James Oberstar
Remembering Jim Oberstar, Architect of Federal Bike Funding Programs
Rep. Jim Oberstar died peacefully in his sleep early Saturday morning at the age of 79. He represented Minnesota's 8th Congressional district for 18 terms, from 1975 to 2011.
May 5, 2014
Lessons From the Former Chairman: Oberstar on Ending the Interstate Era
Streetsblog had a chance today to ask the former Democratic chief of the House Transportation Committee, Rep. James Oberstar of Minnesota, about life since the 2010 election, when he lost by a hair to Republican Chip Cravaack. He said he's spending his post-Congress time traveling to France, getting paid to say things he used to say for free, and telling his four kids and seven grandkids the story of his wife, who succombed to breast cancer 20 years ago.
October 14, 2011
And the Streetsies Go To…
Happy 2011! May this year bring peace, harmony, and a six-year transportation reauthorization.
January 3, 2011
House Passes Extension of Transportation Reauthorization
Remember those heady days in mid-2009, when Rep. Jim Oberstar (D-MN) introduced an ambitious, half-trillion dollar reauthorization that would transform the country’s infrastructure?
December 9, 2010
Oberstar’s Final Words of Wisdom
Outgoing Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chair Jim Oberstar (D-MN) just wrapped up a roundtable conversation with reporters. He looked back on his 36 years in Congress – starting in January 1963 as clerk of the the Rivers and Harbors Committee, which eventually morphed into the T & I Committee.
November 16, 2010
Eliminate Waste or Kill Good Projects? Earmark Ban Could Cut Both Ways
As the election news sunk in yesterday, President Obama sought common ground with the incoming Republican leadership. His olive branch: earmarks.
November 4, 2010
Oberstar Says Goodbye, Mica Promises Rail and a Long-Term Bill
Rep. Jim Oberstar said goodbye today after 36 years in the House, during which he helped pioneer federal support for biking and walking. "I go in peace of mind and heart, but with sadness," he said in his concession speech.
November 3, 2010
With Oberstar Gone, Who Will Lead the Democrats on T & I Committee?
Rep. Nick Rahall of West Virginia would be next in line to become ranking member in January, but he already chairs the Natural Resources Committee and it’s not clear he’d switch (setting off a chain of changes in that committee as well.) Rahall’s transportation priorities – for his own, very rural, district, at least – lean toward highway construction and expansion.
November 3, 2010
Election Results: GOP Govs Win Big, Dems Take California, Oberstar Ousted
The biggest news from last night, of course, is that the GOP won control of the House of Representatives. That means Republicans now control all the House committees, and Ohio's John Boehner -- a believer in wider highways -- will wield the Speaker's gavel. The Democrats hung on to the Senate, though, and pundits are forecasting two years of gridlock.
November 3, 2010
Election Day Finds Two Livability Champions on the Ropes
Rep. Jim Oberstar (D-MN) will likely lose his chairmanship of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, as control of the House is widely expected to shift to the Republicans after today's election. But Oberstar could also lose his seat in Congress.
November 2, 2010