Patrick Kennedy: “on behalf of the citizens of Pascoag, Rhode Island, who have lived with contaminated water from MBTE, I rise in support…”

“on behalf of the citizens of Pascoag, Rhode Island, who have lived with contaminated water from MBTE, I rise in support of the Capps amendment. I would like to thank my good friend Congresswoman Capps for fighting to bring this debate to the floor today. I have seen firsthand the devastation that the gasoline additive MTBE can have on our local communities. In my home state of Rhode Island, the citizens of Pascoag were unable to use their water for months due to this contamination. No child should have to turn on the water faucet to have their tap water smell like turpentine. But the provision in this bill that seeks to protect MTBE manufacturers is simply yet another one of many that puts the needs of individuals and families below the requests of industry in this dangerous bill. I urge my colleagues to take a stand for the forty-five million Americans whose water systems have been affected by MTBE contamination and vote to strike this provision from the bill.”