Political Quotes

“Madam Speaker, I think it is important that we take a step back and look at this legislation today because as we have heard, there is a crying need for this type of protection. Coral reefs are indeed among the most diverse and productive communities on our world. They are home to nearly a quarter of all marine plants and animals. We have heard a lot of numbers here on the floor today, but there are nearly 1 million species of fish, crab, eel, sponges, worms, grasses, all of these organisms that live on the reefs or depend directly on them. We find that the coral provides a natural filtration system for seawater. It, as we have heard, protects coastal landscapes, maintaining coastal quality of water. There are millions of people on the coastal areas who receive important protections from storms, wave damage, and erosion, to say nothing of economic opportunities dealing with fishing and tourism. Madam Speaker, we have heard each speaker use slightly different statistics to talk about the alarming rate of destruction. Sadly, all of the information we have received is true. There may be different statistics, but they are all bad.”