Garret Graves

Look, you run a waterboard. You work with non-Federal clients, I am sure, through your contractors around the United States.

But the reality is that most projects that are done by non-Federals don't actually trigger a NEPA analysis.

I will say that I don't like that the way that the Corps ultimately quantified the environmental impacts--I think that you undershot what the true wetlands impacts were, and I have been very clear on that.

Well, I got to--I don't, either. And I am not going to sit and defend the current NEPA process, but I do want to make note that I am not aware of any environmental groups, of any activist groups, or anyone who came out and said that this…

This isn't just about employment and economy. This has national security implications, when this snowballs.

The Federal Government, our own Federal Government, has caused 2,000 square miles of coastal wetlands loss

I would argue that we probably did more to restore our coastal resources in Louisiana than anywhere else in the United States.

I refuse to believe that.

The majority of projects carried out across this Nation do not go through a NEPA process.

This entire thing is a farce.

Do you know the prices in Miami are 23 percent higher than they are in San Juan?

Nobody is asking to build these projects twice. That is an idiotic response.

When folks think of innovation and new technology, Louisiana often comes to mind. We have been able to pioneer cell phone technology and have been involved in genetics and DNA. We have incredible naval technologies, with offshore oil and…

H.R. 2023, the Modernizing Recreational Fisheries Act, seeks to create the flexibility necessary to effectively balance management of commercial and recreational fisheries.

Today's hearing seeks to address Federal fisheries management issues that we have been discussing in this Committee for quite some time now.

In weakening the conservation standards and eliminating catch limits for private anglers, the bill ignores the precautionary principle for data-poor stocks.

Unfortunately, these measures weaken the science-based conservation standards and approach of the Magnuson-Stevens Act (MSA).

I would urge the recreational sector to work with the MSA process, rather than weakening it by working around it!

I want to thank Mr. Graves and the co-sponsors of this bill for bringing a fresh approach to the table.

This proposal would further extend the states' management of this important fishery to 25 miles from shore.

This bill affords the necessary tools to regional fishery managers to tailor fishery management plans to the unique characteristics of their region.

I appreciate the gentleman's comments and all the ideas of others with regard to this out of control agency and I share his passion for bringing the CFPB under Appropriations oversight as soon as possible. This is one idea of many, and I…

The last thing in the world we need is to have $1 trillion sitting in the bank because we can't spend it because we are stuck on preconstruction activities.

I don't understand how the Corps can go enforce laws and say to the American taxpayer, you have to comply with this law, yet the Corps itself is ignoring many laws that we write here on this committee.

You can never explain, justify those types of schedules to any taxpayer and we shouldn't ever have to.