As Congress looks to quickly spend $85 billion to upgrade the country’s aging infrastructure and (hopefully) jumpstart the economy, Rep. Jim Oberstar is at the center of the fray. The powerful chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee is taking the lead in determining which projects are ready to roll and deserving of federal dollars.

In a discussion with The Hill this week about the stimulus package, Oberstar dismissed concerns that the rapid outlay of dollars would lead to waste and abuse. “My approach is to learn the lessons of the past, and the most important lesson I’ve learned is to make sure you’ve got accountability and transparency,” Oberstar told the publication.

The 18-term Democrat said the required engineering work and environmental studies have been or will be completed before any of the money for the transportation infrastructure projects is distributed. “All that’s missing is the money and the authorization to advertise and award bids and begin putting people to work,” said Oberstar.