Political Quotes

“we must think carefully before we act today about what will be lost when the PERMIT Act is signed into law. As I stated throughout our proceedings today, I agree, we need permitting reform, but this bill is not it. We can come back to the table and come up with solutions that will do both: enhance the speed, clarity, and efficacy with which we issue permits in the United States of America without polluting our water. We have to think about the 50 percent of wetlands that have been lost, the over 70 percent of rivers and streams that are losing their protections and could join that 50 percent in being lost forever. As an avid outdoorswoman who loves to hunt and fish--our entire family is four-season anglers throughout the great State of Michigan--I urge my colleagues to think carefully about what we will be losing. We can come together and advocate for meaningful permitting reform. We need staff to administer permits. The current administration cannot gut Federal agencies on one hand and claim to want speedy Federal processes on the other. The Army Corps' three senior-most experts have left the agency, as well as an additional 15 to 30 percent of the regulatory staff. This has impacted west Michigan in particular, as we have seen firsthand additional delays under this administration in permitting from the Army Corps. The PERMIT Act simply directs the Corps and EPA to rewrite Federal rules, again stoking even more uncertainty.”