Congressman Jim Oberstar (D-MN) will receive the Seventh
Annual Waterways Council, Inc.
Leadership Service Award on February 27, 2008, at 6 p.m. at the
Willard Hotel, Washington, DC. Representative Oberstar will be honored for his steadfast commitment to the improvement of the Nation’s ports and commercial inland waterways system over his many years in Congress. Past recipients of the award include Senator Robert C. Byrd (2007); Representative David Hobson (2006); Representative Jerry Costello and Representative John Duncan, Jr. (2005); Senator Kit Bond (2004); Senator John Breaux (2003), and Representative Sonny Callahan (2002).
Congressman Oberstar is Chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, which has jurisdiction over all of America's transportation modes, including surface transportation, aviation, and waterways.
Long a champion for infrastructure improvements for the Nation, among Chairman Oberstar’s successes was the veto override of the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA), which became law in November 2007. WRDA authorizes projects that impact waterborne commerce on the nation’s rivers and coasts and funds critical habitat restoration projects and environmental projects.