Debbie Dingell: “I am mightily distressed at that, and I therefore yield back the balance of my time. Mr. Chairman, our Republican…”

“I am mightily distressed at that, and I therefore yield back the balance of my time. Mr. Chairman, our Republican colleagues rejected the bipartisan bill that was approved 44 to 0 by the Energy and Commerce Committee in the 103d Congress in favor of a new bill, H.R. 2500, that was not introduced until October 1995. It seems that it took 10 months to figure out how to destroy the bipartisan agreement we had achieved in the prior Congress after months of stakeholders discussions. It is my firm belief that we should dedicate as much Superfund money as possible to cleanup, and not to relieving polluters of their responsibility. And that is exactly what Mr. Markey's amendment is designed to do. Mr. Markey's amendment will assure that Superfund money will be spent on cleanup and not on reimbursing polluters. The Markey amendment will ensure that existing consent decrees, under which parties have agreed to conduct or pay the costs of cleanup, will not be disturbed.”