William Tauzin: “The wetlands, the pristine wetlands in many cases, in my State are precious to me, and the waters of Louisiana are…”

“The wetlands, the pristine wetlands in many cases, in my State are precious to me, and the waters of Louisiana are precious. They produce 28 percent of this Nation's landings and seafood that all of us enjoy, and we do it simultaneously with producing 27 percent of the Nation's natural gas and 27 percent of the Nation's oil. Keep that in mind. Our people have made a commitment to this country, not just to keep our wetlands safe, not just to keep our fisheries up and sound and running for everyone, but also to produce oil and gas for the rest of the country, including Florida. There is a national wildlife reserve in my district called Mandalay. I asked Secretary Norton if she ever came to it. She said she did not. Come to Mandalay National Wildlife Reserve in my district, come and see it. It is full of wildlife, not just a few wildlife like one herd of caribou, but a massive amount of wildlife. We have 100 wells drilled in Mandalay National Wildlife Reserve producing oil and gas for the rest of America.”