I would like to announce for the information of the Senate and the public, that the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources will hold a business meeting on Thursday, September 11, 2014, at 10 a.m., in room SD-366 of the Dirksen Senate…

Thank you. And I want to associate myself with the remarks of Senator McCaskill and thank her for her leadership.

I wish to join my colleague, Senator Nelson, in expressing frustration over the Chinese Government's failure to remedy the damages to homeowners, businesses, and contractors caused by Chinese drywall companies. Beginning some 10 years ago…

I wish to reiterate my longstanding support for employee stock ownership plans or ESOPs. During my time in the Senate, I have been dedicated to building on the lasting contributions of my Louisiana predecessors, including Senator Russell…

I come to the floor today in support of the State of Israel, our closest and most critical ally in the Middle East. The escalating violence between Israel and Hamas is extremely disheartening. At this time of extreme instability and…

I felt like it was the most fair thing to direct 80 percent of that penalty back to the Gulf where the accident happened, which is what the RESTORE Act did and passed.

S. 2440 is bipartisan right down the middle--seven Democrats, seven Republicans, including Senators Barrasso, Henrich, Udall, Lee, Heller, and Hoeven on this committee.

The coast of Louisiana is the largest section of land in America that is being eroded.

I led the effort to secure the only known or identifiable source of revenue that could come back to the state to help us restore our coast.

This bill gives the BLM the security to hire the staff and make the investments needed to process oil and gas permits efficiently and with thorough environmental review.

The RESTORE Act was meant to implement quickly for the Gulf Coast to jump start restoration efforts.

It has been my number one issue since being elected to the Senate to advocate on behalf of coastal restoration.

This would not have happened without her. It went through the EPW Committee, and without her leadership, the RESTORE Act would not have happened.

The law is clear. We debated the issue of pot 2. That money was expressly and solely directed to ecosystem restoration. Period.

Of course, it was Senator Boxer's legislation, the Clean Water Act, that assesses a strong penalty for violators that pollute our rivers, our streams, and our oceans.

It is both an environmental priority and an economic priority, and it is absolutely essential that we are successful.

We have legislation to deal with this. It's broader that would deal with BLM lands and other public lands, but also deals with this broader issue.

Moving forward, we must also be sure that the ecosystem projects ultimately selected are steps toward the comprehensive, large-scale restoration without regard to geographic state boundaries.

I urge the Department of Commerce to read our plan and to start funding some of these important projects that were anticipated as we passed the RESTORE Act.

This plan has been signed off on not by one Governor but by six. Republicans, Democrats, Members of Congress stand behind, unified this plan.

It is America's wetlands. It is not just Louisiana, as we contribute hugely to the economic strength of this entire Nation.

July 25, 2014, marks the 40th anniversary of the Legal Services Corporation (LSC). With bipartisan support, including that of President Nixon, LSC was established in 1974 as a private, nonprofit corporation, funded by Congress, with the…

I would like to announce for the information of the Senate and the public that a hearing has been scheduled before the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. The hearing will be held on Tuesday, July 29, 2014, at 2:15 p.m., in…

I would like to announce for the information of the Senate and the public that a hearing has been scheduled before Subcommittee on Public Lands, Forests, and Mining. The hearing will be held on Wednesday, July 30, 2014, at 9:30 a.m. in…

I ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating Rev. Samuel Tolbert, pastor of the Greater St. Mary's Missionary Baptist Church in Lake Charles, LA, on his recent election as the 15th president of the National Baptist Convention of…