Political Quotes

“I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 1261, the ``National Landslide Preparedness Act.'' H.R. 1261 establishes a national program to identify and reduce losses from landslide hazards and a national 3D Elevation Program. The bill also authorizes a study of ground subsidence. Climate change charges us with the responsibility to study significant landslide threats to mitigate damages and protect our citizens. The 3D Elevation Program (3DEP), authorized under H.R. 1261, systematically collects 3D elevation data in the form of light detection and ranging (lidar) data for the conterminous United States, Hawaii, and the U.S. territories, with data acquired over an 8-year period. Mr. Speaker, due to global warming, high river levels provoke floods and landslides, which block roads and hinder people from escaping life- threatening situations. More than 30,000 people worldwide were killed by landslides between 2004 and 2010, according to the Geological Society of America. And in the U.S. between 25 and 50 people are killed by landslides every year, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). Slides can occur in all 50 states, but regions like the Appalachian Mountains, the Rocky Mountains and the Pacific Coastal Ranges have ``severe landslide problems,'' according to the USGS.…”