Political Quotes

“Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I do rise in opposition to the motion to recommit. On this bill there are two camps in this body: There are Members who want to stop using coal for energy production as soon as possible and switch to other alternative energy forms; and then there is the group that recognizes that coal supplies half of our Nation's electricity and that, whether we like it or not, it will continue to do so for a fairly long time, so we need to manage as best we can the residuals left over after that coal is burned. It's amazing what clever uses we have found for the coal ash that our power plants produce. Yes, it's used to strengthen concrete. In fact, the road builders report that road and bridge building costs will increase by $100 billion over the next 20 years if we stop using coal ash in concrete. In fact, the standard, believe it or not, for the California highway authority is concrete strengthened with coal ash. The best wallboard, roofing shingles, even bowling balls contain coal ash. But not all coal ash is beneficially used. That's why we need to make sure that what is disposed of will stay managed responsibly. Today States have a variety of standards for managing disposal of coal ash. The gentlelady from Wisconsin (Ms. Baldwin) on our committee told us that her State finds uses for all of its coal ash. Other States have to deal with disposing of half or more of their coal ash. Mr.…”