Chellie Pingree: “I want to reiterate we are here today on the issue of algal blooms and red tide and a variety of things that are…”

“I want to reiterate we are here today on the issue of algal blooms and red tide and a variety of things that are important to my constituents here in Maine. The reason this bill is here on this floor today is because many of those on the other side of the aisle, including my Republican colleague, whom we have been going back and forth with today, Mr. Dreier, voted ``no'' on the bill when it first hit the floor and we are taking up again. In closing, I just want to say that the 2009 red tide in Maine hit our coastal communities hard. Most shellfish harvesters are self-employed and make the majority of their living in the summer months.”