Dem Rep. Garamendi: Don’t Worry Too Much About Environmental Rules with MD Bridge, Can Build Quick When Needed

reporter And one man ░░░░░░░░ will be in the ░░░░░░░░ of it is California ░░░░░░░░ Congressman John Garamendi who ░░░░░░░░ on the Transportation Committee ░░░░░░░░ it s great to ░░░░░░░░ you I appreciate your ░░░░░░░░ back I keep hearing ░░░░░░░░ this is going to ░░░░░░░░ controversial that this is ░░░░░░░░ 2007 following the Minnesota ░░░░░░░░ collapse Is that true ░░░░░░░░ Well certainly the Congress ░░░░░░░░ the United States is ░░░░░░░░ total disarray There s ░░░░░░░░ doubt about it The ░░░░░░░░ really cannot do anything ░░░░░░░░ they always rely upon ░░░░░░░░ Democrats But I ll ░░░░░░░░ you this I think ░░░░░░░░ s going to be ░░░░░░░░ very very strong desire ░░░░░░░░ and Republican alike certainly ░░░░░░░░ Democrats to rebuild this ░░░░░░░░ But I don t ░░░░░░░░ it has to be ░░░░░░░░ taxpayer money This was ░░░░░░░░ accident that was caused ░░░░░░░░ a shipping company And ░░░░░░░░ is a liability that ░░░░░░░░ that they have and ░░░░░░░░ re going to have ░░░░░░░░ participate perhaps totally in ░░░░░░░░ cost of rebuilding what ░░░░░░░░ have destroyed And so ░░░░░░░░ let s first go ░░░░░░░░ the insurance side of ░░░░░░░░ and then we ll ░░░░░░░░ what s left over ░░░░░░░░ regard to the timing ░░░░░░░░ could take forever to ░░░░░░░░ it built But on ░░░░░░░░ other hand we can ░░░░░░░░ quickly if there is ░░░░░░░░ necessity to do so ░░░░░░░░ there is certainly a ░░░░░░░░ here The environmental issues ░░░░░░░░ should be secondary or ░░░░░░░░ not even considered as ░░░░░░░░ new bridge is designed ░░░░░░░░ built and maybe we ░░░░░░░░ t even need a ░░░░░░░░ design There are bridges ░░░░░░░░ are similar purpose to ░░░░░░░░ one We can take ░░░░░░░░ design out of an ░░░░░░░░ bridge that may have ░░░░░░░░ built in the last ░░░░░░░░ with modern standards So ░░░░░░░░ s get on with ░░░░░░░░ reporter You re no ░░░░░░░░ to the shipping industry ░░░░░░░░ You re not only ░░░░░░░░ the Transportation Committee but ░░░░░░░░ course you spent quite ░░░░░░░░ bit of time working ░░░░░░░░ Ocean Shipping Reform Implementation ░░░░░░░░ into law Does further ░░░░░░░░ follow this accident Is ░░░░░░░░ a matter of additional ░░░░░░░░ or simply holding this ░░░░░░░░ accountable GARAMENDI Well let ░░░░░░░░ figure out what actually ░░░░░░░░ the cause of all ░░░░░░░░ Clearly this accident was ░░░░░░░░ by this ship by ░░░░░░░░ who either owns the ░░░░░░░░ or has chartered the ░░░░░░░░ and the ship owner ░░░░░░░░ let s get that ░░░░░░░░ first With regard to ░░░░░░░░ regulations or requirements perhaps ░░░░░░░░ so But we don ░░░░░░░░ know the answer to ░░░░░░░░ question until we know ░░░░░░░░ was the problem Clearly ░░░░░░░░ ship seems to have ░░░░░░░░ I m not going ░░░░░░░░ speculate Let s figure ░░░░░░░░ what the problem was ░░░░░░░░ then we ll decide ░░░░░░░░ additional regulations The Coast ░░░░░░░░ is certainly first up ░░░░░░░░ order Murad and other ░░░░░░░░ will also have to ░░░░░░░░ in including possibly the ░░░░░░░░ of the United States ░░░░░░░░ One thing that s ░░░░░░░░ determined today by the ░░░░░░░░ secretary Congressman is that ░░░░░░░░ bridge was not designed ░░░░░░░░ withstand the impact of ░░░░░░░░ 200 million pound cargo ░░░░░░░░ This was not an ░░░░░░░░ failure This bridge was ░░░░░░░░ to code Do all ░░░░░░░░ now need to be ░░░░░░░░ at additional cost to ░░░░░░░░ a ship strike like ░░░░░░░░ even if it s ░░░░░░░░ that comes from operator ░░░░░░░░ GARAMENDI Well let me ░░░░░░░░ with responsibility here The ░░░░░░░░ for this accident the ░░░░░░░░ of it was the ░░░░░░░░ company the owner of ░░░░░░░░ ship and the charter ░░░░░░░░ the ship They have ░░░░░░░░ This may be a ░░░░░░░░ right there do they ░░░░░░░░ adequate insurance Well as ░░░░░░░░ former insurance commissioner that ░░░░░░░░ the starting point for ░░░░░░░░ entire discussion The taxpayers ░░░░░░░░ in secondarily here But ░░░░░░░░ the first responsibility is ░░░░░░░░ insurance company probably Lloyd ░░░░░░░░ of London that holds ░░░░░░░░ insurance policy and then ░░░░░░░░ company and the owner ░░░░░░░░ the ship also That ░░░░░░░░ the first thing Should ░░░░░░░░ be better protection for ░░░░░░░░ structures The answer is ░░░░░░░░ yes and that s ░░░░░░░░ that we ll have ░░░░░░░░ consider as we look ░░░░░░░░ existing bridges I know ░░░░░░░░ first question that came ░░░░░░░░ my wife and I ░░░░░░░░ we were looking at ░░░░░░░░ yesterday is well what ░░░░░░░░ this happened in San ░░░░░░░░ What if somebody were ░░░░░░░░ take out the Bay ░░░░░░░░ the Oakland the San ░░░░░░░░ Bay Bridge the Golden ░░░░░░░░ Bridge What would that ░░░░░░░░ Well that would shut ░░░░░░░░ that entire area also ░░░░░░░░ we need to look ░░░░░░░░ the safety precautions these ░░░░░░░░ the fenders or the ░░░░░░░░ that protect the critical ░░░░░░░░ for the bridge reporter ░░░░░░░░ that something that your ░░░░░░░░ Committee will work on ░░░░░░░░ I suspect that would ░░░░░░░░ legislation to implement regulations ░░░░░░░░ that Would your Republican ░░░░░░░░ sign on to additional ░░░░░░░░ GARAMENDI I would hope ░░░░░░░░ I think what we ░░░░░░░░ looking at here is ░░░░░░░░ use of the infrastructure ░░░░░░░░ We have two bridge ░░░░░░░░ in the Infrastructure and ░░░░░░░░ Act One bridge program ░░░░░░░░ an ongoing program about ░░░░░░░░ to 600 million a ░░░░░░░░ grant programs around the ░░░░░░░░ for all the bridges ░░░░░░░░ the nation Then there ░░░░░░░░ the mega bridge program ░░░░░░░░ very very large projects ░░░░░░░░ this is one I ░░░░░░░░ that there are a ░░░░░░░░ of others around the ░░░░░░░░ The tunnel underneath the ░░░░░░░░ River in New York ░░░░░░░░ Jersey that s a ░░░░░░░░ project specifically done not ░░░░░░░░ bridge but a mega ░░░░░░░░ There are a couple ░░░░░░░░ other mega bridge projects ░░░░░░░░ have already been allocated ░░░░░░░░ may be that the ░░░░░░░░ money beyond insurance necessary ░░░░░░░░ this project could come ░░░░░░░░ the mega bridge or ░░░░░░░░ the normal bridge grant ░░░░░░░░ And that s where ░░░░░░░░ might see the owners ░░░░░░░░ bridges for example the ░░░░░░░░ Gate Bridge Authority in ░░░░░░░░ may want to seek ░░░░░░░░ additional money from the ░░░░░░░░ government as well as ░░░░░░░░ own money to build ░░░░░░░░ better fender around the ░░░░░░░░ foundation reporter Can we ░░░░░░░░ be clear congressman we ░░░░░░░░ out of time but ░░░░░░░░ you tell our viewers ░░░░░░░░ listeners that the Golden ░░░░░░░░ Bridge could withstand a ░░░░░░░░ from a ship like ░░░░░░░░ or could not GARAMENDI ░░░░░░░░ don t know But ░░░░░░░░ m absolutely certain that ░░░░░░░░ Golden Gate Bridge Authority ░░░░░░░░ asking themselves that question ░░░░░░░░ I would suspect that ░░░░░░░░ other bridge owner is ░░░░░░░░ asking a question just ░░░░░░░░ that.”