Ben Cardin

Our bottom line is to protect the public health of the people of this Nation.

Americans expect when they turn their taps on they are going to get clean water.

This is one of our principal responsibilities, to make sure that we have safe and clean water for the people of this Nation.

I think that is too long.

Adopting most of the stringent and costly standards in the Nation and significantly reduced emissions.

Using 2002 as a submissions baseline, the Healthy Air Act has Maryland well on its way to reducing its inState NOx emissions by 75 percent by 2012.

It is time that power companies around the Nation take responsibility for their actions and stop blaming EPA for doing its job.

I must say that I think it is a false dilemma to say that you have to choose between jobs and good health and clean air.

First, Senator Carper, let me thank you very much, not just for holding this hearing, but for your leadership.

Thank you very much, Dr. Leinen.

He has been a strong advocate for us in Maryland, part of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science.

The stakes are very, very high for all of us. It affects our entire Country, not just the directly impacted regions.

Thank you very much for inviting me to testify today.

The Oil Spill Commission recommended that the Trustees ensure compensatory restoration under NRDA process is transparent, appropriate, and to the degree possible, apolitical.

It is a pleasure to have you here, and also another Marylander on the panel.

I want to underscore the point that Senator Vitter made about the baseline assessments.

Again, let me thank all of you for your testimony and for your work in this area.

I concur completely with our leadership of this Committee. I think that it has focused from the beginning on trying to get the right thing done and to move it as quickly and as completely as we can.

I applaud you and BP for releasing the funds so that restoration work can begin.

The spill has been referred to as the 'worst environmental disaster the US has faced.'

Did you consider putting together a panel similar to Exxon Valdez?

Clearly, we want to make sure you get this right.

Thank you very much.

The catastrophe claimed 11 lives and left thousands of others in turmoil across Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida.

Under Federal Law, BP and its partners are liable for the catastrophic damages caused by the Deepwater Horizon spill.