Political Quotes

“Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong support of the Rush amendment in the nature of a substitute, and I urge all of my colleagues to support it as well. Mr. Chairman, hydropower is backed by Members on both sides of the aisle. We all support hydropower, but the process for how we license these projects is far too important for us to get it wrong. While many Members on the minority side have objections to the underlying bill, H.R. 3043, due to its negative impact on States' rights and States' prerogatives under the Clean Water Act, my substitute amendment addresses these issues in a more responsible way. Mr. Chairman, H.R. 3043 will not modernize or improve the hydropower licensing process, but, rather, it simply places private profits for industry over the public interest. Mr. Chairman, we certainly need a more balanced approach, such as the one provided in my substitute amendment, which contains bipartisan provisions that were included in the hydropower package that both sides agreed to in a fit of bipartisanship last December in committee. Mr. Chairman, my amendment contains several provisions to improve the licensing process while also offering incentives to the hydropower industry. This substitute contains a requirement to set up a new licensing process, but, unlike H.R. 3043, it protects the rights of Federal resource agencies, States, and Indian Tribes to impose conditions in accordance with modern environmental laws.…”