Tina Smith: “As we celebrate the 26th anniversary of Earth Day, Americans will again have an opportunity to reflect on many of our…”

“As we celebrate the 26th anniversary of Earth Day, Americans will again have an opportunity to reflect on many of our past environment successes and, frankly, some shortcomings, which I hope we will be able to address. We should also take this opportunity to set a course to correct any past failures regarding the protection and restoration of our precious environment, as well as dwelling and focusing on those that have been successful. Let me, as many of my colleagues before me have done, set the record straight once again, Mr. President. We are all environmentalists here in the Senate. I think most of us would call ourselves environmentalists in the United States of America as citizens. This is a beautiful country. It is home to all of us. The environment is not a Democratic issue. It is not a Republican issue. It should be a bipartisan issue. I very frankly and honestly, as one who has worked for the past 2 years on the Superfund bill, take great issue with those who would somehow accuse me or anyone else in my party of being antienvironment. Yet that is happening. Unfortunately, the political environment has become so partisan during this Congress that it is almost outrageous. My children, I think, would like to drink clean water.”