There is great opportunity and State and local support for Federal help in protecting one of the mid-Atlantic's most precious and valuable natural resources.

It is very difficult to say we are going to hold you accountable but we won't give you the confirmed positions in order to do the work you need to do.

I look forward to hearing your testimony and answers to our questions.

I haven't heard from a single constituent who believes that the U.S. Senate is moving too quickly on anything.

Until recently, the wetlands at the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge in my home State, and wetlands in the home State of the Ranking Member, were threatened by nutria.

I think that it would be a good thing if we got deeply into the debate over broad tax reform in a context that helps deal with our long-term fiscal challenges.

There are ways to continue the objectives of the Endangered Species Act that would be less time consuming, less litigious, less burdensome.

I think this is something that can be worked out on a bipartisan basis, and doesn't need to be one side of the aisle, and doesn't need to be contentious.

I have been on the committee 27 years now, as of a few weeks from now.

We just have to have the will to get it done. And we will get it done.

Why don't we want to give the President any credit?

It seems like this President gets no credit for anything. Nothing. Zilch.

We have got to work these things out in a way that is a more general ecosystem-based approach to management.

I am a strong supporter of the Renewable Fuel Standards. It is important for energy security, for our environmental concerns.

I have serious concerns about our current program.

My view is that good policy is what we need to do and that the failure to enact good policy builds a pressure for more extreme results that could be damaging to our overall objective on the Renewable Fuel Standards.

So, therefore, we need to change the statute if we want to protect food security in this country.

We think it is important to find ways to reduce the amount of corn ethanol that is blended into gasoline.