Barbara Boxer: “I say to my friend, I went through the litany at the beginning of my talk about how other nominees have answered a…”

“I say to my friend, I went through the litany at the beginning of my talk about how other nominees have answered a multitude of questions, and as a matter of fact some have sent previously confidential opinions that they have written. All the other side has to do is say to Mr. Estrada, answer the questions, and then there can be a vote. When my friend raises the environment, I will take a minute to say that we finally got a report that has been languishing in the administration since June. Surprise, surprise, it was leaked to the Wall Street Journal, and after it was leaked, then the administration released it. It has some horrific statistics about what is happening to young people and women of childbearing age in terms of ingestion of mercury through mercury-tainted fish, and the fact that mercury is now emerging as a leading cause of neurological damage and I predict will become an issue in this Senate just the way lead was an issue in other Senates. We finally got this report. We begged for it and then got it. My friend is right: What could be more important than getting this economy going than protecting the health of our children by bringing that report up for debate and open for discussion? Senator Jeffords has a great plan, the Clean Power Act, that will take that mercury out of the air, that will save these children from getting neurological damage. Let's debate it.”