Political Quotes

“Mr. Chairman, I rise to offer my amendment to restore funding for the southern New England estuaries program. I plan to offer and withdraw this amendment in hopes that we can continue this discussion and work out a solution that will continue support for this program that is deeply meaningful to our region. I am honored to be joined in this amendment by Congressmen Cicilline, Keating, and Kennedy, all of whom know how important this EPA funding is to Rhode Island and Massachusetts. Mr. Chairman, estuaries support life. They are the fragile but vital ecosystems where saltwater and freshwater mix together, and they support a robust number of species. In Rhode Island, these coastal and tidal areas provide environmental balance, but they are increasingly threatened by human activity. We need to continue to support their restoration, less they regress and become permanently damaged. Over the past several years, we have seen the success of EPA's southern New England program. With projects since fiscal year 2014, these funds have helped protect and restore watersheds in the Narragansett Bay, Mount Hope Bay, and Buzzards Bay. They have supported coastal areas in South County, Rhode Island, and along Cape Cod and the islands. The EPA's geographic programs have worked in other parts of the country as well, from the Puget Sound to the Chesapeake Bay, and they are working in New England. Mr. Chairman, as I have said in the past, our estuaries are the lungs of our coastal areas.…”