Ben Cardin

There is no transparency.

We need a game plan to deal with this.

Mercury contamination is a significant health care risk for people in our community, and the levels appear to be way too high.

There is at least some evidence that the mercury coming in from plant activity is affecting Maryland waters, the Potomac.

Well, I agree that it is multi-faceted. I think education is critically important. But I also think enforcement is going to be an important role here.

I have the honor of chairing the Water and Wildlife Subcommittee on this committee, and I can tell you that one of our highest priorities is to make sure that Americans who expect, when they turn on their faucets and pour out a glass of…

The best way to keep them out of our water is to prevent them from getting in there in the first place.

Water is an essential and precious resource that we all too often take for granted.

My highest priority as Chairman of the Water and Wildlife Subcommittee is to ensure that all Americans have clean and safe drinking water.

We raise the stakes. I want to talk about the benchmarks.

I would hope we could be more specific.

I have concerns about committing more Americans to this effort.

We can't do this alone. The government partners, at the Federal, State and local levels, along with the private sector are what we need in order to be able to deal with the dangers of invasive species and the conservation efforts.

Whether it is Federal efforts on conservancy or whether it is dealing with invasive species, it is an effort to work with the private sector.

The loss of wetlands affects the entire ecology of that region.

It is clear that they do spread diseases. They affect the native species that are there.

Let me thank all four of you for your testimony and for your support of the bills that are moving forward here.

I am particularly proud of the work that has been done in Maryland and I congratulate you on that.

This committee is very interested in following what Senator Bond was saying and being a constructive player and preserving our natural habitat for our fishermen and our hunters and the recreational users.

If there are other ways that Congress can be helpful on conservation in giving you additional opportunities, I would just make that an open invitation to let us know.

Well, Senator Nelson--we had a hearing once before, and he brought us the skin of the snake...

Have you reviewed that with Senator Nelson, the changes?

And the impact on the bill, as I understand it, is to narrow its application in many respects...

So this is consistent with the USGS report?

Would you please try to get those to us as quickly as possible?