Political Quotes

“I agree completely with my colleagues' interpretation of section 3004 and for the necessity of the section in question. When we added the provision in the Sandy relief bill for a $20 million comprehensive study to address flood risks on the east coast, we intended for this study to produce specific and actionable recommendations for hurricane protection. I thank my colleagues for their work and Chairman Boxer for her leadership. GREAT LAKES NAVIGATION FUNDING Mr. LEVIN: Madam President, this water resources bill includes important provisions for our shipping infrastructure, including the Great Lakes Navigation System, which carries over 160 million tons of cargo annually. I am pleased the bill would prioritize funding for the Great Lakes Navigation System, which has suffered from historically low water levels, closed harbors, and light loaded vessels. The bill allocates 20 percent of priority funds for the Great Lakes Navigation System, which is equal to the Great Lakes portion of high-use deep draft projects nationwide. I am glad that the 20 percent of priority funds for the Great Lakes is intended to be above and beyond what projects in the Great Lakes Navigation System would receive under the baseline funding. I also want to highlight the rationale for identifying the Great Lakes as a single system. A freighter is restricted to loading its vessel based on the shallowest segment of its route.…”