Political Quotes

“Mr. Chairman, this bill uses ``streamlining'' the regulatory process, which is a euphemism for ``steamrolling'' over bedrock environmental laws. In fact, it dedicates 50 pages of this bill to paving over the National Environmental Policy Act, also known as NEPA, as well as the National Historic Preservation Act, NHPA. I know it is popular in Republican circles to blame environmental regulations for all of our Nation's ills, but that doesn't make it true. In fact, the evidence tells us an entirely different story. The Federal Highway Administration reported several years ago, before all of this steamrolling started, that more than 90 percent of NEPA reviews for highway projects were accomplished through a categorical exclusion process that takes only a few days. For the few--and we are talking about only 4 percent--highway projects which do require an environmental impact statement, the end result is often savings for the taxpayers and better projects that cause less harm to the environment and to our communities. Earlier this year, a plan to improve U.S. Route 23 in Michigan was modified to avoid the largest loss of wetlands in the State's history and to preserve that habitat for migratory waterfowl prized by hunters. In New Jersey, in 2012, construction on the Route 53 causeway to Ocean City was completed after NEPA review helped them minimize private property takings as well as damage to tidal marshes.…”