Nita Lowey: “I am very pleased to yield 3 minutes to the distinguished gentlewoman from Minnesota (Ms. McCollum), the chair of the…”

“I am very pleased to yield 3 minutes to the distinguished gentlewoman from Minnesota (Ms. McCollum), the chair of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Subcommittee. Ms. McCOLLUM. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of this bill. It is the product of bipartisan negotiations that reflect compromise and a shared desire to fund the Federal Government. The Interior and Environment section provides $36 billion, which is $437 million more than last year's fiscal year 2019 enacted bill. We make critical investments in environmental protection, in Indian Country, to public land management, and the arts. Here are a few highlights: $43 million for PFAS research to set standards for clean drinking water and for cleaning up PFAS; an additional $24 million for EPA enforcement and compliance activities, the first increase in a decade; the largest increase in a decade for the National Endowment for the Arts and Humanities, each funded at $162 million; and the Land and Water Conservation Fund is at the highest level since 2003, with $495 million in new funding. The bill enhances the EPA's ability to protect human health and the health of our environment, providing $9.08 billion, the second-highest level ever for the agency. An all-time high for environmental justice funding is included at over $10 million. It also provides record funding for the endangered species program at a time when 1 million plant and animal species are at risk of extinction.…”