Political Quotes

“I rise in support of the Stupak amendment today and urge my colleagues to support it. Many of us in the Michigan delegation are concerned about the process followed by the Department of Energy (DOE) in choosing the route from Los Alamos, NM, to Chalk River, Canada, for the transportation of Mixed Oxide Fuel. I received notification of this route only 2 days before it was to be announced, and the distribution of an environmental assessment by the DOE to the citizens of Michigan was inadequate, totaling less than 60 families. The Stupak amendment merely requests that a hearing is held for public information purposes before the route is finalized. The purpose of our efforts is not to suggest the route is inherently unsafe, but to ensure that citizens near the route are given enough information about the project. Our constituents have a right to know the details, and a hearing would facilitate this process. Given that the Canadian Government balked at other proposed routes through key Canadian industrial areas, and that this route would pass over three of the Great Lakes, the largest supply of fresh water in the world, it seems only appropriate that the DOE provide a wider forum for information on this issue. I appreciate the opportunity to address this matter, and thank Congressman Stupak for bringing this amendment to the floor today. I again urge my colleagues to vote yes on the Stupak amendment.”