Political Quotes

“Mr. Chairman, our friends are trying to represent that this substitute is 70 percent of the committee bill. That simply is not true. The substitute guts the committee bill which passed overwhelmingly on a bipartisan basis in committee. They are trying to portray this substitute as having widespread support. Does the National Governors' Association support it? No. Does the National League of Cities support it? No. Do the State water pollution control officials support it? No. Does the Conference of Mayors support it? No. Do the agricultural groups support it? No. Does the NFIB support it? Not only do they not support it, they list this vote as a key vote as they measure our performance in the Congress. In writing, as we have demonstrated earlier here today, all of these organizations support the committee bill. In fact, the nonpoint source, the substitute really does damage to what we do in the committee bill. The committee bill requires the States to develop comprehensive nonpoint source management plans. If the States do not develop the programs, the bill requires the EPA to do it. As far as coastal management is concerned, we do not eliminate coastal management. We fold it into a unified nonpoint source program. So we eliminate the duplicative regulation of nonpoint sources of pollution.”