James Oberstar: “Inertia is the enemy of progress, and we don't have time to wait.”

I have worked with the gentleman and our committee staff to craft this language. It's important to note that these are not taxpayer dollars paying for restoration, but rather proceeds from a penalty provided in this provision that is very…

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

I completely agree with the gentleman. As the gentleman from Florida and I discussed in our hearing yesterday, the purpose of the trust fund is not to relieve anyone of responsibility. I was part of crafting that legislation in 1990 and…

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