Patty Murray: “today is Earth Day. It is a day that many young people and adults across our country take time out to plant a tree…”

“today is Earth Day. It is a day that many young people and adults across our country take time out to plant a tree, clean up a river or a lakeside, and to make the statement that each of us has a responsibility to pass on a safe, clean, healthy, and secure environment to the generations that come behind us. Mr. President, today I use Earth Day to voice my concerns with the many riders that are attached to the Interior section I of the omnibus appropriations bill that is currently in conference. These riders, I believe, are not good policies for today or for tomorrow, and they certainly go against the concept that Earth Day was designed to highlight. Mr. President, I am particularly concerned about three riders that most directly affect my home State of Washington. The riders are the limitations to the interior Columbia basin ecosystem management project, the restricted timber salvage provisions, and the threats to the Lummi Nation.”