Political Quotes

“Mr. President, today I wish to speak in opposition to Senator Cornyn's amendment. This amendment eliminates protections under the Clean Water Act related to spraying pesticides into the Nation's rivers, streams, and lakes to control mosquitoes. Pesticide pollution is a significant problem and a major contributor to poor water quality in our Nation's water bodies. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, more than 1,800 waterways in the U.S. are known to be polluted by pesticides, and many more may be polluted but are not monitored. We know that pesticides harm fish and wildlife and are linked to a wide range of damaging human health impacts, including cancer and harm to pregnant women, infants, and children. Exempting pesticide spraying from the Clean Water Act is completely unnecessary to control the spread of mosquitoes to address the Zika virus. In 2011, EPA issued a streamlined Clean Water Act general permit, which allows operators to get one permit for up to 5 years. The permit requires simple management techniques and reporting to protect water quality, fish and wildlife habitat, swimming, and recreational uses. Most mosquito control districts around the country already have authorization to spray pesticides to control mosquitoes under this existing pesticide permit. In addition, EPA's permit includes provisions to allow immediate spraying to address public health emergencies.…”