Political Quotes

“I ask my colleagues to support the Jackson Lee amendment that speaks to the health and good quality of life for all Americans and America's children. I yield back the balance of my time. CLEAN WATER ACT DEADLINE STUDY AMENDMENT I rise today and ask my colleagues to support my amendment to H.R. 3409 which would simply maintain the current deadline of 90 days under the Clean Water Act, by striking Section 503 of the bill which artificially limits agency comment periods on water quality permits to 30 days with no possibility of extension. On the surface the intent of H.R. 3409 appears to be to prevent the Interior Department from revising a Bush Administration midnight regulation that significantly weakened protections on the destructive practice of Mountaintop Removal Mining. Mountaintop Removal Mining is one the most environmentally destructive practices on earth, which has fouled water quality and destroyed nearly 2,000 miles of Appalachian streams since 1992. However, H.R. 3409 is drafted so that its reach would in fact be much broader than just this one rulemaking. The people in the State of Texas and the city of Houston appreciate the ability to drink cool fresh water which, at its core, is what the Clean Water Act is designed to do. This legislation goes all the way back to 1948 because pollution of the nation's surface waters was a very serious problem. And Mr. Speaker, it still is today. Title V of H.R.…”