Political Quotes

“Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of the Himes amendment and on behalf of its sponsor, as he has been called away for a short time to attend the funeral of a fallen firefighter. Our hearts are with those who are grieving today with my colleague, Mr. Himes. Mr. Himes' amendment builds upon other lessons learned from the Exxon Valdez spill. The Himes amendment improves an existing environmental restoration provision that authorizes a program to protect wildlife habitats similar to those ruined by a spill and have the responsible party cover the cost of purchasing or preserving such areas. I would also like to thank the Natural Resources Committee and Transportation Committee for working with me and incorporating provisions that address a number of my priorities in the manager's amendment; namely, including language that will better ensure that the Department of the Interior follows the law as it is supposed to. Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong support of the Himes amendment and the underlying bill. The CLEAR Act is good and desperately needed policy to help prevent taxpayer bailouts for Big Oil's failures. The CLEAR Act is a model of transparency, fiscal responsibility and good stewardship. I call upon my colleagues to join me in supporting the Himes amendment and the underlying bill.”