Paul Tonko

A cooperative approach, where the Federal Government sets a floor and States remain free to set more stringent standards, has proven effective and successful.

I was particularly concerned by the preemption provisions in the majority's draft bill to amend TSCA.

As we have called them in the past, laboratories of democracy.

When risks are not adequately addressed at the Federal level, State protections are essential.

On Sunday, I attended a vigil in remembrance of the 47 people that lost their lives in the Lac-Megantic railway tragedy in Quebec last July. This event drew a tremendous crowd, particularly from Albany's South End residents, who see dozens…

During rollcall vote No. 365 on H.R. 4899, I mistakenly recorded my vote as ``yes'' when I should have voted ``no.'' Amendment No. 10 Offered by Mr. DeFazio The Acting CHAIR. The unfinished business is the demand for a recorded vote on the…

I thank the gentleman for his yielding, and I thank him for his work as ranking member on the Energy and Commerce Committee. Mr. Chairman, with H.R. 6, we are embarking on a policy that will lock us into higher and more volatile natural…

I appreciate the gentleman from California, our distinguished ranker on the committee and former chair, for yielding. Mr. Chairman, it is unfortunate that the energy bills before us this week do not lay out a roadmap for where we truly…

The President and EPA are doing exactly the right thing by placing the limits on the amount of carbon pollution that can be emitted from power plants.

Thirty-five million dollars is not an adequate deterrent to a large profitable company like GM.

the most important job, I believe, for Congress is to strengthen and improve auto safety laws to ensure that something like this never happens again.

In the last 5 years, moving crude oil by train has grown exponentially from a virtually nonexistent industry to a booming one with no signs of slowing down; but after a number of high-profile derailments, the need for increased safety…

This bill is providing reasonable levels of funding for research and development to the National Science Foundation and NASA, but in the NOAA accounts, climate research is singled out for major cuts below last year's spending. It seems…

Representative Garamendi, as Representative Guthrie said, we are at the $200 billion-plus mark today. And the tragedy of the situation is that for every dollar spent on Alzheimer's today, less than a penny of every dollar is spent on…

Well, we all love Louise Slaughter. We extend our condolences for the loss of her beloved Bob, who was part of this institution. He was here so much and intellectually invested himself in the business of the House. Representative…

May is Mental Health Month, a month where we step up our efforts to raise awareness for mental health and work to remove the stigma of seeking help for mental illness. This issue is very close to my heart, as I worked in the New York State…

Even more shameful is the refusal of Republican Governors and some legislatures to expand the Medicaid program.

The Harvard researchers found that, following healthcare reform in Massachusetts, mortality rates dropped significantly compared to surrounding States.

I think Republicans are really outside of the mainstream when they try to argue that Americans aren't better off if they have health insurance coverage.

So much of the debate we have with our Republican colleagues about the Affordable Care Act comes down to one simple question: Is it a good thing for Americans to have access to quality health insurance?

After you released your discussion draft in March, our staff sat down on a bipartisan basis to discuss it.

Public health, labor and environmental groups have stated that this draft would, and I quote, 'curtail functioning State programs in exchange for a Federal program that will continue to be dysfunctional.'

Essentially, the bill completely ties the hands of State and local regulators to protect human health and the environment from toxic chemicals in commerce.

Earlier, EPA told us that the discussion draft fails to address some key elements of meaningful chemical safety reform, and in some way weakens current--in some ways, weakens current Federal law.

We are happy to engage, and I hope there is sufficient flexibility to address the stakeholders' concerns.