William R. Richardson: “the most important vote today on the EPA issue is to vote on the rule, and the bipartisan environmental group, the…”

“the most important vote today on the EPA issue is to vote on the rule, and the bipartisan environmental group, the League of Conservation Voters, has sent every Member a letter stating that this vote will be used in its environmental scorecard. Mr. Speaker, elevating the Environmental Protection Agency to Cabinet status is long overdue. The United States was the only industrialized nation to participate in the 1992 Rio Summit that did not have ministerial-level representation. If the United States wants to maintain its leadership position in world markets for exporting environmental technologies, and improving environmental quality around the globe, the Administrator of the EPA must be viewed as representing the President and the United States of America on par with the Cabinet members of our trading partners and partners in global environmental improvement. Elevating EPA to the Department of Environmental Protection will create a level-global playing field for developing national and international environmental policies. The rest of the world is looking to the United States to lead the way in improving environmental quality at home and abroad. A vote for H.R. 3425 is an important first step at building the U.S. leadership role in this vital area.”