Political Quotes

“Mr. President, this Senator, who has a great stake in this legislation, is certainly not opposed to drilling off the shore, unless it happens to threaten the interests of the United States. In many places on the Atlantic coast and certainly the gulf coast, such as the Gulf of Mexico off of Florida, it is the largest testing and training area for the U.S. military in the world. Two Republican Secretaries of Defense have said: You cannot have drilling activity off the coast where this restricted military area is. You looked at a map of what the military has suggested off of Virginia. It is the same thing. It is no oil and gas activity at all, and then no permanent oil and gas activity in a remaining portion off the State of Virginia. In the State of Florida, of course, we have all the other considerations, the economic ones, a $50-billion-a-year tourism industry that depends on our beaches being clean. This Senator certainly does not have an objection to oil drilling off of the coast of Louisiana. The last time I checked, they did not have a lot of beaches. But that is what this bill does. It gives the incentives for States because they get additional Federal revenue. By the way, CBO says that is $7 billion over a 10-year period that would otherwise go to the Federal Treasury that would go to the States. It gives them that incentive to have drilling off their coasts. For those reasons alone, I would suggest that the right vote is to vote no on this legislation.…”