Kathy Castor: “Woman, I want to thank Chairman Grijalva for being a champion for America's natural resources. In doing so, the…”

“Woman, I want to thank Chairman Grijalva for being a champion for America's natural resources. In doing so, the gentleman is a champion for jobs and the economy. We know this in Florida. That is why I rise in strong support of H.R. 205, Protecting and Securing Florida's Coastline Act of 2019. It is a pleasure to be here on the floor with my Republican colleague, Francis Rooney. He is passionate about protecting the State of Florida because our way of life is at risk when you put oil rigs off of our beaches. It threatens our way of life. And the gentleman understands very well, as a successful businessman, that when you threaten our way of life, and you threaten our natural environment and our beaches, you are threatening our economy and jobs. Even though it was 9 years ago, the BP Deepwater Horizon disaster is still fresh in my mind, and it is fresh in the minds of my neighbors who live all across the Gulf Coast. It was devastating. April 20, 2010. You all probably remember because CNN had the video from the oil well that continued to spew oil into the Gulf of Mexico through May, through all of June, all of July, August, and they didn't cap the well until late in September. It wreaked havoc not just on Florida's economy and not just on our beautiful environment, but on people's lives. I remember very well holding a woman in my arms who was a small business owner from the Clearwater area.…”