José E. Serrano: “there they go again. The pattern the Republicans set for the first 200 days was to cut spending and repeal programs…”

“there they go again. The pattern the Republicans set for the first 200 days was to cut spending and repeal programs intended to help children, the poor, the elderly, legal immigrants, and working families, so they can give tax cuts to the wealthiest Americans at the same time they are balancing the federal budget by 2002. The first significant piece of legislation for the second hundred days is the Clean Water Amendments of 1995, H.R. 961, known in some circles as the ``Dirty Water Act'' because the Republicans have chosen to protect polluters rather than the health and well-being of ordinary people. This bill would roll back two decades of progress in reducing pollution in our lakes, rivers, and coastal areas, and halt further progress. It would let corporate polluters increase pollution, and make downstream water users pay to remove pollution that shouldn't get into the water in the first place. There are problems throughout the bill. Perhaps the most widely debated provisions would redefine 80 percent of the nation's wetlands out from under federal protection. Now, we don't have a lot of wetlands in the South Bronx, but we do drink water, and wetlands recharge water supplies and filter harmful substances from our water. We eat fish and seafood, and wetlands provide critical habitat, assuring adequate stocks now and in the future. We enjoy fishing, swimming, and other recreation on and around the water, and wetlands help keep our waters clean.”