Political Quotes

“I thank the conferees of the emergency supplemental appropriations bill for their efforts to ensure the inclusion of funds for the Landsat 7 satellite. Most important, their efforts saved the Landsat program without any spending increases. The Landsat program is very important to this country. Despite the controversy about some space programs, Landsat and other global change research projects receive wide support. I come from the State of South Dakota, where the EROS DATA Center receives the Landsat signals. EROS provides very important information for agriculture, mining, and urban planning and other global change research. For example, in South Dakota, native Americans are utilizing Landsat data to manage land and resources on their reservations. The administration also strongly supports the Landsat program. It was through, I believe, an oversight that it was not funded at the appropriate level. I also want to thank my colleague, Senator Rockefeller, for his support of this program and for joining me in writing and talking with the conferees. Again, I wish to thank the conferees very much for their prompt action in resolving the Landsat funding issue.”