Jon S. Corzine: “This uncertainty aside, we do know this undercuts a commitment the Congress made last year to support the Land and Water…”

“This uncertainty aside, we do know this undercuts a commitment the Congress made last year to support the Land and Water Conservation Fund. This blueprint cuts conservation initiatives by $2.7 billion. That is in the blueprint. Potentially most damaging, the Bush budget would undermine enforcement of our environmental laws. It would require deep cuts in the operating functions of our environmental agencies: the EPA, Interior and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. We just can't afford these cuts. If anything, we should be putting more resources into enforcement not less. Consider EPA's own data from just last month. They found that: Twenty-six percent of industrial facilities were in significant noncompliance with their clean air permits; Nearly 10 percent of industrial facilities were in significant noncompliance with their clear water permits; And 7 percent of industrial facilities were in significant noncompliance with their hazardous waste permits. When government lets polluters off the hook, all of us pay a price-- particularly those least able to protect themselves--our kids and seniors. The Bush administration has not been in office very long. But it has done a lot of damage and a lot of damage to our environmental laws. And it's time for them to reverse their course. I hope my colleagues will support the amendment I am offering today. It is really a very limited amendment.…”