Political Quotes

“This organization likewise has written in strong support of the committee's storm water provision. They also cite the undisputed fact that polluted storm water from impervious surfaces such as roads is a leading reason why nearly 40 percent of our Nation's waters fail meeting our Nation's water quality standards. Similar letters of strong support have come from the U.S. Conference of Mayors which emphasize ``absent some . . . [other Federal funding] storm water pollution cleanup costs, including loadings attributable to the Federal highway system will be borne largely by local taxpayers through property taxes and other general taxes and wastewater utility fees.'' Hear this: These are your mayors reaching out to you for help. I could go on. I have a great many letters. I am pleased to say our distinguished Governor of Virginia, Mark Warner, states: A program such as this could help improve water quality in the Chesapeake Bay, and other watersheds in the Commonwealth. The Virginia Association of Counties has strongly endorsed this program with the view that these provisions, reserving less than one- third of a penny of every highway dollar, are a very modest commitment to an enormous challenge before local governments struggling with contamination of drinking water from highway/street storm water discharge. The support for the committee's provision is strong because everyone recognizes that storm water runoff from highways is a known impediment to good water quality.…”