Political Quotes

“Woman, I rise in opposition to this amendment because it is not necessary. It does not achieve the stated intent. Contrary to a lot of misinformation--and much of it deliberate, I am afraid--that has been circulated, farmers do not need a Corps of Engineers or even an EPA permit to dig a ditch, to till a field, to create a reservoir, or to irrigate their fields. Congress clarified this issue more than 35 years ago when it passed the 1977 amendments to the Clean Water Act. Those amendments established a well-reasoned and practical approach that ensured far- reaching protections over the Nation's waters, but also ensured that practical day-to-day operations of farmers, of ranchers, of foresters, and a host of other industrial sectors could continue without the need for Clean Water Act regulation. Section 404(f) of the 1977 law created a list of ``activity-based'' exemptions for normal farming, ranching, and forestry activities, but it also included safeguards to ensure that these exempted activities were not exploited by large-scale commercial interests. I would also like to register my strong opposition to other attacks against the Clean Water Act that are already a part of this bill, and I refer specifically to sections 105 and 106.…”