Garret Graves

Administrator, I thank you and your colleagues for the work you have done to shepherd FEMA in a positive direction.

This legislation is designed to make federal disaster aid more easily accessible to survivors.

I especially value your public support for reforms in a bill introduced by myself, Congressman Garret Graves, Congressman Troy Carter, and Congresswoman Jenniffer Gonzalez-Colon--the Disaster Survivor Fairness Act.

Our economy would suffer an incredible 15 percent revenue reduction per year should permits not be approved.

I believe fully in alternative energy resources, but it is not one or the other.

It is the threat to these families and thousands more like them that keeps me up at night because any job lost is unacceptable!

For Lafourche Parish, it is critical that we have a robust offshore energy industry to support our community.

Is there anything in Congressman Wittman's legislation that would undermine that fundamental objective of Magnuson?

Doesn't Magnuson-Stevens, isn't it designed to ensure the sustainability of fisheries?

I appreciate Congressman Wittman's leadership efforts on the depredation issue related to sharks.

I do have concerns, similar to Congressman Carl, in that there seems to be disparity between the findings of the Great Red Snapper Count and the allocation that National Marine Fisheries has allowed for the Gulf States.

I am wondering why we are even here? Why are we even here if you are just going to do whatever you want to do?

Madame Chair, to say that I was a little bothered by your comments earlier would be a pretty significant understatement.

We amended the organic statute. We amended it to raise the threshold under which NEPA projects apply.

So, let me be very clear because I want to challenge that statement. That is very, very concerning for me to hear you say that.

Our road projects today take somewhere around 7 years to go through a NEPA analysis.

We have seen this gross expansion of really procedure.

The far majority of projects carried out across the country today don't have to go through NEPA analysis.

I am very concerned to hear you say that you were already doing this, because that sounds like almost you were going to ignore the changes in law that we just made that were pretty substantial.

I think it is really important that you engage the private boating community to understand the characteristics and how they would respond to a proposed rule like that.

Let me let me say it again. There is no one on this Committee that wants to go out there and trash an endangered species.

However, if NOAA insists on moving forward with this profoundly ill-conceived proposal, Congress must act to protect Americans and their livelihoods.

It is a false choice to state that Americans must choose between saving whales and allowing public access that provides economic security for small businesses and families.

A question of such deep economic, societal, political significance should only be addressed by Congress.

If there is a job lost over this rule, it should be the jobs of the people at NOAA that are proposing the rule.