Patty Murray: “I rise today to support the Durbin amendment that will protect our national monuments from energy exploration. I am…”

“I rise today to support the Durbin amendment that will protect our national monuments from energy exploration. I am pleased to be a cosponsor of this important amendment... These unique landscapes, including the Hanford Reach National Monument in my home State of Washington, were designated as national monuments because they are important in their own right and they deserve to be protected. We should not need an additional amendment to keep oil derricks out of these lands, but unfortunately that is where we find ourselves today. The Bush administration has proposed exploring for energy even in our national monuments. When I go home every weekend and talk to my friends and neighbors... my constituents come up to me and ask: Is nothing sacred anymore? Drilling in our national monuments is just wrong. This amendment says the Federal Government should not promote energy exploration on our most precious lands, on our heritage.”