the value i see in offshore wind technology in the eastern seaboard completely overcomes that problem and it can be built out incrementally at lower voltages that hook onto individual lines along the east coast so that we can build it out without the need for increasing the reliability, the potential reliability risk on the underlying transmission system so that while i think if we were to take the path of interconnecting 3,000 megawatts in a single point, that would be the problem that the chairman is referring to. but that offshore wind has the potential to be dispersed on a much more widespread geographic basis and potentially enhance the grid. >> would that solve your florida grid or from our perspective our new england problem? >> i'm not sure that it would, mr. chairman. >> could you explain why. >> i'm not sure it would, mr. chairman. ultimately, even though you may disperse the 3,000 megawatts over a number of locations, the issue is going to be the variability of that wind and the affect of that variability of reliability on that interconnect with respect to frequency and i h

terrorizing the eastern seaboard, john lannan here's austin kearns, zero for one, but been on base twice. >> a lot of guys think we should have taken two out of three with the rays. >> the nats could have swept the yankees. tuesday night's game they had the lead. kearns batting .1 ninety two, but on base up around .330. hit by a pitch and a walk. fastball up. 3-0. hits it well, but it's going to slice out of play. we saw jeremy in two scoreless innings friday night. he gets jammed. easy to hill for the first out. austin kearns is zero for his last 15, zimmerman zero for his last 16. a rough go today for the numbers three and five hitters. alberto gonzalez will be in there. looks like he's reaching for his groin. >> he's done. you can't pitch if you can't extend and land. you've got to be flexible and stretched out, and sometimes you go to just push off the mound, thinking well, i've done this tens of thousands of times, and that one time it gets you. that looks like brandon league. while he's doing that, we'll take a break. one out, bottom of the eighth at national park, blue jays lead i

and by doing that we can improve east-west traffic all over the eastern seaboard.we shouldn't be flying people 500 miles or less. we should put them on high-speed trains. now reabthern asked a very important question. -- now, ranking member thorn asked a very important question. what should be given priority? i suggest we create a national infrastructure bank staffed by professionals, not necessarily professionals all of them in transportation. it could be some former members of congress. some former secretaries of transportation. and rank projects on a cost benefit analysis, rank projects on priority, what they do for transporting people, how many people, the effect on climate change. an independent ranking system. because the public wants that. the public doesn't want transportation dollars authorized through the same old system. and certainly not for projects on this magnitude. and lastly, how are we going to pay for it? because $13 billion, as ranking member thorn said, it is a lot of money but it's just a drop in the bucket. how will we pay for high-speed rail

it was the first bond of union between the eastern seaboard states and the vast unsettled interior. it immediately became the conduit for people and manufactured goods headed west and raw materials and produce coming east. with new york city as the gateway for immigration from and commerce with europe. bacchanal was begun after much political popular and economic debate in 1817, completed 1825, cost $7 million, entirely funded by new york state at a time when the total capital in new york state was about $20 million. this logic cost seven. but that $7 million was entirely recovered by tolls on the canal within eight years. when tolls were abolished in 1882, total revenues were $121 million. total construction and maintenance costs including an enlargement completed just before the civil war was $80 million. for a profit, and a static profit of $41 million on a $7 million project. now, an argument could be made here in new york city today because of the erie canal. without it we might be living in philadelphia or alexandria, charleston, savanna or maybe even new orleans. if the erie

we believe that renewable resources in our state and along the eastern seaboard both onshore and offshore represent one of the nation's most promising and yet underdeveloped renewable sources of energy. while they currently exceed those offon shore installations, they're much closer to the load centers and in research and development efforts focused on reducing costs and improving reliability, promise to make offshore competive and distant and on shore wind farms on a delivered cost of basis. as regional on shore projects move forward and it moves into commercialization in the united states, they all must have the opportunity to compete on an even playing field with the on shore and more remote sources of renewable power and not be disadvantaged by up-front transmission subsidies. the threat that renewables would be unable to compete, in fact, has been taken very seriously in our region and beyond. a bipartisan group representing every coastal state from maine to virginia as well as vermont, recently joined together to raise these concerns in a letter to the committee chairman. central pl

. >> but on the eastern seaboard and the reason that i raise this issue at this hearing in the beginningof this season is that the predictions i have seen and the feeling about this season it is the storms have been so intense in the gulf coast. there is some sense that this is the east coast time and i just need to reinforce that and other people and minorities have not had a storm and a longtime. but there are some significant study is that show what will happen if there is and it is not a pretty picture. and in 1938 there was a major storm that hit long island and you can just understand and think about what the population was then but what it is today. 80 years plus later and i am asking you are you testifying that actually in that part of that highly urbanized area that they're virtually is no communication of people outside of your 911 if you want to record an emergency but in terms of where you could get a shelter, where you could get a voucher for a house, where you get a meal for your child that is basically the service that you provide. >> that is correct in your right, i think

shuttle to the rest heat and by doing that we could improve east/west air traffic along the eastern seaboard. we shouldn't fly people 500 miles or less, we should be putting them on high speed trains. ranking member thune asked a good question. how are we going to decide which of these projects, whether it is $13 million or 5 funded million dollars, how we decide which projects should be given priority? i suggest we create a national infrastructure bank staffed by professionals, not necessarily professionals, all of them in transportation, it could be members of congress. rank project on what they do for transporting people, the effect on climate change, all of those things, an independent ranking system because the public does not want transportation dollars authorized to the same old system and certainly not for project on this magnitude. how are we going to pay for it? $13 billion as ranking member thune said, is a lot of money but it is a drop in the bucket. how will be paid for a high-speed rail system in this country? 2 ways. recommend the congress consider using some of the money that

mix of both and i think it's important to understand that, and i know that new england and the eastern seaboard states are very interested in offshore wind and i support offshore wind, i think that's a great resource. we have to understand that they're not an island, either. they're interconnected to the entire eastern connect. for example, if we had offshore wind from rhode island, new jersey, new york, all the way up through new england, put in place, developed at say ten,000 megawatts of wind butt into the east coast. we could not simply as i understand it from my reliability engineers, simply interconnect it into the existing grid. we in fact, if we had that happen, and we had as little as perhaps 25 hundred or 3,000 megawatts of that go offline. we could black out florida. so we ultimately need to look at how to strengthen the entire interconnect, so that all the regions can meet the renewable goals and can do it with their local renewable resources and distant renewable resources, if necessary. >> thank you, mr. chairman. mr. halvey, i certainly appreciate your work toward the western reg

on the technical side it think it is important to understand, and i know new england and the eastern seaboard states are interested in offshore wind and the support of sure went. i think it is a great resourced but we have to understand they are not an island either. they are interconnected to the entire eastern interconnects so for example if we have offshore wind from rhode island, new jersey, new york all the way up through new england, put in place, developed at say ten gigawatts come up put into the east coast we could not simply as i understand from my reliability engineers simply interconnect and into the existing grid. we in fact, if we had that happen and we had as little as perhaps 2500 or 3,000 megawatts that go off line we could black out florida zoe altman leni to look at how to strengthen the entire interconnects so all the regions can meet the renewable goals and can do it with their local renewable resources and with distant renewable resources if necessary. >> thank you mr. chairman. feimster halvey i certainly appreciate your work toward the western region. understand that y

the value i see in offshore wind technology on the eastern seaboard completely overcomings that problems. it can be built out incrementally that hooks into the major lines of the energy center ace long the east coast. that so that it can be built out without increasing the need for the potential liability risk on the underlying transmission system. if we were to take the path of interconnecting 3,000 megawatts at a single point, that would be the problem that the chairman is referring to. but the offshore wind has potential to be disbursed on a much more wide geographic base. >> mr. wellhof, would that solve your florida problem, or from our perspective, the new england problem? >> i'm not sure it would, mr. chairman. >> could you explain why? >> ultimately, even though you may disburse the,000 megawatts over a number of locations, the issue is going to be the variability of the wind and the effect of that variability on reliability across the interconnect with respect to frequency. and i have actually directed a reliability division to commence a study that will look at this issue and

>> kentucky, south dakota, wyoming, the western states but on the eastern seaboard and the reason i raise this issue at this hearing in the beginning of the season is the production site seen or the feeling about the season because the storms have been so intense in the gulf coast there is some sense that this is the east coast time and i just need to reinforce i know people in the northeast haven't had a storm for a long time but there are some significant studies that show what will happen if there is, and it is not a pretty picture. and in 1938 there was a major storm that hit all my mind, and you can just understand and think about the population was and what it is today. 80 deer sophos -- 80 years plus later. and in that highly urbanized area they're virtually is no communication of people outside of your 911 if you want to report an emergency. but in terms where you can get shelter and where you could get a voucher for a house or a meal for your child, that is basically the surface that you provide. >> that is correct and you are right. it speaks to the urgency of this call in for 2