Thank you for convening this hearing and for stimulating thoughtful dialogue that can lead to collaborative and productive implementation of the RESTORE Act.
Remember what Senator Landrieu said; this thing was a balancing of competing interests.
Three years ago, we were in the middle of the worst man-made environmental disaster in our Nation's history--the explosion of the Deepwater ...
to ask Jack Lew to get off of dead-center and get those requirements that are the responsibility of Treasury under way.
However, three years later, the Gulf has seen only 7 percent of the early restoration monies.
It is because of the opportunity created by the RESTORE Act that Florida has taken the unique approach of forming the Gulf Consortium.
We have shared some of these concerns with the Department of Commerce staff and Senator Nelson's office.
Thank you, Senator Wicker.
I would be remiss if I let another moment go by without giving our sincere appreciation to congress for passing the RESTORE Act.
It was through the leadership of Senator Bill Nelson and other Gulf state Senators that this historic legislation was passed.
So when you combine the dead zone with what is already going on because of the oil that came into the bays like Barataria, then you have a d...