James Oberstar: “I have to be an advocate for the public interest.”

The gentleman from Washington is mistaken in his understanding or his reading of the amendment that I offer. It's an amendment to OPA. It is not an amendment to the dollar amounts and does not reference dollar amounts. Under OPA, of which…

But we all also recognize that the potential cost of meeting these needs is immense.

I would like to make the observation, Madam Speaker, that the gentleman took the lead in our Public Buildings Subcommittee many years ago, during his first term in Congress, on courthouses. The gentleman has saved the taxpayers of this…

We want to protect our waters. We want to protect our wetlands. We want to provide for future generations.