Political Quotes

“Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of H. Res. 72. This administration's EPA has been allowed to operate unchecked by proposing regulations and actions not based on sound science and data. For example, an issue receiving more attention in Pennsylvania is the proposed regulation of the Chesapeake Bay and surrounding watershed. These regulations have a devastating economic impact on my constituents. Unquestionably, the bay is in need and truly worthy of our support. However, the EPA's ``shoot first and ask questions later'' approach will have detrimental economic effects on rural communities. The EPA, through a Presidential executive order, has created a Federal backstop for watershed implementation plans, commonly known as WIPs. This action has prevented the State's authority to implement their own strategies to clean up watersheds. Additionally, the EPA has proposed accelerated and unreasonable timelines for court-mandated total maximum daily loads, or TMDLs. The TMDL is a mandatory diet to restrict nutrient and sediment runoff. EPA has based the Chesapeake Bay TMDLs on its own bay modeling. This model has been called into question by many, including Limnotech, an independent and respected consulting firm on water issues. Using the EPA's own data, Limnotech compared it against data from the USDA which showed inconsistent assumptions between agencies.…”