WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Tony Gonzales (TX-23) addressed road safety issues in West Texas with U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Secretary Sean Duffy during a House Appropriations Committee Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development hearing. In the U.S. House of Representatives, Congressman Gonzales is working on advancing funding for the Pecos East Relief Route, also known as the Pecos Loop, a critical infrastructure project that strengthens road safety and supports the continued growth of the oil and gas industry.
Congressman Gonzales: “One of my counties—Reeves County—produces more natural gas than anywhere else in the country. And in that area, the infrastructure is just completely worn down. There is a highway from Reeves to Loving County that we call ‘Death Highway.’ And if you’ve ever been on that highway, you know why it’s called Death Highway. When I’m on there, I’m telling my team, ‘Put your phones down—ten and two.’ It’s a very scary situation. We’ve talked about energy independence. My question is: what does infrastructure near critical resources, like oil and gas industries, fall in your priority list?”
DOT Secretary Duffy: “The President cares about oil and gas and making sure we’re leading the world, and if we have extra to be able to export, especially LNG. But one of the problems I think we have is that up to 40% of the money that’s spent…on these projects goes to consultants and permitting. If we could get that to 15%, that means you guys all get to build more projects. We get more grant money out the door. I think we do have to spend smarter and spend better. Again, that doesn’t mean we don’t do things right. You say, ‘Hey, should we look out for the environment? Should we look out for the right permits?’ Of course. But we can do that with less money. The consultant class that has built up almost seems to be bigger than the construction class around these projects. So that’s—we’re looking at permitting reform right now. How can we delegate more authority to states to do some of the work? Because we think they can move faster and more efficiently than the federal government.”
Congressman Gonzales: “I bring that up because oftentimes rural America gets forgotten in this equation, one, when they produce a lot of these very critical resources. I met with a woman there in Pecos County who—her number one ask—she said, ‘Tony, my son is terrified to start driving. He’s 15 years old.’ It’s a reasonable ask to have our children not be terrified to drive on our highways.”