Political Quotes

“Section 316 of the Senate bill that was included in the conference agreement with a slight modification says as to prohibition of oil and gas drilling in the Finger Lakes National Forest of New York: no Federal permit or lease shall be issued for oil or gas drilling in Finger Lakes National Forest of New York during fiscal year 2002. Basically, that is legislating on an appropriations bill. It was put into a managers' package and, of course, with the jurisdiction being over in Interior appropriations, if any action was taken at all. Now, this rider blocks, without further consideration, oil and gas permits within that national forest. It looks like not only a jurisdictional issue, and I respect the desire of the Senators from New York to work on issues in their State, but in this time of an economic downturn and trying to make some sense of an energy policy in this country, it seems ludicrous to me that a nongermane amendment would be allowed on this legislation, especially in a time when we are trying to find energy for this country and wean us off this foreign dependence on oil.”