Seismic testing is the first step in the direction of opening up the Atlantic Coast to oil drilling.

I strongly oppose the plan to move forward with seismic testing in the Atlantic Ocean.

that is a sign, is it not, of success, that now the oil industry is viewing the Gulf of Mexico has a place where they want to drill.

the Democrat-controlled House passed that legislation that would have effectuated those kinds of reforms.

there have been attempts in Congress to pass that sort of legislation. Unfortunately, they have been stymied for various reasons.

It is time to debate the other pieces of a real energy plan that benefit all American consumers and our economy.

We need a plan to end excessive Wall Street speculation in oil markets.

We did not pass that legislation, either.

Again, none of that has happened.

creating a dedicated funding stream paid for by the oil industry for offshore regulators, that area has been woefully funded, historically.

I really call on the Department to earnestly listen to the concerns and opposition.

The time and resources that the Department of the Interior is allocating to seismic testing could be better used on higher priorities.

Mr. President, I rise to express deep disappointment in the vote that just took place a few hours ago where our Republican colleagues voted to filibuster our efforts to make sure student loans in this country do not double from 3.4 percent…

Mr. Chairman, there's a lot of talk here in Washington about the need to cut our budget deficits; and while that is certainly true, we also need to be talking about another deficit, and that's our country's trade deficit. Last year, the…

I rise to offer an amendment on this paragraph. The CHAIR. The Clerk will report the amendment. The Clerk read as follows: Page 3, line 10, after the dollar amount, insert ``(increased by $9,000,000)''. Page 65, line 1, after the dollar…

Madam President, I am speaking today on the need to Stop the Student Loan Interest Rate Hike Act of 2012. It is obvious how hard it is to pay for college these days. It is not just hard for poor people--and we have some programs that help…

Without the Corps performing the certifications, how is the process working in your respective States?

I just do not understand why this is something that cannot be accomplished based upon the nature of this legislation, its importance, its value to the country, and its bipartisan support.