Political Quotes

“I am deeply concerned about efforts underway to use the Congressional Review Act to eliminate protections that have saved lives and cleaned up our environment. I certainly respect the views of my friend and colleague from North Dakota, but there are other perspectives to consider. And while today it is a stream buffer rule, tomorrow it will be some other rule intended to protect the health of our communities and our citizens. The Congressional Review Act is a rarely used tool that can erase rules that have taken years and much public input to develop. Passing a CRA resolution, as we are being asked to do in this instance, also prevents us from implementing similar protections in the future. The reason is that by passing this kind of resolution, it prevents us from implementing any kind of other rule that is similar in nature. Regardless of whether you voted for Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton, nobody wants to live in a dirty environment where we don't have clean water, clean rivers, clean streams, or clean air. Once again, we are being told to choose between a clean environment and creating jobs. In Hawaii, we have one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country and some of the most robust protections for our environment. Today's debate over the stream buffer rule and future debates under the Congressional Review Act are not about States' rights. Today's debate is not about regulation for the sake of regulation.…”