I wish to announce that the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship will meet on June 13, 2013, at 10 a.m. in room 428A, Russell Senate Office Building to hold a markup of pending legislation. ____________________

I take great interest in the priorities laid out in the budget for several reasons-it directly funds and provides program support for the 5 National Parks, 1,346 listings on the National Register of Historic Places, and 24 National…

I think in RESTORE we found a balance, and I hope that those administering this will seek that same balance.

we are going to insist in the implementation of the law that the legislative intent is followed.

I look forward to continued work with the Council to ensure that the carefully constructed Congressional compromise is protected and that the law is implemented in the manner that Congress intended.

Yet we are struggling here for years trying to get a fair share of that money just to be kept at home along the coast that's producing these revenues.

I'm even willing to take a little bit less. I'm willing to be more flexible.

this funding, Senator, will really help us find our way forward, because we have to figure out a way to mine the natural resources that are so important for the economic development and strength of this Nation.

We crafted the RESTORE Act, I think it was, if I can say, it was masterful, the way we tried to balance.

the 2012 RESTORE Act, which you have heard about from Senator Landrieu so eloquently, provides that 80 percent of civil penalties under the Clean Water Act be returned to the Gulf

the long-term health of not only the Gulf but the waters off of Senator Blumenthal's state.

I could not be prouder of the effort that is under way in this committee now to implement an extraordinary, I think, and special piece of legislation.

The time for action is now; we cannot afford to wait.

It is imperative that we establish viable, effective, and accountable distribution mechanisms now to ensure that this unprecedented investment is targeted at critical projects that contribute to the overall recovery of the Gulf Coast.

I'm going to be watching this budget very carefully.

It is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to use these penalty monies to jumpstart some of these very needed restoration projects.

what do we know about what is happening to the Gulf and all that oil that is out there still sloshing around.

I just can't impress upon the both of you how critical this is.

I'll be working on legislation to address both the short term reauthorization of these programs and long-term funding for counties as well as jobs from increased forest management.

I expect Commerce as Chair of the Council to ensure this Congressionally-crafted balance is not altered or amended through the implementation process.

Well, thank you so much, Chairman Nelson and Ranking Member Wicker. It really is a pleasure and truly an honor to be asked to testify before this important subcommittee.

If we can do it right and learn how to do it right in the Gulf, in the greatest democracy in the world with the strongest environmental laws and the greatest innovation of our industry, what a blessing this will be to the world.

I am proud to be able to say today that all three financing mechanisms established in the wake of the 2010 oil spill to help restore the coast now have funding in place.

I mean, our States are serving as platforms for the production. Without the south Louisiana, Texas, there would be no way for the Federal Government to access resources that are clearly ours.

I am so proud of our work on the RESTORE Act.