Political Quotes

“I join with Senator Jeffords on this, because I think it is extremely important to our State. S. 534, as it is presently written, trashes Vermont's solid waste management plan, I might say literally and figuratively. What we want to do is let the Vermont solution work in Vermont. We hear a lot about States' rights these days, but we are about to undermine our State's right to manage waste in Vermont. We hear a lot about how States could find the best solutions to their problem, but this bill says the States' solutions are wrong. We hear a lot about not forcing States to adhere to national environmental standards, but when my own State goes and exceeds the national standard within the borders of our own State, we are told we cannot do that. Now here we have a bill that says States can control what comes across their borders, but they cannot control what is within their borders. That is absurd. My State uses flow control to reduce the leakage of household hazardous waste into the environment. That is something that benefits all Americans. My State uses flow control to increase recycling in rural areas. Vermont manages waste better than Federal statutes, like the Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act require. If a State like Vermont wants to go above and beyond the call of duty in addressing solid waste problems, then the Federal Government ought to stand out of its way. We are not suggesting we do less.”