David Obey: “what we hear today is that there are four oil-producing coastal States who this year get $100 million and who under CARA…”

“what we hear today is that there are four oil-producing coastal States who this year get $100 million and who under CARA want to get $1 billion, and they are unhappy because we only gave them $400 million. That is the truth. We spread the money around more fairly among all the States, and we make no apology for it. The fact is this is a historic bill. It is the best conservation funding bill that we have seen in a generation. This raises conservation funding from $4 billion to $12 billion over a 6-year period, and that money if it is not spent on these conservation programs cannot be spent on any other item. That is as close to a guarantee as we can get. It is a phenomenal victory for the environmental movement and a phenomenal victory for those who want to protect our outdoor resources. The rule should be supported. The bill should be supported. This is something we can all go home and be proud of.”