Sam Gibbons: “today I rise to inform my Members about Coalgate; no, not the toothpaste or the university, but another campaign…”

“today I rise to inform my Members about Coalgate; no, not the toothpaste or the university, but another campaign scandal. In the heat of the 1996 campaign, President Clinton created the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in Utah, which consisted of more than 1.7 million acres of land, an area larger than the State of Delaware. The White House claims this monument was needed to protect one of the most pristine areas in America. However, I would contend that 62 billion tons of low-sulfur coal reserve was the real reason for this designation. The Lippo Group, very large donors of the President's campaign, had a large financial stake in this monument, because clean Utah coal would have competed with the imported coal from Indonesia. It is a sad day when the President would deny schoolchildren in Utah the tax revenues of $1.5 billion in coal or the royalties, to protect foreign interests and promote his own self-serving ambition. Madam Speaker, the definition of greed has truly been revealed to the American people. They deserve the truth.”