Political Quotes

“Today Senator Durbin and Senator Bumpers join me in introducing legislation to repeal a special-interest rider attached to the emergency supplemental appropriations bill last week. This rider is a taxpayer rip-off. It blocks the Interior Department from implementing a proposed rule to ensure that oil companies pay a fair royalty for oil drilled on public lands. These royalties are shared between the federal government and the state. California law requires that all royalty payments be credited directly to the State Schools Fund. So every penny the oil companies fail to pay is stolen directly from our state's classrooms and our children's education. If allowed to stand, this special interest rider will cost American taxpayers an estimated $5.5 million per month, approximately $25 million by the end of this fiscal year. California's share of this lost revenue could be used to hire new teachers, help rebuild crumbling schools, or put dozens of computers in our classrooms. The oil companies currently understate the value of the oil drilled, and as a result, they underpay their royalties.”