One misperception up here I am very concerned about is that for this moratorium these rigs, these businesses are just going to sort of sit back and wait and then 6 months and a day will turn the light switch back on and go back into…

Concern has obviously been raised about the dispersants.

I talked to Bill Reilly, a co-chair, yesterday and he did not defend the moratorium in any way.

Natural resource damages assessments are extremely important, but like Councilman Young I have been more focused on natural resource damages prevention.

I am afraid perhaps OPA 90 had this assessment-restoration model set up, but no prevention model.

All of those areas have been dramatically impacted by this spill, and those are areas Senator Merkley and Senator Cardin and others joined me in visiting.

If those rock jetties were there, Senator, we would not have additional oil coming into Barataria Bay.

I come to the Senate floor once again to ask all of my colleagues to come together, Democrats and Republicans, as Americans to do something we should have done weeks ago: reauthorize the National Flood Insurance Program. The National Flood…

I just wanted to express three things. First of all, I join with everyone in expressing our deep condolences to Mrs. Roshto and Mrs. Anderson.

when you're dealing with people who are hurting, you focus on the people who are hurting.

If that package is paid for. I will be happy to produce all of the pay-fors. I will be happy to produce ways to responsibly pay for that package. If that package is handled responsibly that way, absolutely yes.

I think, in many different ways, the Federal response has been, and remains, inadequate.

I would encourage us all, again, to look to the areas and the people hit economically by this event, and give them the business first, and mitigate their losses first.

the fact that BP put out some solicitation about some category of ships doesn't boost my confidence.

the objection of many Senators, including mine, is the ballooning of the deficit and the debt, which every single version of that bill did by tens of billions of dollars, the original version by approximately $180 billion. So, Mr…

I think it's fair and reasonable that we look to them first to mitigate their losses, before we do anything else.

Universal service is an important issue everywhere. It's certainly important in Louisiana, which is relatively rural.

I think we need to come together around things on which we agree. I think those things are and should be bipartisan and we should not bend over backwards to somehow make them partisan in this silly game. ... It is not right. It is politics…

I have been facing the same challenges in particular with certain programs that are absolutely crucial for Louisiana but more broadly for the country. One that is absolutely important for all of us in Louisiana is the National Flood…

There is a de facto moratorium right now because the Administration is not prepared to take new permit applications under their new rules yet.

I am also concerned, as I know you are, by the enormous hit small business is facing by the drilling moratorium.

I stand in strong support of my amendment No. 4312. I urge all colleagues, Democrats and Republicans, to come together to pass this commonsense amendment. What is this amendment about? It is about something that is of great concern to me…

My amendment does not prevent the tax increase. That is absolutely and perfectly clear. Let me say it again. My amendment does not block and does not prevent the tax increase. No. 2, my amendment does do two things. It says that any money…

I urge support for the Vitter amendment. It does two very simple things: It says any money coming into the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund can only be used to clean up oil spills. It also says the money cannot be used as an offset for…

This amendment does not block the tax increase, period. It does not. It simply says the money has to be used to clean up oil spills, and it cannot be used as an offset for other spending. Please support this amendment.