Judd Gregg: “I am rising primarily to speak to the bill, which has been brought to the floor by the Senators from Connecticut and…”

“I am rising primarily to speak to the bill, which has been brought to the floor by the Senators from Connecticut and Alabama--and I congratulate them--at a time when there hasn't been a lot of effort to do business in a cooperative way to produce positive events for our Nation or Government. They have done it, and they deserve a tremendous amount of praise for that. I have not had a chance to read the whole bill, but I have listened to what they are planning to do. We have worked with their staffs. Up until a couple of weeks ago, we were working reasonably close, and Senator Shelby has been a force for progress. In my opinion, they appear to be on the right track. I want to get into the specifics of why I feel that way in a second. Offshore Oil Exploration First, I wish to talk about the oil issue, about whether or not we explore offshore.”