Political Quotes

“Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. The Apalachicola, Chattahoochee, and Flint River system is a critically important asset to the Southeastern United States' ecology, economy, and heritage. Unfortunately, it has also become a point of intense political friction and lengthy, ongoing, and extremely costly litigation. I strongly believe that, if we could get away from the politics and the lawsuits, we would have a much better chance of resolving this issue in a way that brings us together rather than divides us. That is why I am optimistic about the recent work of the Apalachicola, Chattahoochee, and Flint Stakeholders, a diverse group of private citizens who live and work in the ACF Basin. They represent the whole spectrum of stakeholders, public and private, from Florida, Georgia, and Alabama. They have been able to unite around the common mission of changing the management of the ACF Basin to create a healthier economy and environment, which will benefit everyone, and they have made a number of recommendations to the Corps of Engineers to meet their goal of a sustainable ACF Basin. The ACF Stakeholder group has identified significant gaps in fundamental, scientific, and technical knowledge needed to best manage this natural resource. One of those recommendations is that the Corps conduct more basic scientific research on the entire river basin and bay.…”