Political Quotes

“Thank you especially to the leadership of Chairman Oberstar, Mr. Boozman, especially to our chairwoman of our Water Resources Committee, Eddie Bernice Johnson of Texas, and to our two leaders here, Mr. Bishop and Mr. LoBiondo. I rise today in support of the Clean Estuaries Act, H.R. 4715, because I have seen firsthand the positive ecological and economic role that conservation and protection--indeed, attention--can play in improving the health of our Nation's estuaries. We have only to take a look at today's headlines in The Washington Post highlighting the improvement of the blue crab in the Chesapeake Bay, largely due to the protection efforts that we've undertaken there, a Federal commitment, a State and regional commitment to improving the Nation's largest estuary, which happens to be a great partner for my State of Maryland. And so in the past year we have seen that, because of the commitment of the administration and many in the Congress and lawmakers, the Chesapeake Bay, our Nation's largest estuary, has actually made great strides. And it is highlighted by the return of the blue crab, the highest levels in 17 years. The return has a positive economic impact for all sectors: fishermen experience larger catches, the price of the crab will decrease for our family restaurants, tourism will expand, and the bay is now healthier than it has been in many years. But we have a lot of work to do. So what does that mean in terms of the Clean Estuaries Act?…”