Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the Drinking Water Protection Act, to arm communities against the threats posed by toxic algae. The water emergency across the Toledo region for three days last August highlighted the need for a more robust federal response to harmful algal blooms in our Great Lakes and around the country. Nearly half a million people, businesses, and hospitals were without fresh water from the city's system. First and foremost, Northern Ohio--which draws its sustenance from Lake Erie--has to guarantee our water is safe to drink. Our communities must be informed and prepared to respond, in the event of another emergency. This bill is an important step in the right direction. It is my hope that it expedites work at the U.S. EPA to publish long- overdue guidelines on safe consumption limits and testing protocols, in addition to treatment methods--information the EPA has been working on for more than a decade and a half. This is information that our mayors, our governor, and our citizens are clamoring for. Congress needs to pass this bill, and I hope our counterparts in the Senate will take up the measure quickly. Still, this bill only addresses one facet of the challenge. We must meet the larger challenge of stopping the growth of these blooms at their source--the nutrients flooding through our rivers, into Lake Erie.…”