Bill Pascrell: “I would like to begin where the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. LaTourette) left off. The Clean Water Act provides very…”

“I would like to begin where the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. LaTourette) left off. The Clean Water Act provides very specific mandates for municipalities. I was a mayor, mayor of the third largest city in the State of New Jersey. There is no way that the Patersons of this country, smaller, larger, can respond to this multibillion dollar need within our communities. Our clean water is threatened, is threatened if we do not begin to address, and we have, this problem. I am positive that the chairman and the ranking member are sensitive to these needs. But being sensitive to the needs, we need to take it to the next level. We need to be in every mayor's office, in every council chambers throughout America when these issues are coming up. Crumbling systems exist throughout America. We need to respond. The cost is great. If we do not do it, the cost will be even greater. One segment of the President's proposed budget I was particularly pleased with, which was where the President expressed his support for the newly authorized sewer overflow control grants. H.R. 828, which passed the Congress, authorized $750 million in fiscal years 2002 and 2003. We are trying to give cities and towns across America the resources they need to clean up their sewer systems and comply with the Clean Water Act.”