Robert Torricelli: “Within this legislation is $27 million to deepen and widen the main channel of the Delaware River. To the city of…”

“Within this legislation is $27 million to deepen and widen the main channel of the Delaware River. To the city of Philadelphia, the city of Camden, and the States of New Jersey, Delaware, and Pennsylvania, this is of some considerable importance. The Delaware River is a major artery of maritime commerce. I have always supported, and I will always support that river being efficient and available to maritime traffic, but there are serious problems. When this legislation was considered in the House, my colleague, Representative Andrews from southern New Jersey, with the support of Congressman Kasich, offered an amendment to strike this funding. I will not do that tonight because I believe, first, the votes are not available and, second, I still hope the general problems with this dredging can be solved. The problems are relatively simple. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has proposed to dredge 33 million yards of material from the Delaware River.”