Political Quotes

“Mr. Chair, I rise today to oppose the dirty water act. This bill will make it more difficult to keep our water clean and will, ironically, add more uncertainty to the permitting process, just the opposite of what we need to have happen. This bill guts Federal, State, Tribal, and local authority and resources to attain clean water and protect locally important water bodies. First, this bill significantly restricts Federal oversight and regulatory authorities under the Clean Water Act. The current administration has already acted to slash Federal funding for clean water and eliminate agency staff. This bill compounds those efforts and will leave Federal agencies powerless to fulfill their responsibilities under the Clean Water Act. Second, the bill undermines the partnership that the Federal Government has with States and Tribes to prevent pollution, weakening States' and Tribes' ability to better protect their own water. The result will be more pollution in our Nation's rivers, streams, and lakes, thanks to loopholes, legal shields, and limited oversight of polluters. Third, this bill will end up slowing projects by increasing regulatory uncertainty and delay.”