Political Quotes

“this conference report makes tremendous progress in strengthening our nations's policies in dealing with unexploded ordnance, the bombs and shells that did not go off as intended. I very much appreciate the efforts Chairman Bob Stump and Ranking Member Ike Skelton in raising the profile of this important issue, and including several meaningful reforms to address the problems these discarded military munitions cause communities throughout our country. Our colleagues in the Senate also made valuable contributions and I appreciate their wisdom and hard work. The sections addressing unexploded ordnance are 311, 312, and 312 in the conference report. I hope that the activity on this issue during consideration of this year's defense authorization signals potential for additional steps forward in the future. Two of the four major provisions of the bill I have introduced, the Ordnance and Explosives Risk Management Act (H.R. 2605) have been legislated in this report. Congress has finally stepped up to the plate in the campaign to make former military sites safe. In fact, by requiring this inventory and prioritization scheme and establishing a separate account, we've rounded first, and we're on our way to second base. In the near future, I hope Congress will reinforce efforts within the Pentagon to put someone in charge of munitions response and to fund that response at a level that will address the problem over the next two decades, rather than the next two centuries.”