Political Quotes

“Mr. President, this week we consider a measure for permanent funding of the Land and Water Conservation Fund and for our national parks. I would support this measure joyously if there were a similar program for America's coasts and bays and oceans. As it is, I support this measure but with a heavy and frustrated heart as, once again, the urgent needs of coastal communities go unaddressed. Put bluntly, the Land and Water Conservation Fund massively favors inland and upland States and projects, as indicated by the prevalence of advocates for it here on the floor from landlocked States. It fails to meet the needs of coastal communities. Over the past decade, for every dollar the fund sent to inland States, per capita, coastal States just got 40 cents. The imbalance against coasts gets worse if you factor in that there is greater coastal than inland economic activity, and the imbalance against coasts worsens further when you factor in that much of the Land and Water Conservation Fund's spending in coastal States is for upland, inland projects. Coasts and saltwater are not treated fairly. The upland freshwater imbalance is not justified, and we ought to make it right. Look at Rhode Island. People from around the Nation and around the globe visit our wonderful beaches and beautiful Narragansett Bay, and they drive a huge amount of our economic activity.…”