Political Quotes

“Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of my amendment, which makes an important change to the North Atlantic Coastal Ecosystem Restoration Study. My amendment expands the scope of the study from a mere feasibility study to a comprehensive assessment and management plan. First established in the 2014 Water Resources Reform and Development Act, the North Atlantic Coastal Ecosystem Restoration Study is a state- of-the-art approach for bringing together the latest science on restoring coastal ecosystems at scale. The proposal in my amendment is an important change because it will allow the United States Army Corps of Engineers to undertake critical habitat restoration projects of tidal marshes, beaches, dunes, and fish spawning areas across a region spanning from Maine to Virginia. Due to the varying habitats and ecosystems along the entire North Atlantic Coast, individual States currently are struggling to adequately address environmental and ecological issues that span the entire region. Challenges arising from, for example, algal bloom, fish depletion, and water quality issues know no boundaries and, frankly, defy the efforts of States to coordinate activities. Beyond that, we simply lack the expertise in each and every State to address these shared problems. What has resulted is a fragmented, State-by-State approach to solving interconnected environmental problems that need holistic solutions.…”