Political Quotes

“Mr. Chairman, I wish to express my opposition to this amendment that will continue the trend of reducing the investment in our Nation's infrastructure. The authorization levels in the committee bill show a commitment to continuing the program of investment that has existed for 20 years. This investment has been crucial to the success of our efforts to clean up the Nation's waters. Last year, as chairman of the Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight, I chaired a series of hearings that examined the need for more capital investment in this Nation. We found that the Nation's needs for investment in wastewater treatment are continuing to increase. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates the Nation's total investment needs in wastewater treatment to be almost $140 billion. It is estimated that an additional $6 billion a year is needed to meet our needs. One report by a respected infrastructure consulting firm estimated that we will have a $62 billion shortfall in our investment in wastewater treatment by the end of the decade. Mr. Chairman, I do not believe reducing the authorization levels in H.R. 961 is the way to meet our Nation's pressing water pollution problems.”