Political Quotes

“Mr. Chairman, I have come here to the floor this afternoon because there is a specific and, I would argue, unique public safety concern that I have in my district right along the Intracoastal Waterway. Specifically, it is right there at Southport Marina. Let me give you a visual description of what is taking place there. When you are traveling up the Intracoastal Waterway, particularly from the south, you can't see the Southport Marina at all. There is not a no-wake zone there. Because you can't see the Southport Marina, these boats, particularly the recreational users, fly right on through there. This is a high traffic area, particularly during the spring and summer months when you have a lot of recreational boaters on the water. This is a growing area. In fact, this has been a public safety concern for some time; so much of a public safety concern, that the State of North Carolina passed a law requiring that this area adjacent to the Southport Marina be a no-wake zone. The problem is the Army Corps of Engineers and the Coast Guard won't recognize it. So let me give you this mental picture again. You have got the Intracoastal Waterway, you have a marina that most boaters, particularly those speeding up from the south, can't see on the left- hand side. They are flying through there. You have all kinds of boats coming in and out, recreational boats coming in and out of the marina. This is a major accident waiting to happen.…”