Political Quotes

“I thank the gentlewoman from California. Mr. Speaker, I do indeed rise in strong support of H.R. 2247, the Promoting United Government Efforts to Save Our Sound, or the PUGET SOS Act. As indicated, Puget Sound is, in fact, located in western Washington, but it is a national treasure. Indeed, to modify just slightly what my friend from Florida suggested, by water volume it is actually the largest estuary in the United States of America. Puget Sound and its tributaries are one of the most ecologically diverse in all of North America, and it is, as has been indicated, the economic engine for the western part of our State, supporting maritime industry, commercial and recreational fishing, shellfish growers, tourism, and recreation. But it is more than that. It is also absolutely critical to the Tribes that reside in Washington State who have stewarded it for literally millennia. And need I remind you; they have treaty-reserved rights to its natural resources. Above and beyond that, it is central to the identity of anyone from western Washington. I ask you this: For those of you who have been to Seattle and have made the comment or a post from an August visit, it is beautiful. What is the image that comes to your mind? It is of Mount Rainier, above the shimmering waters of the Puget Sound. Or--and more about this later--it is of that magnificent black and white fish, the orca, breaching the surface of the water. But here is the deal, Puget Sound is dying.…”