112th Congress

Comcast is extending advanced technology services to the small unincorporated community in the hills east of St. Helena.

The U.S. Transportation Secretary visited the Port of West Sacramento Wednesday, calling it "well-managed."

"I think the investment we have made at this port is as good as anywhere in the country," secretary Ray LaHood said.

LaHood toured the port with Congressman Mike Thompson, D-St. Helena, as part of a visit to key transportation projects in Thompson's 1st District.

LaHood said the current administration has "paid a lot of attention to ports," adding ports are an "economic engine" and provide jobs.

On a tour of transportation projects in Northern California, LaHood spoke at the ceremonial ground-breaking for installation of new equipment which will allow pilots to land in bad weather.

"This particular project is important for one main reason and the word is safety," LaHood told about 35 Napa County and aviation officials on hand for the event.

The airport's current landing system uses only a localizer that provides pilots with horizontal guidance when landing, airport manager Martin Pehl said

The new Glidescope Antenna System will provide pilots with vertical guidance, Pehl said.

"This will provide a precision approach and allow landings in lower visibility," Pehl said.

LaHood did so during a Wednesday visit to the California Fuel Cell Partnership after riding a hydrogen-powered bus at the nearby Port of West Sacramento alongside Rep. Mike Thompson, D-St. Helena, and local officials.

The long-awaited Napa County Airport upgrade will break ground today with U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood and Rep. Mike Thompson, D-Napa, joining county officials and staff at the event.

The event is open to the public.

The upgrade will allow pilots to use their instruments to land in bad weather, they said.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood will join Thompson, D-St. Helena. According to a news release from Thompson's office, the congressman and LaHood will see firsthand how transportation investment has increased Northern California's economic competitiveness and examine where future project funding opportunities may exist.

Congressman Mike Thompson (D-Napa Valley) voted against legislation that would mandate a sweeping expansion of offshore drilling across the nation.

H.R. 1231, "Reversing President Obama's Offshore Moratorium Act," would automatically open the Southern California coast, the entire Atlantic coast, the Arctic Ocean, and Alaska's Bristol Bay for leasing. The bill could also potentially open up California's North Coast to drilling ­ even if the state objects to offshore drilling in the region.