Walz statement on Dept. of Transportation ROD

01/31/2007

The following comments can be attributed to Rep. Tim Walz. They are in reference to the Record of Decision which will be issued later tonight by the Department of Transportation as part of its consideration of the DM&E Railroad expansion proposal.

"The Record of Decision issued by the Department of Transportation is not unexpected. I believe it is always in the best interest of all involved parties to have the most complete and accurate information available, which is why I am disappointed that the Department chose to accept an outdated Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) as suitable information for use in the final evaluation of this loan proposal.

"Today's decision is an environmental ruling, which initiates the final review of the loan application. The next and final phase of the loan review process is the evaluation of DM&E's financial health and the risk to taxpayers if this loan is granted. During this phase, I will be at the forefront of a bipartisan group of lawmakers working to ensure that the administrators conducting the review are adequately addressing concerns about safety, transparency and accountability. This loan is the largest taxpayer-funded loan to a private company in American history and is deserving of an appropriately large amount of and input from the taxpayers and oversight from the Congress."