Political Quotes

“Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. McNerney). Mr. McNERNEY. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Chairman, we see this bill every Congress. That is, every 2 years we fight this thing out. Let's talk about what it would do. It would weaken the Endangered Species Act--that has been a target of the Republican Party for decades. It will benefit one region while harming another. It will make a few people very wealthy. It will likely cause additional drainage problems for the Westlands and other water districts. It will cause ocean salt water to come farther inland in the California delta, poisoning farmland, destroying marinas, disrupting water supplies for cities along the delta, basically destroying the delta as we now know it. It will use precious limited water to plant evermore thirsty orchards in the desert. And it may expedite the creation of new dams with weakened environmental control. So let's look at what it won't do. It won't create any new water. So why do we have to go through this every 2 years? It is good political theater for some colleagues, but it is not going to get through the Senate. But all may not be lost. Here is a novel suggestion: work across party lines, work across northern versus southern California lines, and come to a compromise that will actually create new water and take all stakeholder interests into account. We need to take a holistic approach.…”