Political Quotes

“I thank the Senator for her constant leadership on this issue. I am going to start on a somewhat unusual note because I want to compliment my lead adversary here, Senator Landrieu, who has fought so hard to bring this bill to the floor. She is passionate about getting this done, and it is because of her efforts that we are here. I have to say I am just as passionate as she in opposition to this bill. Many of us come from coal States or oil States or natural gas States. Rhode Island doesn't have coal--at least it hasn't in generations. We used to mine coal in Portsmouth, in Cumberland, but that has been a long time ago. We don't have natural gas sources. We don't pump oil. What we do have is a coastline, and at that coastline what coal and oil and natural gas are doing to all of us through the operation of natural laws, through the operation of the laws of science--stuff we can't get around because this isn't opinion--is very harmful to our island. Naval Station Newport has a tide gauge. My friend Senator Manchin was kind enough to come and visit from West Virginia and we started out bright and early in the morning and our first stop was with the Navy folks down at the tide gauge. At that tide gauge what they show is that since the 1930s the water levels are up 10 inches. We had something very big happen in Rhode Island. In the 1930s we had the hurricane of 1938.…”