John Drake: “my district is home to many beautiful American treasures and one of them is the Chesapeake Bay. ``Save the Bay'' is one…”

“my district is home to many beautiful American treasures and one of them is the Chesapeake Bay. ``Save the Bay'' is one message that reaches beyond all political boundaries. Working alongside my longtime colleague and friend Jo Anne Davis in the 109th Congress, we passed legislation to create the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail--which is part of the Chesapeake Bay Gateways and Watertrails Network we are reauthorizing today. As many of you know, this initiative falls under the larger Chesapeake Bay Program, which was created in 1983 to restore and protect the bay. I am proud to lend my vote in favor of this bill today, however, I would like to call attention to one of the greater matters that this Congress should also be voting on: legislation to help the American people pay for the astounding cost of energy. One example is a comprehensive bill by Representative Peterson that creates a partnership between energy development and the environment. This bill opens up the OCS for natural gas exploration and uses an estimated $86 billion dollars in royalties for environmental restoration efforts. The Chesapeake Bay Commission estimated that the total cost to restore the Chesapeake Bay is $19 billion. The NEED Act fully funds the Chesapeake Bay restoration effort at $20 billion. This energy bill is another way we can help Save the Bay, and the budgets of American families.”