Sen. Carper Assumes Chairmanship of the EPW Transportation & Infrastructure Subcommittee

WASHINGTON – Today Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.) made the following statement after he assumed chairmanship of the Environment & Public Works’ Subcommittee on Transportation and Infrastructure and stepped down from chairing the Subcommittee on Clean Air and Nuclear Safety:

“This change in my duties on the Environment and Public Works Committee is bittersweet. I am sad to leave the chairmanship of the Clean Air and Nucelar Safety Subcommittee as the issues before it are near to my heart and the citizens of Delaware, and look forward to continuing to serve as an active member of this important subcommittee. At the same time, I am thrilled to be taking on the new responsibility of chairing the transportation subcommittee at a particularly challenging time for the federal transportation program.

“As our country continues to grow and our infrastructure ages, falling gas tax revenues are no longer able to support the many demands on our transportation system including our need to reduce congestion while moving freight and helping people get where they need to go affordably and efficiently. States and cities across the country – red and blue, urban and rural – are doing their part by raising revenues to invest in innovative transportation projects. In Congress we need to do our part to support this partnership by finding solutions to return the Highway Trust Fund to solvency, while at the same time evaluating promising new policies to address transportation challenges more efficiently and cost-effectively. From this new position on the Environment and Public Works Committee, along with my position on the Senate Finance Committee, I am eager to continue to work closely with my colleagues and transportation stakeholders to address these challenges.”