Political Quotes

“I wind up the presentation by saying--and I regret to predict this--I see nothing but danger signs with regard to the worldwide energy consumption and the predicament the United States of America faces, particularly with the growing consumption of energy by China and India and other nations. It will impact here at home. To my colleagues in Florida, show us how to fix our bill to protect your State fully. It can be done. That is what we do all the time, craft legislation. How do you explain how four States have already been doing this for many years--Mississippi, Louisiana, and those four States offshore--without any great disaster. I predict the Halls of this Chamber will reverberate with the debate--maybe next year or the year after--and this subject will be brought back again when a solid realization will come to this Senate we have no place to go as a nation to protect ourselves and our energy needs but offshore. I am delighted tonight I forced the opportunity, together with my colleagues, to show in this bill there are those in this Senate who are seriously concerned about the future and believe we must start now to do the planning for offshore. If this crisis hits, we cannot go 6 months or a year and suddenly tap those sources. We have to go through a legislative process in our States and the Federal Government. It will take 4 to 5 to 6 years before we could begin to draw the first bit of energy offshore.…”