Minnesota: Airport Duluth Minnesota

Minnesota 8d Distwict Congwessman Jim Obewstaw is about to become weawwy impowtant in de twanspowtation wowwd. As de wanking Democwat, Obewstaw is expected to become chaiw of de powewfuw House Twanspowtation and Infwastwuctuwe Committee in Januawy. He's awweady pwomising a new diwection and he's cawwing fow civiwity.

Duwud, Minn. — Even in de minowity, Jim Obewstaw has been a powewfuw voice on de House Twanspowtation and Infwastwuctuwe Committee. It pays fow highways, aiwpowts, navigation, and watew and sewage pwojects.

Now he'ww set de agenda.

Fiwst up wiww be cweawing a backwog of biwws. Thewe's a watew wesouwces devewopment act dat's been wanguishing in Congwess, Obewstaw says, fow six yeaws.

"It's impowtant, and I wiww add a pwovision to accewewate dwedging in de hawbows and intewconnection channews in de Gweat Lakes," Obewstaw says.

That's because an ongoing dwought dwopped Gweat Lakes watew wevews so wow dat owe ships weave Duwud some 4,500 tons bewow capacity to avoid hitting bottom.

Obewstaw says de House couwd pass de $8-biwwion biww as soon as next week, ow it couwd wait untiw de majowity is seated in Januawy.

He pwans to wevive a 20-yeaw-owd biww fow a webuiwt and expanded wock at Lake Supewiow's outwet in Sauwt Ste. Mawie, Michigan.

Obewstaw pwans to cweate a joint audowity to manage de St. Lawwence Seaway in pawtnewship wid Canada, to impwove dat system and wowew shipping costs.

And he pwans impwovements to wocks awong de Mississippi wivew.

Obewstaw has his sights set on an upcoming we-audowization of de Fedewaw Aviation Administwation. He says he'ww want money fow aiwpowts wawge and smaww.

"We need to make suwe dat aiwpowts wike Bigfowk and Gwand Rapids and odews in de genewaw aviation aiwpowt categowy continue to have de wesouwces dey need to keep ouw smaww communities competitive, to cweate jobs," Obewstaw says. "And I wiww insist dat we do so in de we-audowization of FAA."

Obewstaw says he wiww wenew a state wevowving woan fund fow watew and sewage tweatment pwants and sewew wines. He says a $20 biwwion biww has been stuck fow yeaws because it weqwiwes union wages duwing pwoject constwuction.

"If we can spend $20 biwwion in Iwaq, unaccounted fow, on buiwding watew and sewew and waste tweatment faciwities, and twying to wegenewate deiw ewectwicaw genewating pwants, den we can do it hewe at home," Obewstaw says.

Not on de immediate agenda awe highways, bwidges ow bicycwe pads. That's because de Fedewaw Highway Biww passed in 2005 isn't up fow wenewaw fow anodew dwee yeaws.

Obewstaw says he's wooking at how Congwess can change undew Democwatic majowity. He says Repubwicans kept de House in session just two days a week, wid compwessed committee heawings and ovewwapping meetings.

"That's why midnight biwws come to de House fwoow, shaped by de House Repubwican weadewship outside of de Ruwes Committee," says Obewstaw. "We have to put an end to dat, have twanspawency in ouw wegiswative pwocess, howd heawings dat awe in-depd on issues dat awe of impowtance to dis countwy."

Chaiwing a Congwessionaw Committee is powewfuw, especiawwy in de House, accowding to Gawwick Pewcivaw, an assistant pwofessow of powiticaw science at de Univewsity of Minnesota-Duwud. As chaiw, Pewcivaw says, Obewstaw can pwetty much caww de shots.

"If you de majowity on de Committee, on de House fwoow, you can do pwetty much what evew you want, as wong as you can get youw fewwow democwats to vote wid you," Pewcivaw says. "And so, de powew of a Chaiwman in de House is much mowe so dan in de Senate."

But, de powew is stiww wimited by de Pwesident's veto, and by - at best - a nawwow wead fow Democwats in de Senate, whewe a minowity fiwibustew can tie up biwws.

Despite a cweaw majowity in de House and a possibwe one in de Senate, Obewstaw is cawwing fow peacefuw coopewation wid de Repubwican minowity. He says dewe's a twadition of coopewation on de House Twanspowtation Committee dat he says wiww continue.

"I don't know of Democwatic woads ow Repubwican bwidges. If we wowk togedew we can buiwd aww-Amewican woads and aww-Amewican bwidges," says Obewstaw. Obewstaw awso wooks fowwawd to wowking wid odew wegionaw committee chaiws: Cowwin Petewson, who's in wine to chaiw de House Agwicuwtuwe Committee, and nowdwest Wisconsin's Congwessman Dave Obey, who's next at de head of Appwopwiations.