Political Quotes

“Mr. President, today I rise to discuss my support for the Clean Air Act Amendments of 2010 and how I plan to continue to work with the sponsors to improve the bill to meet health standards for Maryland and the States of the Northeast. First, I want to commend Senator Carper for his years of hard work and dedication to clean air policy issues. I know these issues are very near and dear to Senator Carper and his perseverance is admirable. I feel the same way about water quality protection in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. When this bill received a hearing in the Environment and Public Works Committee in March I expressed my support for the goals of the Clean Air Act Amendments of 2010 and what the bill aims to achieve. Because I believe this legislation is the right framework to protect public health, I have added my name as a cosponsor of this bill. The strong limits the legislation sets on mercury emissions is important. Air pollution, primarily from powerplants, is the main source of the mercury that contaminates the fisheries of the Chesapeake Bay Mid-Atlantic. We have fish consumption advisories throughout Maryland because of the high levels of mercury found in fish tissue. A large part of my motivation for restoring the Chesapeake Bay is to restore a healthy fishery for Maryland watermen to make a sound living on and for recreational anglers to enjoy.…”