Barbara Boxer: “I have been a long time supporter of CARA--the Conservation and Reinvestment Act. The concept behind CARA was a…”

“I have been a long time supporter of CARA--the Conservation and Reinvestment Act. The concept behind CARA was a visionary one--to take revenues generated from the extraction of offshore oil and gas resources and reinvest them permanently and automatically in our nation's invaluable wildlife, coastal, and public land resources. The CARA proposal that was developed in a cooperative, bipartisan way by the Senate Energy Committee offered an opportunity for this Congress to make an historic contribution to conservation and to truly leave behind a legacy that we could be proud of and from which our children would benefit. Instead, we are faced with a situation in which this overwhelmingly popular bill will never be considered on the Senate floor. The House passed its version of CARA back in May by an overwhelming vote of 315 to 102; it was a vote that brought in supporters from across the political spectrum and around the country. More recently, a letter signed by 63 Senators was sent to the Senate leadership requesting that CARA be brought to the floor. Yet the Republican leadership has refused to let this bill move forward. I ask my colleagues, what does it take to get a vote around here? How can we say that we are doing the people's business, if a bill that is as broadly supported as CARA cannot even be voted upon?”