysis shows local governments scrambled to make up at least $845 million in extra costs unnecessarily caused by Federal Transit Administration Chair DeFazio: "These findings should be a wake-up call to FTA, the Department of Transportation and the White House that it must drop its hostility toward transit and follow the law" Washington, DC- Today, Chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Peter DeFazio (D-OR) … Continue Reading
Chair DeFazio Statement from Hearing on Capital Investment Grants
July 16, 2019Washington, D.C. - The following are opening remarks, as prepared for delivery, from Chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Peter DeFazio (D-OR) during today's hearing titled: "Oversight of the Federal Transit Administration's Implementation of the Capital Investment Grant Program." Chair DeFazio: Since the election in 2016, I have been cautiously optimistic that the President and Congress could really work together and invest in the rebuilding of America. … Continue Reading
Chair DeFazio Lays Out Infrastructure Priorities at the United States Conference of Mayors
July 15, 2019Honolulu, HI- Chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Peter DeFazio (D-OR) addressed an audience of over 1,400 at the United States Conference of Mayors in June. His speech included the Committee's plans to improve the Nation's crumbling and overburdened infrastructure, including that of roads, bridges, transit and water systems, and airports. A full transcript of Chair DeFazio's speech is below. Video is here. Good afternoon, thanks for being here. I just … Continue Reading
Chairs DeFazio, Larsen Announce Aviation Subcommittee Hearing on Safety
July 12, 2019Washington, DC- Today, Chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Peter DeFazio (D-OR) and Chair of the Subcommittee on Aviation Rick Larsen (D-WA) announced the Subcommittee will hold a hearing titled "State of Aviation Safety." The hearing will gather government and stakeholder perspectives on the state of aviation safety, including identifying current challenges facing the aviation system and actions needed to maintain and ensure the safety of the traveling … Continue Reading
Subcommittee on Highways and Transit to Hold Hearing on Capital Investment Grants
July 12, 2019Washington, DC- Today, Chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Peter DeFazio (D-OR), and Chair of the Subcommittee on Highways and Transit Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), announced the Subcommittee will hold a hearing titled, "Oversight of the Federal Transit Administration's Implementation of the Capital Investment Grant Program." The purpose of this hearing is to examine the how the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) is implementing the Capital Investment Grant … Continue Reading
Chairs DeFazio, Larsen, Vice Chair Davids, Ranking Member Davis, Rep. Ferguson Introduce Bipartisan Fair and Open Skies Act
July 10, 2019Washington, DC- Today, Chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Peter DeFazio (D-OR), Chair of the Subcommittee on Aviation Rick Larsen (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Subcommittee on Aviation Sharice Davids (D-KS), Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Highways and Transit Rodney Davis (R-IL), and Congressman Drew Ferguson (R-GA) introduced bipartisan legislation to prohibit the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) from issuing a foreign air carrier permit for U.S. … Continue Reading
Chairs DeFazio, Napolitano Statements from Hearing on Water Resources Development Acts
July 10, 2019Washington, D.C. - The following are opening remarks, as prepared for delivery, from Chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Peter DeFazio (D-OR), and Chair of the Subcommittee on Water Resource and Environment Grace F. Napolitano (D-CA) during today's hearing titled: "Water Resources Development Acts: Status of Implementation And Assessing Future Needs." Chair DeFazio: For nearly 200 years, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) has played a central role in … Continue Reading
Democratic Chairs Issue Statement on DOJ Inspector General Launching Investigation into FBI Headquarters Relocation Plan
July 03, 2019Washington, D.C. (July 3, 2019)-Today, the Chairs of four House Committees and Subcommittees issued the following statement in response to the announcement by the Department of Justice (DOJ) Inspector General (IG) that it has opened a new investigation into the Trump Administration's abrupt decision to abandon the long-planned project to move the headquarters of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) from its current site in Washington, D.C. to a suburban location and instead pursue a more … Continue Reading
Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment to Hold Hearing on Water Resources Development Acts
July 03, 2019Washington, DC- Today, Chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Peter DeFazio (D-OR), and Chair of the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment Grace F. Napolitano (D-CA), announced the Subcommittee will hold a hearing titled, "Water Resources Development Acts: Status of Implementation And Assessing Future Needs." The purpose of this hearing is to provide Members with an opportunity to review the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' implementation of the most recent … Continue Reading
Committee Leaders Express Concerns over FAA Remote ID Rule Delay
July 02, 2019Washington, DC - Today, Chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Peter DeFazio (D-OR), Ranking Member Sam Graves (R-MO), Chair of the Aviation Subcommittee Rick Larsen (D-WA), and Ranking Member Garret Graves (R-LA) sent a letter to Secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Elaine Chao, Acting Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Daniel Elwell, and Acting Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Russell Vought … Continue Reading
After Request from Chair DeFazio and Others, New GAO Study Confirms Trains Are Getting Longer and Will Likely Continue to Increase in Length in Coming Years
July 01, 2019GAO study released today finds trains now run three miles long on some routes Washington, DC - Today, a group of House lawmakers, led by Chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Peter DeFazio (D-OR) and Chair of the Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials Daniel Lipinski (D-IL), announced the results of a Government Accountability Office (GAO) study on the impact of train lengths. The study showed that while the average train length has … Continue Reading
As Trump Administration Attempts to Fast-Track Authorization to Move LNG by Rail Tank Car, Chair DeFazio, Rep. Malinowski Call on PHMSA to Disclose Risks to Public and Extend Public Comment Period
June 28, 2019Washington, DC - Today, Chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Peter DeFazio (D-OR), and Representative Tom Malinowski (D-NJ) sent a letter to the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) requesting the agency extend its public comment period for at least an additional 30 days on the special permit it is considering that would allow the movement of liquefied natural gas (LNG) by rail in Florida. Currently, the Department of Transportation … Continue Reading