Political Quotes

“This amendment is very simple: it strikes section 108 of this bill. Section 108 would prevent the Army Corps of Engineers from updating the definitions of the terms ``fill material'' or ``discharge of fill material.'' These definitions underlie section 404 of the Clean Water Act which governs dredge and fill permitting, one of the most important components of the act. To freeze those definition in time, as section 108 does, ties the hands of the implementing agencies, despite evolving scientific understanding and current regulatory insights. Current and future administrations must have discretion to implement key terms and clarify them when needed. The alternative puts our Nation's waters at risk. My amendment would remove this anti-Clean Water Act rider. When Congress first enacted the Clean Water Act, the section 404 permit process was supposed to be used for certain construction projects, like bridges and roads, where raising the bottom elevation of a water body or converting an area into dry land was unavoidable.…”