Political Quotes

“I want to thank the gentleman from California for offering this amendment. We had the opportunity to discuss this in committee. I am very sensitive to the fact that we do things in a manner that sustains all of our fisheries and protects our ecosystem. However, as we discussed in committee, I did request of you, number one, that if you let us get together as Gulf States, continue to work together with the Department of the Interior--as I mentioned in committee, we have even larger concerns about the way that some of this important reef structure, such as rigs and reefs programs and others, have been handled by the Federal Government. I respect the gentleman for offering this amendment, but I am going to vote in opposition, giving us time to work together with industry, work together with the fisherman, and find the right way to do this to ensure that we protect the species.”